Updates from September, 2022 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 16, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , MoneyPak, , , ,   

    Jury duty scammers continue to harass victims 

    Jury duty scammers continue to harass victims

    By Greg Collier

    As we’ve said previously, not a day goes by where we don’t see a news headline warning readers about jury duty scams. This is where scammers try to take advantage of a victim’s inexperience in dealing with the court system. Most of us have heard that you can be potentially arrested if you miss reporting for jury duty after receiving a summons. However, not everyone knows the court’s process if someone is to be fined or arrested, and the scammers are counting on that.

    Recently, scammers tried to take advantage of a young woman from North Carolina. They had called her, posing as the local sheriff’s office. They told her that not only did she miss jury duty, but now had to pay a $950 fine or be arrested. The scammers even tried to make every part of their scam seem official. They informed her that she needed to pay the supposed fine in MoneyPak vouchers. MoneyPaks are not vouchers, but a brand of prepaid debit card like Green Dot. Then the scammers tried to have the woman meet them in front of the county courthouse to make the payment.

    While this was a harrowing experience for the young woman, she thankfully had someone on her side helping her. The conversation the woman had with the scammer was on speaker, and the woman’s mother had a feeling this was a scam. Her mother called the local sheriff’s office, who assured her this was a scam.

    Now, it is true you can be fined or arrested for missing jury duty, however, the scam is not even close to how the courts really work. If someone were to somehow miss jury duty, they would receive an additional summons in the mail. At this point, they can contact the court to try to settle the matter. Neither the courts nor the police will ever call someone to harass them into making a payment. Even if someone did need to pay a fine to the courts, it wouldn’t be through nontraditional means like prepaid debit cards, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. These forms of payment are tools for scammers to avoid having the payment traced by the actual police.

    If you are ever unsure about whether a call from police is official or not, you have the right to hang up and verify the call with law enforcement.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Million dollar home lists for $22K 

    Million dollar home lists for $22K

    By Greg Collier

    The online real estate market has been rife with scams and fraud almost since the beginning. It almost seems like you can’t post an online real estate listing without someone copying it. This is what usually leads to the numerous rental scams out there. However, it’s not just rental scams you have to worry about, but there are scams when trying to buy a home too. Except, the scam we’re about to discuss today had so many red flags it could have been part of the Soviet Navy.

    A local realtor in Atlanta found a peculiar listing on Zillow. The home was in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood and was estimated to be worth at least a million dollars. However, the Zillow listing claimed the house was for sale at the low, low price of $22,000. The supposed owner of the house claimed the price was so cheap because they owned a number of properties and this would be a tax write-off for them.

    If those weren’t enough warnings, this listing could be a scam, it also came with plenty of strings attached. The listing specified that this was for first time buyers only, who didn’t have any representation. The listing also stated that the price was non-negotiable and approved applicants would pay a $2,000 payment through Zelle.

    No matter how bad the real estate market may be, no one is going to sell a million dollar home for .02% of its value. The scammer was obviously looking for homebuyers with no experience in the market, so they easily could be taken advantage of. If a listing specifies that you should have no representation, you should assume it’s a scam.

    Lastly, the fact that the listing is asking for payment through Zelle should be a dead giveaway that it’s a scam. As we’ve said previously, Zelle should only be used to pay people you know personally and not to random strangers on the internet.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    COVID con coaxes college kids out of cash 

    COVID con coaxes college kids out of cash

    By Greg Collier

    Just when we thought we might finally be done with COVID-19 related scams, another one pops up. To make matters worse, this scam is targeting college students who have been getting hit extra hard by scammers lately. However, this new scam is actually an old scam with a COVID colored coat of paint on it.

    As you probably know, a considerable number of college students are always on the lookout to make some extra money. This makes them a high-value target for scammers. In this new scam, the students are being sent emails telling them they’ve qualified for a COVID relief fund. The scammers then have the students fill out an application.

    The student is then sent a check. Once the check has been deposited into the student’s bank account, the supposed fund will say there’s been an error and the student needs to send the money back. After the student sends the money back, their bank discovers the check is fraudulent. This leaves the student overdrawn on their account and responsible for paying the bank back even though they were scammed.

    So if a student falls for this scam, not only are they in debt to their bank, but they’ve probably been the victim of identity theft as well. If they gave any personal information during the application process, such as their Social Security number, they have most likely had their identity stolen. Again, college students are high-value targets for identity theft since they tend to have little to no credit history.

    If you think you may have been tricked into depositing a fraudulent check into your bank account, don’t withdrawal that money, even if the sender asks for some or all of it back. Instead, contact your bank and ask them if they can verify the legitimacy of the check. If the check turns out to be fraudulent, but you haven’t spent any of it, it will just be removed from your account.

    If you receive any communication that tells you that you’ve qualified for some kind of fund or grant, do not take it at face value. Research the agency making the offer to find out whether they are legitimate or not. In general, be suspicious of any offer of ‘free money’ because it could cost you in the end.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: blackouts, , , ,   

    Scammers take advantage of rolling blackouts 

    By Greg Collier

    Many areas in the western part of the US are either dealing with wildfires or they’re trying to prevent them. This often requires power companies to schedule rolling blackouts to try to ensure that power infrastructure doesn’t exacerbate the problem. The power companies notify their customers when these outages are scheduled to take place, but not every customer gets the message, unfortunately.

    This has led to a dramatic increase in the shut-off scam. This is when scammers will call their victims, posing as the power company. They’ll tell the victims that they’re behind in their payments and their service will be shut off in 30 minutes. The scammers will then demand payment in largely untraceable means, such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payments through apps like Zelle and Venmo.

    Now, scammers are using the rolling blackouts to prove to customers that their power is actually being terminated. If the power were to stop working while a scammer was on the phone with their victim, that could lead the victim into making a panic payment.

    If you live in an area dealing with wildfires or is in danger of wildfires, keep an eye on your local news or your power company’s website. This way, you’ll be better prepared if a rolling blackout affects your area.

    But at the end of the day, this is the usual shut-off scam, just with better timing. Your utility companies will never call you and threaten you with service termination. If your account balance is behind, you would receive a notice in the mail about any scheduled termination. Also, utility companies will never ask for payment in non-traditional means like cryptocurrency.

    If you receive a call like this, or even have someone show up at your home claiming to be a power company employee, call the power company directly at the phone number on your statement. No legitimate utility is ever only going to give you 30 minutes notice before shutting off your service.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 12, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Student debt scammers now using robocalls 

    Student debt scammers now using robocalls

    By Greg Collier

    Once again, the scammers have wasted no time in trying to fleece people who may be eligible for the government’s student debt forgiveness program. In this latest iteration of the scam, scammers are using robocalls to try to find victims. It’s being reported that in the Indianapolis area, residents are receiving phone calls and voicemails about student debt relief.

    One Indiana resident says they received a voicemail that told them they were pre-qualified for student loan forgiveness, with the possibility of having their entire loan discharged. The resident was told to act fast because their status may expire soon. The caller even left their name.

    When the resident called the number from the voice mail, he asked for the person who left the message. He was told that person worked in marketing. The representative then asked her if he had any questions about the program. He asked who they were, and he was given a generic bank name that is used by several different banks across the country. When he asked if there was a charge for the bank’s assistance, he was told there could be fees.

    However, the scammers had called the wrong person. Not only did the Indianapolis resident not have any student loans, but he’s also the news director for a local station. When he told the representative it’s free to apply for the government program, they hung up.

    Scammers use robocalls to cast the widest net possible to try to find just a handful of victims. They don’t actually know whether someone they call has student debt or not.

    As we and others have been warning since these scams started, anyone calling you from out of the blue about student loan forgiveness is probably a scammer. When the application process starts next month, the government will not reach out to you. The forgiveness process will not be automatically applied to your student debt. Anyone who is eligible will need to apply on their own.

    If you have any further questions about the student debt relief program, you can go to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the Federal Government’s Student Aid website. They also have a section about scams.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,   

    Uber driver loses week’s wages in scam 

    By Greg Collier

    The scam we’re about to talk about today exclusively targets rideshare drivers. Even though the majority of our readers probably aren’t rideshare drivers, we think this story can be useful to our other readers as well. Not only does it show how gig economy workers can be vulnerable to scams, we also think it’s a commentary on how some gig economy companies treat their workers.

    The victim in today’s story is an Uber driver from Salt Lake City. He loves his work and seems to be very successful at it. Rather than driving as a means to make extra money, the driver dos it full-time and is able to make a comfortable living. As an aside, that’s the exception rather than the rule, but that’s neither here nor there for right now.

    Last week, the man received a call from someone claiming to be from Uber. The caller said that the driver had received a complaint and needed to issue a refund. He was instructed to log into the Uber app and given directions on how to issue the supposed refund. What actually happened is that scammers were directing him to issue $1200 directly to the scammers. This wiped out a week’s worth of wages for the driver. Our story doesn’t end there, however.

    The driver reached out to Uber for assistance, who said they investigated the matter, but the man wasn’t due for a refund. It wasn’t until the driver reached out to his local media before Uber issued him a refund.

    Our earning to not only rideshare drivers but other gig economy workers, if you receive a phone call from the company you’re working for about your earnings, contact them through official channels before issuing any supposed refunds. You may also want to research how refunds are actually handled beforehand, so you know what’s a scam and what isn’t.

    However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out how similarly Uber acted like the banks that have had customers scammed through Zelle. Just like in the Zelle scams, Uber didn’t act in the worker’s interest until it became a potential PR issue.

    Learn your rights before joining a gig economy company. In the majority of these companies, you’re not an employee, but rather an outside contractor. These independent contractors do not receive nearly the same protections as an actual employee.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Job and check scam targets college students 

    Job and check scam targets college students

    By Greg Collier

    College students have it hard enough today without having to worry about scammers. Unfortunately, that’s what makes them prime targets for scammers. With the ever-increasing cost of tuition, college students often take on part-time jobs along with their full class schedule. Juggling both isn’t an easy feat, and that’s if a student can find a job that allows them the flexibility to attend their classes. With that amount of activity on their plates, it’s no wonder scammers are targeting students.

    One college student from Iowa found this out the hard way to the tune of $3000. The student received an email that appeared to come from his university. It even came from an email address used by his school. The email offered him a job for $450 a week running errands for an off-campus employer. The student said he knew other students who had similar positions, so he didn’t think it was a scam.

    The student was sent a $3000 check and was told to deposit the check into his bank account. He was told to keep $450 for himself and send the remainder of the check to charities. If you’re a regular reader, you know exactly what happened next.

    After the student sent out the money, the student’s bank discovered the check was fraudulent. The charities were more than likely other scammers waiting for their cut. Even though the student was a victim of a scam, he still owes his bank the full amount of the phony check. There aren’t too many college students who can just produce $3000 out of thin air. Having a delinquent bank account like this can also affect his future credit and other banking opportunities.

    While we might like to think our nation’s universities and colleges have their email accounts on lockdown, they don’t. Even email addresses that end in .edu can be hijacked by scammers. They’re just as vulnerable as personal and business email accounts if they have a weak password or were compromised in a data leak.

    Also, no legitimate employer is ever going to ask you to deposit a check used for business expenses into your own account. If they do, the check is fake, and they’re a scammer.

    If you’re a college student, and you receive an email like this, call the proper university department to verify if the job offer if legitimate or not. If you know a college student or have one in your family, you might want to pass this story on to them. Let’s try to make their lives a little easier.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , ,   

    Hacked phone call leads to business scam 

    Hacked phone call leads to business scam

    By Greg Collier

    It almost seems like anything can be turned into a scam these days. Granted, this is a blog that mainly focuses on scams. As the saying goes, when you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail. However, there used to be a time when you could call a local business, leave them a voicemail, and expect a call back from that business. Now, it seems, that even that is at risk from scammers.

    According to the Better Business Bureau, a woman from Pennsylvania left a voicemail with a local concrete company. She needed some repair work done. Instead of getting a phone call, she received a text that claimed to be from the concrete company. The text asked for a picture of the repairs that needed to be done and a $50 deposit paid through Venmo. If you’re unfamiliar with Venmo, it’s a personal payment app on your phone that is supposed to only be used between family and friends.

    The victim then received another text asking for another $50 before she was asked to pay for 50% of the price of the job. All these payments were supposed to be paid through Venmo. It was at this point the woman called the actual concrete company, who told her that they weren’t the pones behind the text messages.

    It turned out that the concrete company’s voicemail service had been hijacked by the scammers. Who knows how many customers the scammers took advantage of in this way?

    Now, we’re not saying that this type of scam is a national crisis. This is the first we’ve heard of this type of scam. However, it is something to keep in mind if it does become a bigger problem.

    Another thing to keep in mind is when a supposed business asks for payment through an app. Whether it’s Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle, these apps are only intended for personal use and not for business. Even most local handymen and women have ways of accepting payment through credit or debit cards. Any business that asks for payment through one of these apps may not be on the up and up.

    If you feel like things aren’t on the level when dealing with a business, don’t be afraid to end communication.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 6, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,   

    Student loan forgiveness scams have begun 

    Student loan forgiveness scams have begun

    By Greg Collier

    Around this time last week, we posted a warning about how scammers were more than likely looking to take advantage of the new student debt forgiveness program that was recently issued by the government. Well, the scammers didn’t wait long, as we already have reports of scammers trying to take advantage of the confusion surrounding the new plan.

    According to the Better Business Bureau, they’ve already begun receiving complaints about student loan scammers. In one instance of the scam, scammers are leaving voicemails with their potential victims, identifying themselves with generic names like ‘the Biden student loan forgiveness program’. If someone were to call the number back, the person on the other line would start requesting personal and financial information. This would no doubt lead to instances of identity theft.

    In another version of the scam, scammers posing as the loan forgiveness program will try to have victims pay a fee. The scammers might even try to get victims to direct their loan payments to the scammers’ bank account.

    There are two things to keep in mind with these scams. The first one is that the government is not going to reach out to you to see if you qualify for student debt forgiveness. It will also not be applied to your debt automatically. You need to reach out to the government to see if you qualify. The other thing to keep in mind, is that there is no fee to apply for the debt forgiveness. Anyone who asks you for a fee or payment is trying to scam you.

    As we said previously, the best way to protect yourself is to not accept loan forgiveness offers from strangers. Whether it’s over the phone, through social media, or any other form of communication, if they approach you first, they are not from the government. And again, you can also better protect yourself by not only learning if you qualify for the new program, but how the process works. CNBC has a great article on eligibility for the program, but you can also go to the Federal Government’s Student Aid website for further information.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 2, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , monkeypox, ,   

    Scam Round Up: New virus scams and more 

    Scam Round Up: New virus scams and more

    By Greg Collier

    Once again, we’re bringing our readers three stories about scams that can either be told quickly or are reminders of past scams.

    ***

    We often don’t think about locksmiths until we’ve been locked out of our home or locked the keys in our cars. These instances can produce a panicked situation that scammers are more than willing to take advantage of. According to a warning from the Better Business Bureau of New England, scammers are impersonating legitimate locksmiths to lull victims into a false sense of security. Victims will be quoted a price before the locksmith scammer adds exorbitant fees once the service is done. Often the work will also be shoddy if you have the locks replaced by them.

    To avoid being scammed, avoid locksmiths who don’t use a company name when answering the phone. You can also ask to see an invoice and their identification before they start working. You may also want to research your local locksmiths before you have to choose one in a panic.

    ***

    A couple in Ohio nearly lost their home after falling prey to some false county records that were mailed to their home. They received a letter that appeared to come from the county tax office that said there were problems with their property tax and needed to fill out and return some forms. The forms were sent to them by a scammer who was looking to steal their house out from under them by using the documents the couple signed to reassign ownership of the house to himself. The scammer even showed up at their house telling them to leave, saying it was his house now. Thankfully, after police got involved, the couple were able to straighten everything out with the county.

    If you receive anything in the mail about your property tax claiming there is an issue, call the tax office to verify if there is an actual issue before signing anything.

    ***

    Even though monkeypox isn’t spreading nearly as fast as COVID-19 did, scammers are trying to take advantage of any potential fear of the new virus. It’s believed there will be monkeypox scams that are almost exact duplicates of COVID-19 scams. According to law enforcement in Virginia, residents there have been receiving emails that contain links to ‘mandatory safety awareness training’ for monkeypox. However, if you click on one of the links, you’re taken to a website that asks for your Microsoft login. This is not a Microsoft website and is only looking to steal your credentials.

    As always, when it comes to safety information about any outbreak, you should always check with your county’s health department for additional information.

    If you’d like to learn more about scams like this, you can review the COVID-19 scams that we’ve previously posted about.

     

← Older posts

Newer posts →

c
Compose new post
j
Next post/Next comment
k
Previous post/Previous comment
r
Reply
e
Edit
o
Show/Hide comments
t
Go to top
l
Go to login
h
Show/Hide help
shift + esc
Cancel