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  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 15, 2021 Permalink | Reply
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    Addiction centers are still scamming patients 

    By Greg Collier

    Having a family member with a substance abuse problem is one of the worst experiences in life to go through. Just getting them to admit that they have a problem is a monumental step on the road to recovery. But what then? Some people choose to admit themselves to an addiction center, more commonly known as rehab. But which one? Should they stay local or go to one out of state? Should they go to one of the addiction centers advertised on daytime TV? Well, before you answer any of those questions, you should probably know about how people suffering with addiction are often scammed into entering a fraudulent program.

    Two men from Massachusetts were recently arrested for allegedly committing insurance fraud by recruiting recovering addicts into poorly run addiction centers. The pair is accused of signing up their victims to treatment centers in Florida, where the patients would receive little to no actual treatment. The men are also accused of opening insurance policies in their victims names and collecting kickbacks from the insurance claims the treatment center filed. Sometimes the insurance policies would go unpaid, which would result in the victim being put out on the street hundreds of miles from home. One of the men is even said to have recruited his victims from local recovery meetings in Massachusetts.

    Unfortunately, this is not a new type of scam. These recruiters are known as body brokers and have been doing this for a while. In past instances, some patients were even paid to relapse, so the addiction centers could continue to bill the insurance companies.

    As with any life-changing decision, take the time to do the research on any facilities you or a loved one may be considering. Do a web search with the name of the facility and the word complaint to see how previous patients felt like they were treated. The Better Business Bureau website is also a great resource for trying to separate the scammers from the legitimate facilities.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 14, 2021 Permalink | Reply
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    Medicare open enrollment brings out scammers 

    Medicare open enrollment brings out scammers

    By Greg Collier

    This Friday, October 15th 2021, starts the period known as Open Enrollment for all Medicare recipients. Until December 7th, Medicare recipients will be able to decide if they want to stay with their current Medicare coverage or switch to a new insurer. With so many options to choose from and so many changes made each year, it can be difficult for seniors to keep up with all the necessary policies and paperwork each year. Unfortunately, Open Enrollment is also open season for Medicare scammers and fraudsters. Not only are there scams to go along with Open Enrollment, but some bad business practices as well.

    While not technically a scam, some less than reputable insurance brokers will try to pressure seniors into switching to their company’s Medicare Advantage plan. While Advantage plans can be beneficial to some, they can also be limiting to others. It all depends on the patient’s personal needs, but some insurance agents are just looking for the sale. If you’re thinking about switching from Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, please take the time to research the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. Don’t let some salesman pressure you into a decision that you may regret having for the following year.

    As far as scams go, identity theft is often the biggest threat seniors face during Open Enrollment. Scammers will call their victims posing as being from the government with an official-sounding title like ‘health care benefits advocate’, or something along those lines. The victim will be promised that they’ll be signed up for the same or better coverage at a lower price. The phony agent will ask for all the victim’s personal information, including their Medicare number. Medicare fraudsters will then use the stolen number to charge Medicare with fraudulent procedures or items which could affect the victim’s benefits down the line. These scammers will also use high-pressure tactics to get the victim’s information, like telling the victim their benefits could expire if they don’t give their information right now. The calls can even appear as they’re coming from Medicare’s official phone number.

    If you’re already enrolled in Medicare, your Medicare plan will only call you if you’re already a member of that plan. If you feel uncomfortable taking the call, you can always call your insurance company’s customer service number on the back of your insurance card.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 13, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , vaccine passport   

    No, you can’t get your vaccination status on your license 

    By Greg Collier

    Most of us know about the icons on our drivers licenses that indicate whether or not the license holder is an organ donor. In many states, it’s a small heart in one of the corners of the license. In others, it just says ‘organ donor’ listed somewhere on the card. Regardless if you’re a donor or not, we’ve all come to accept these indicators on our drivers licenses. Maybe because of that acceptance, scammers think that we’ll fall for another indicator on our licenses that indicate a more modern status.

    The state of Florida is warning its residents about a text messaging scam where the impostors are posing as the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The text message claims that you can have your vaccination status added to your driver’s license. With the discussion of so-called vaccine passports, this might seem like a reasonable service. Many entertainment and sports venues are requiring proof of vaccination before attending, so wouldn’t it be convenient to just have it marked on your license? In reality, the state of Florida is offering no such service.

    As with most texting scams, the message contains a link that the scammers want you to click on, If you do, you’re taken to a website that looks like it belongs to the Florida DMV. You’ll then be asked for such personal information as your Social Security number, your driver’s license number, and you’ll even be asked to upload a photo of your license. This scam is an identity thief’s dream.

    There are a couple of things to keep in mind to protect yourself from scams like this. The first is to never click on a link in a text from someone you don’t know. Often they’ll take you to risky websites or inject your device with malware. The other thing to keep in mind is that government agencies never use text messaging to announce new services.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 12, 2021 Permalink | Reply
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    Should banks be held responsible when the elderly are scammed? 

    Should banks be held responsible when the elderly are scammed?

    By Greg Collier

    An interesting legal issue has arisen in Florida, and it deals with one of the more common scams, where the elderly are usually the targets. Of course, we’re talking about the grandparent scam where scammers call the elderly to tell them that one of their grandchildren is in trouble, and they need money. This scam has claimed far too many elderly victims. However, there have been instances where banks have intervened on their customer’s behalf. Some banks have trained their employees to ask their customers questions about large or frequent withdrawals if they believe the customer might be the victim of a scam. The issue at hand here is just how responsible banks should be when it comes to protecting their customers like this?

    An elderly woman in Tampa lost $700,000 to scammers who had convinced her that her granddaughter had been in a car accident and was in legal trouble. One of the scammers posed as her granddaughter and told the woman not to tell anyone else in the family. Another scammer got on the line posing as a local attorney. As most of these scams start out, the first request was for bail money. Then more requests came in stating that money needed to be paid to the people who were supposedly injured in the accident.

    This resulted in 13 withdrawals from her bank. In some instances, the victim was instructed to leave packages of cash for couriers to pick up. The bank did ask why the woman was withdrawing so much money, but she told the bank she was renovating her home and paying a contractor who preferred to be paid in cash. This is what the scammers told her to tell the bank if they started asking questions. It’s been reported that someone did call the state’s abuse hotline, but the woman was allowed to keep withdrawing large sums of cash after the call was made.

    The victim has since sued the bank for negligence. So what do you think? Did the bank do its due diligence, or should they even be required to do so? Or is this just an unfortunate collision of coincidences that allowed the scammers to prosper?

     

    • Wally 9:54 pm on October 20, 2021 Permalink

      I’m on the fence with this. I worked for a small bank for 8 years and really enjoyed my customers. However, one challenge that you always are scammers trying to customer’s money. Some people come into the back saying they need to withdraw X amount or do cashier’s checks to send people they don’t know.

      As a previous banker I would always ask multiple times why they are sending the money and to whom and try to deter them as much as possible and even get managers involved. Some customers [not all] will realize that it’s a scam while others will question you as the banker why you won’t give them their money so they can do what they want. I truly feel really sorry for anyone who is scammed out of their hard earned money. I have sometime refused to handle many transactions if a client refuses to take our advise.

      Banking is becoming more and more riskier everyday and I have seen it cripple some banks wit the losses they have suffer being in some installs they may have to reimburse their clients up to FDIC limits. But again, I think it’s TERRIBLE for the elderly or anyone to be scammed.

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 11, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , Zipcar   

    Rental car company’s name used in scam 

    Rental car company's name used in scam

    By Greg Collier

    Many of you might not have heard of Zipcar. They’re kind of like an Uber for rental cars. Instead of the cars being owned by a rental company, they’re owned by private citizens looking to make a little money by renting their car out through Zipcar. Zipcar is also owned by car rental giant AVIS. So, at least on the surface, they seem like a mostly reliable company. Of course, if you’re a reliable company, someone will use your name to try to scam people. We’ve seen such scams with companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Uber, so I guess it’s Zipcar’s turn now. In the interest of transparency, this is not an endorsement of Zipcar, and Zipcar had nothing to do with the actual scam.

    A man from Norfolk, Virginia, received a random text message that appeared to come from Zipcar. The text said the man could make hundreds of dollars just for driving his car around with a Zipcar decal on it. The man caught on to the scam quick when he clicked on the link in the text, and it went nowhere. Never click on those links, by the way. The report we’ve read doesn’t go into details, but the man received an email from a fake Zipcar representative.

    The man wanted to see how far the scam would go, so he responded claiming he was interested in the promotion. Not too long after that, he received a ‘welcome package’ in the mail. The package contained a Zipcar sticker, a letter, and a cashier’s check for $2,980. Of course, the check was a fake and the man did not deposit it.

    This is very similar to the car wrapping scam, where victims will be asked to wrap their whole car in some kind of advertisement. The victim will be sent the usual fake check and will be asked to deposit the check in their bank account. The victim will then be asked to take some of the money as their payment and used the rest to either buy ‘supplies’ from a vendor working with the scammer, or the victim will be asked to send the money to some third party as part of ‘business expenses’. When the victim’s bank finds out the check is fraudulent, it’s the victim that’s held responsible for that money.

    According to the Better Business Bureau, the Zipcar scam has been finding victims all over the country and fleecing them of thousands of dollars. As with most scams, you should ignore any unsolicited texts promising you money. Not only that, but real companies, especially as one as large as AVIS, will never ask you to deposit company funds in your own checking account. If any employer does, you can almost guarantee that the check is a fake.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 8, 2021 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: Don’t let strangers use your phone and more 

    Scam Round Up: Don't let strangers use your phone and more

    By Greg Collier

    We’re closing out the week again with another trio of scams that have popped up around the country.

    ***

    Our first scam comes to us from Charlotte, North Carolina. Residents there have been complaining about a bold scam that takes advantage of your kindness. The scam involves people coming up to you asking to use your phone. The scammers will have some kind of story like hey’re car broke down and can they use your phone to call someone. Once they have your phone, they’ll open up whatever payment app you have on your phone and send all your money to the scammers account. In Charlotte, residents there have said that Venmo was specifically targeted, but this scam could be used on any payment app. The best way to prevent this from happening, outside of letting no one use your phone, is to enable the security features on your accounts. Usually, you can secure your accounts with a PIN or have them require your fingerprint or facial recognition.

    ***

    Speaking of North Carolina, the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina is warning consumers about phony lenders who are really looking to pull off an old scam. In this scam, the lender promise an easy loan, and will deposit a check in your bank account. The scammers will then demand you to buy loan insurance before the check even clears. However, the check never clears as it’s a fake, leaving the victim responsible for the check’s amount to their bank. These phony lenders usually promise you won’t have to undergo a credit check. This should be your red flag, as all legitimate lenders will have you undergo a credit check. Also, no one seeking a loan should respond to unsolicited offers they may receive through text or email.

    ***

    Lastly, the Better Business Bureau of Tulsa is warning their residents about a text messaging scam that threatens to lock their phone. Consumers there have been getting texts that appear to come from their cell phone providers telling them that their phone will be locked if they don’t make a payment. The text also contains a link that should never be clicked on. The link will either inject malware into your phone or it will ask you for your financial information. If you receive one of these texts or one like it, call the customer service number that appears on your bill or on the provider’s website.

    ***

    Please keep in mind that scams like this aren’t confined to the area where they are being reported on in the news. They could just as easily be happening in your area.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 7, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , Twitch   

    Major social media platform experiences historic data breach 

    Data breach exposed most American families

    By Greg Collier

    If we had to hazard a guess, we’d assume that most of our readership do not use livestreaming platform Twitch. If you’re not familiar with Twitch, it’s most famous for its users who stream themselves playing video games, although it does have other content such as musicians and talk shows. Yesterday, Twitch was the victim of a massive data breach of epic proportions, which has left some of its top users vulnerable to potential cyberattacks.

    Yesterday, hackers released a veritable cornucopia of Twitch’s inside information. This was a 128 GB file that contained the platform’s source code. In layman’s terms, hackers released all the code that the platform runs on to the public. Some of this code contained information such as how much some of Twitch’s top earners make, which for some is in the millions of dollars. Twitch streamers make a lot of their money through monthly subscriptions and viewer donations.

    What’s more concerning to the average Twitch user is that it’s been alleged that usernames and passwords have been exposed. If this is true, this could lead to a rash of identity theft if Twitch users use the same password elsewhere online. While this breach may not affect the majority of our readership, it could affect your kids, as Twitch is massively popular among a younger audience.

    This data breach could be used to teach your kids a lesson in online security. Find out if they have a Twitch account and if they use their Twitch password anywhere else online. Recommend that they not only change their password to Twitch, but also to change it if they use the same password anywhere else. You should also recommend to them that they should not use the same password on multiple platforms. It’s never too early to have your children learn the value of internet security.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 6, 2021 Permalink | Reply
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    Watch out for sticky mailboxes 

    By Greg Collier

    There used to be a time when the blue US Postal Service mailboxes were considered almost sacred. We would hear all the time about how it was considered a federal crime to tamper with the box, let alone take mail from it. In today’s world, that’s no longer a deterrent keeping con artists and thieves out of postal collection boxes. Previously, when we’ve discussed mail being stolen from collection boxes, the box is overstuffed with mail where bad actors could just reach in and grab a fistful of mail. Now, it seems that mail thieves aren’t even waiting for the mailbox to be full before stealing mail from them.

    Police in Norwood, Massachusetts, have been warning residents there about a string of incidents where mail has been fished out of mailboxes. Mail thieves are using items like bottles that are covered in an adhesive to drop into the mailboxes and hopefully fish out some mail containing checks. As we posted about recently, this so thieves and scammers can dip the checks in chemicals to remove the ink from written and cancelled checks in a process known as check washing.

    Local police are recommending to residents that they should be aware of any mailbox that has any sticky residue on it. This also good advice to anyone who still uses their local mailbox to send their mail. However, the best way to prevent mail theft like this is to drop your mail off inside of your local post office or handing it directly to a mail carrier. It’s also recommended that you write your checks using a gel or felt tip pin, as these inks are more difficult to remove from checks.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 5, 2021 Permalink | Reply
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    You can’t rent a house through Coinstar 

    You can't rent a house through Coinstar

    By Greg Collier

    I think we can honestly say that this is one of the more unusual rental scams that we’ve heard of.

    It starts out as your typical rental scam. A scammers has listed a home for rent online that they don’t own at a below-market price. An Arizona man responds to the listing and wants to see the house first before giving the phony landlord any money. The scammer tells the man that the house is open, so the man can see it at his convenience. That part was true, the house was left open for the man to tour. While this is not the part of the scam that we find unusual, scammers often make appointments with realtors to get the codes to the lockboxes realtors use to secure the houses. The scammers then give the code to prospective victims, so they can tour the home. This tactic more than most makes the scammers appear legitimate.

    The man wanted to rent the home and told the scammers so. This is where the unusual part comes in. The scammers told the man to go to Coinstar. We all know Coinstar. It’s where we take all our loose change to convert into dollar bills. However, Coinstar can also be used to convert money into two of scammer’s favorite currency, gift cards and Bitcoin. Thankfully, this was the red flag that made the man realize this was a scam. The house wasn’t even for rent, it was for sale. The scammers copied the legitimate listing posted by the realtor and then made their ad look like they were renting the house. That’s the most common tactic of the rental scammer.

    Before you contact anybody about touring a home you saw listed online, you should do a web search of the address of the home. This can often show you the actual rent and the actual realtor selling or renting the home. Zillow and Raltor.com are great ways to help detect fraud, as many phony listings are blatantly copied from these platforms. Also, no legitimate rental agency or realtor is going to ask you to pay any application fees are down payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 4, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , St. Louis   

    Checks stolen from post office mailbox 

    By Greg Collier

    As much as we have moved away from paying for items with personal checks, there are still instances when a personal check is still necessary. For example, a woman in the St. Louis area needed to pay a contractor who was building her family a new home. That’s not a service that you can often pay with your debit card. The woman went to her local post office and placed the check that was addressed to the contractor in the collection box outside.

    She probably thought nothing of it until she received a call from her bank. The bank asked her if she had recently written a check for $73,000. She told the bank she didn’t and didn’t know the person that the check was supposedly issued to. The bank then asked her if she had used her local post office to mail the check. The bank said that they have had a number of customers had checks they wrote stolen from that collection box. The checks had all their ink removed and written to out to new recipients. Thankfully, the bank did not let the woman’s stolen check be cashed.

    This scam is known as check washing. It’s when someone dips an already written or even canceled check in chemicals and removes the handwritten ink from the check. The thieves can then write the check to whomever they want for whatever amount they want. As long as there is enough money in the checking account to cover the washed check, the check can be cashed.

    It’s recommended that in order to protect yourself that you switch from checks to electronic payments. However, like we said, in some cases, you have to pay by check. In that case, there are special pens you can buy that resist check washing. If you’re mailing the checks from the post office, have them mailed from inside the post office, where they’re less likely to be stolen. Lastly, never leave your outgoing mail in your home mailbox. More mail is stolen from home mailboxes than USPS mailboxes.

     

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