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  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Indeed, ,   

    Contemporary job offer is same old scam 

    Contemporary job offer is same old scam

    By Greg Collier

    The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning over a company that offered positions in cryptocurrency trading that was allegedly a scam. Several people have reported applying for a position on the job board Indeed that ended up costing the victims thousands of dollars. The position was said to be for a portfolio manager for stock and Bitcoin, but instead, the victims were used as money mules. While dealing in Bitcoin trading may seem like a job of the future, in this instance, it turned out to be one of the oldest job scams in the books.

    Right off the bat, the victims received payments in their own bank accounts. They were then instructed to use the money to purchase Bitcoin for clients. One victim even used his own Cash App account to purchase the cryptocurrency. A few days after receiving the payments and having already bought Bitcoin, the victims’ banks inform them that the payments they received were fraudulent. This meant that their bank accounts were overdrawn by thousands of dollars, which the banks hold them responsible for. The supposed company has since disappeared from the internet.

    If this scam sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a variation of the fake check scam. Even though no paper checks were involved in this particular scam, the outcome is the same. No legitimate employer will ever ask you to deposit funds to be used for business into your own bank account. Scammers are taking advantage of a courtesy of banks that lets you withdraw money from your account before the check or payment has been verified as legitimate.

    This story also shows that even well-known job boards like Indeed aren’t immune to job scams. These scammers even held multiple interviews, albeit online, with their victims. Victims were even sent official looking documentation that outlined their job responsibilities and salary.

    Scammers are so practiced in their craft that they can appear to be a legitimate business. However, there is almost always a telltale sign to indicate a scam. In this case, it’s using your own bank account for supposed business related expenses.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 11, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: Other Valentine scams and more 

    Scam Round Up: Other Valentine scams and more

    By Greg Collier

    Today, to help start the weekend, we’re bringing you four scams from around the country you should be aware of.

    ***

    With Valentine’s Day approaching, we’ve already discussed the romance scams you should be on the lookout for. However, there are additional scams you should be aware of. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about impostor websites where you might be buying Valentine’s Day gifts such as jewelry and flowers from. Even if you’re shopping for gifts at the last minute, make sure the retailer you’re shopping at is a legitimate one. Check for reviews of the retailer to see if anyone has been scammed already through them. Avoid deals that seem too good to be true. Make sure the website isn’t posing as another retailer by checking the web address, known as a URL, for slight misspellings. Lastly, pass on vendors who only accept payment through cash transfer apps and cryptocurrency. Use a credit card whenever possible, since that provides the most consumer protection.

    ***

    A news report out of Pennsylvania is warning residents there about an inheritance scam. The report states that the scam starts out when the victim receives a letter in the mail from a supposed Canadian bank. The letter states that a distant relative of the victim has died, and the victim is in line to receive a multi-million dollar inheritance. While situations like this make for great TV drama, the reality is much more disappointing. In reality, the victim will either be asked to pay thousands of dollars for either phony taxes or legal fees. Or the victim will be asked for their banking information under the guise of having the inheritance sent to their bank account. If you receive one of these letters, you’re asked to just ignore it.

    ***

    If you live in an area that recently endured the winter storms, you may want to keep an eye out for this scam. In Missouri, residents are reporting receiving text messages that appear to come from the United States Postal Service (USPS). The text messages state that since service was delayed, you can request a re-delivery by clicking on a link. The link takes you to a website that looks like the USPS website and asks you for $3.30 re-delivery fee, which you can pay for with debit or credit card. This is designed to steal your financial information. The USPS will never ask for a re-delivery fee.

    ***

    Lastly, we have a scam that targets the migrant population in our country. In Indiana, police there say that people who are working to become citizens have received calls from scammers posing as local police. The victims are told if they don’t pay a fee, they could lose their status and be deported. Since the victims may not be familiar with US law, they may be easily persuaded to fall for this scam. No law enforcement department or agency will ever threaten arrest over the phone or ask for money over the phone. It’s recommended that if you receive one of these calls to contact the Department of Homeland Security. If you know someone who might be vulnerable to this scam, please let them know.

     

  • Geebo 9:26 am on February 10, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    The Super Bowl ticket scam returns 

    The Super Bowl ticket scam returns

    By Greg Collier

    If you have tickets to this weekend’s big game in Los Angeles, congratulations. We are officially jealous. If you’re still trying to get tickets at the 11th hour, we wish you the best of luck. However, in either case, we hope you have legitimate tickets since sporting events are big targets for ticket scammers and the Super Bowl is the biggest of these targets.

    According to Los Angeles area news reports, the average price for Super Bowl tickets are $9000 with the nosebleed seats going for around $5000. If you see tickets being listed online for just hundreds of dollars, the odds are pretty good the tickets are fake.

    Scammers get these tickets by buying legitimate tickets with stolen credit cards. Once the credit card is reported stolen, the tickets are cancelled. If someone were to buy these stolen tickets, they’d be turned away at the stadium entrance for having a counterfeit ticket. Since most people attending the game will be traveling from other parts of the country, this could lead to a massive disappointment for some unfortunate football fans prior to kickoff. Even in-person scalpers on game day could be selling you an armful of fake tickets, and you’ll have absolutely no recourse with them.

    Although you’ll still pay a premium price, your best bet to get legitimate tickets is to buy them through licensed resellers. You should also use a credit card when purchasing tickets, since they’ll provide the most protection if something goes wrong with the purchase. And if you already have tickets, don’t post pictures of them to social media. Scammers can use the digital code on the tickets to virtually steal your tickets.

    This just doesn’t apply only to the Super Bowl. Not only do these scams happen at other large sporting events, but they can happen at smaller events too like your local MLB, NFL, NHL, or NBA games. The same goes for entertainment events like concerts and pro wrestling.

    While an unbelievable deal on tickets might be enticing, they could lead you into an expensive and heartbreaking scam.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Should you give a stranger an authorization code to get your pet back? 

    Should you give a stranger an authorization code to get your pet back?

    By Greg Collier

    Proving that they’re completely heartless, scammers will even try to scam people whose pets have gone missing. The most common lost pet scam is when the scammers claim they have your dog before asking you for money, either as a reward or as a ransom. In most cases, the scammers never had your dog and are hoping to catch you at a vulnerable time. More recently, we’ve seen a report about a new type of lost pet scam that online sellers have been the target of.

    In Ohio, The Better Business Bureau is warning about this scam, which is currently targeting local residents. One resident stated that she put up a social media post about her lost dog with her phone number attached. Within minutes of posting, she received a phone call from a California number. The caller said they had found the dog. However, in order to verify the owner, the caller said they would be sending a six-digit code through a text message and that the dog’s owner should give that code number to the caller.

    If you’re a frequent online seller, you may recognize this as the Google Voice scam. Google Voice is a service that allows you to have a second phone number. The second number is not only ted to your Google account, but it’s tied to your primary phone number as well. The six-digit code is an authorization code for when you sign up for Google Voice. If you give that code to a scammer, they’ll get a phone number they can use in future scams that is tied to your phone number. While this scam may not cost you any money, it can cost you a lot of inconvenience if the number gets traced back to you.

    If you ever lose a pet and someone has claimed to have found them, ask the caller for a picture of the pet. This way, you can verify if they really have the pet. If they give you an excuse like their camera is broken, it’s more than likely a scam. To help prevent scams like this, we recommend getting your pets microchipped, even if they’re indoor pets. You can never plan for when your pet may make a run for it.

     

  • Geebo 9:01 am on February 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Romance scams ramp up in time for Valentine’s Day 

    By Greg Collier

    Recently, the FBI issued a warning urging citizens to be wary of romance scams in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. For new readers, romance scams typically consist of scammers luring their targets into false romantic relationships as a way to steal money. The scammers usually pose as oil rig workers, military members stationed overseas, or international business people. This is done in order to have a built-in excuse as to why the scammer can’t meet their victim face to face. While anybody can fall for a romance scam, elderly women are frequently the targets for this scam. While the FBI is warning about Valentine’s Day as a possible flashpoint for romance scams, they can happen at any time.

    For example, a woman in Minnesota is said top have recently lost $57,000 in a romance scam. While it’s not clear who the scammer was posing as, the scammer kept giving the woman excuses as to why they couldn’t meet face to face. Moreover, the scammer would use these excuses to solicit more money from their victim. In one instance, the scammer said they made it halfway to Minnesota, but fell ill before they could get there. Another time, the scammer said they made it to the Twin Cities, but needed more money for gas. When nobody showed up, the woman realized she had been scammed.

    Another recent romance scam happened in Pennsylvania, where a woman lost $5000. She met a scammer on a chat app posing as an oil rig worker in the Gulf of Mexico. The scammer claimed they had lost their debit card and needed money. The victim ended up mailing $5000 in cash to an address in Ohio.

    It’s believed that many romance scams go unreported because the victims are too embarrassed to come forward, which is the main reason why this scam continues to proliferate.

    If you ever meet a potential romantic partner online, the first thing you should do is a reverse image search on their picture. Scammers will often steal pictures from someone’s social media who has no idea their picture is being used in a romance scam. If your prospective partner is being cagey about meeting in person, that is usually a good indicator that they’re trying to scam you. Lastly, if they ask for money before meeting, that’s a huge red flag indicating a scam.

    If you know someone who may be a victim in a romance scam, it’s often difficult to convince them that they’re being scammed. It may help if you show them this blog post or any of the articles out there that detail how a romance scam works.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Venmo scam targets online sellers 

    Venmo scam targets online sellers

    By Greg Collier

    When selling your items online, both sellers and buyers often have to deal with scammers. No matter what platform you use, whether it’s Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or Craigslist, the potential for being scammed is high. However, as a quick aside, Geebo.com takes steps than most platforms to try to minimize our users from being scammed. But back to the matter at hand, many of these scams revolve around the payment of whatever item is being sold. In the early days of online marketplaces, the phony check scam was the main scam that separated victims from their money. While that scam is still prevalent, digital payment scams have become the preferred tool of choice for scammers. Since the payments are made instantly, the scammers don’t have to wait as long for the payment and can disappear even quicker.

    A number of residents in the Boston area, have come forward to the local news media claiming that they’ve been scammed through the Venmo payment app. One online seller states she was selling a mirror online for $30. The supposed buyer sent her a Venmo payment for $900. According to the seller, the Venmo website said she could just send the money back to the buyer, so that’s what the seller did. A few days later, her Venmo account was suspended, emptied of the money that was in there, and Venmo was asking for additional funds to cover the $900 return.

    Scammers will often open Venmo accounts using stolen identities and credit card information. By the time the credit card company or bank catches on, the scammer has already made several Venmo transactions that will come back as fraudulent. Since Venmo can’t get the money back from the scammers, they’ll often try to reclaim the money from the scammer’s victim.

    If you’re selling something online, and the buyer sends you more than the asking amount, that’s a huge red flag that they might be trying to scam you. If you receive a Venmo payment more than what you’re asking, do not just send it back. Even if it’s a legitimate mistake on the part of the buyer, ask them to reverse the payment instead.

    Please keep in mind that Venmo was mainly designed to be used between friends and family. If you’re selling online, consider using another form of payment, such as cash or PayPal, even though those can come with scams of their own.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Zelle scam shows no signs of stopping 

    Zelle scam shows no signs of stopping

    By Greg Collier

    It’s been a few weeks since we last talked about the ongoing scams taking place through the Zelle banking app. If this is the first you’re hearing about it, these scams have been going on since at least this past fall. It starts when you get a text message that appears to come from your bank. The text message asks if you’ve recently made a large purchase or payment. You’re then asked to reply either yes or no to the text message. When you reply to the text message, your reply will be followed up with a phone call from scammers posing as your bank’s fraud department. The scammers will walk you through a process on the Zelle app that the scammers say will protect your account from any fraudulent activity. What’s really going on is the scammers are instructing you on how to put your money in the scammer’s account.

    The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, recently saw a dramatic increase in this scam. At least eight victims contacted the local ABC News affiliate saying they had been scammed through Zelle. Now, that may not seem like a lot of people being scammed, but you have to keep a couple of things in mind. The first is that not everyone who is scammed comes forward. Many people are too embarrassed to come forward after being scammed. This is why no one should ever be criticized for falling for one of these scams. The other thing is, scammers only need to find a handful of victims to make the scam profitable.

    For example, one of the victims who came forward in Charlotte said they lost $3500 to the scammers. Let’s just say that each of the victims lost a comparable amount. That’s $28,000 that a scammer potentially made in two weeks.

    If you receive a text message from your bank asking about a transaction, do not reply to it. Instead, call your bank’s customer service number on the back of your debit card or on the bank’s website. If you’ve lost money to this scam, it’s recommended that you file a police report right away before contacting your bank. This is not a guarantee you’ll get your money back, but in some instances it has helped. Lastly, if you use Zelle, think about opening a separate account with your bank that only has a small amount in it for Zelle transactions. That way if a scammer does get access to your Zelle the loss will be at a minimum.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 3, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: book exchange, gift exchange, , ,   

    Social media book drive is anything but 

    Social media book drive is anything but

    By Greg Collier

    A new gift exchange has been circulating around social media. This time, instead of holiday presents, you’re expected to exchange books. On the surface, this may seem like a great idea, since many of us have books that we’ve read that are taking up space. Plus, it’s a great feeling when you get to share a book you love with a new reader. The best part is that this exchange is relatively free, since many of us have an excess of books already. How could this possibly a bad thing?

    You may see a post or a message on social media that come from a trusted friend who recommends this book exchange. All you have to do is provide your name and email address, along with the names and email addresses of a few of your friends. Then you’re asked to send a book to someone who already signed up for the exchange, and in return, you’re supposed to receive 36 books.

    If this sounds familiar to you, it may be because it sounds exactly like the Secret Sister Gift Exchange or the Blessing Loom scheme. They’re all pyramid schemes, and in the book exchange scheme instead of money, the schemers are more than likely looking for your personal information for future identity theft. Keep in mind, even if it’s just books being exchanged, pyramid schemes are still illegal in the United States. If you recruit others into the scheme, you could potentially face legal action.

    Even if the exchange seems to be for a good cause with a good return, the odds are, you’re not getting any books. Pyramid schemes are designed to only benefit those at the top of the pyramid. After a couple of levels, the giving stops abruptly and the lower tiers are left with nothing. On top of it, you’ve potentially exposed the information about you and your friends to complete strangers.

     

  • Geebo 9:06 am on February 2, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    What was the biggest social media scam of 2021? 

    What was the biggest social media scam of 2021?

    By Greg Collier

    On its surface, social media is a remarkable tool. When social media first took off, it let us get in touch with friends and family who we may not have seen for years. It’s let us stay in contact with those friends and family. Now it’s advanced to the point where it has become a daily part of our lives where we get news, find jobs, and conduct commerce among its many other uses. But like any tool designed to bring us closer together, it can also be used for nefarious purposes. This not exclusive to just social media. Back in the days of landline phones, they were great until the advent of telemarketing. However, social media is now going through its telemarketing-like phase when it comes to scammers.

    If you’ve been using social media for a while, the odds are you’ve come across a scam and may not have even known it. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans lost a combined $770 million to social media scammers, and those are only the scams that were reported. The biggest money loser for social media scam victims were investment scams. However, the largest number of scams on social media involved online shopping. This mostly entailed people ordering through ads they saw on social media and never received their item. Most of those who reported an online shopping loss said that the ads were mostly on Facebook or Instagram. Just because someone can buy an ad on these platforms in no way guarantees they are a legitimate business.

    Anytime, you’re about to make an online purchase from a retailer or vendor you’ve never heard of before, do your research to make sure they’re not going to scam you. You can do what’s known as a whois search to make sure the website is not being run from overseas. Also check their contact information. If you can only contact them through email, it could be a scam. You can also do a web search with the name of the retailer along with the phrases complaints or scam. Lastly, you can always check with the Better Business Bureau website to see if the BBB has received any complaints about the business.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    College test scammers are targeting kids 

    College test scammers are targeting kids

    By Greg Collier

    If you have a child who’s getting ready for college, you’re probably aware of the ACT and SAT tests. These are the standardized tests most colleges and universities use in their application process. With these tests come a lot of preparation and an enormous amount of pressure for the students getting ready to take them. This is what could potentially make them the perfect targets for scammers.

    The Better Business Bureau is warning parents to be aware of scammers posing as the companies who run the ACT and the SAT. They are two separate companies, in case you weren’t aware of that. A mother in Ohio recently received a phone call from someone asking for her daughter, who’s already been accepted to a university. The caller said they were from the ACT and asked for the daughter by name. They tried to convince the mother that her daughter had requested study materials and needed to verify her information. Since the daughter had already been accepted to a school, the mother knew this was a scam. However, some parents and students alike may not be aware of such scams.

    Minors are often the targets of identity thieves. If these thieves get a hold of enough information on a child, they can use that information in a few years to open lines of credit in the minor’s name. This means the child could have a ruined credit history as soon as they turn 18.

    If you’re a parent and receive any communications from someone claiming to be from the ACT or SAT, verify that information before replying to them. If they ask for one of your children by name, and they’re not actually with the ACT or SAT, you may want to run a credit report on your child to make sure their identity hasn’t already been stolen. If it has, you’ll want to put a credit freeze on your child’s credit.

    Also keep in mind that the two tests are run by two separate companies. Anyone who is claiming to represent both, is more than likely a scammer.

     

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