Greg's Corner

Updates from October, 2022 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 17, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Boston ( 3 ), kidnapping ( 10 ), Scams ( 1,323 ), social media ( 78 ), virtual kidnapping ( 44 )   

  Kidnapping scam targets school children 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Lately, when we discuss the virtual kidnapping scam, we ask if you think you could remain calm if it happened to you. If you’re unfamiliar with the virtual kidnapping scam, it’s where scammers will call a victim and tell them they’ve kidnapped one of their loved ones. This is always done to try and wrangle some kind of ransom payment out of the victim. The payments are typically demanded in largely untraceable ways. For example, phony ransoms have been demanded in gift cards, money transfers, and cryptocurrency just to name a few.

  The scam is designed to induce the victim into an emotional state of panic. Often the scammers will have someone in the background of the phone call acting like the supposed kidnap victim with screaming and cries for help. However, the loved one of the scam victim is actually safe and going about their day as normal, unaware they’re being used as a pawn in a scam.

  Typically, these scams claim they’ve kidnapped, spouses, older parents, and adult children. Now, it appears that the scammers are using school children in their schemes.

  Police in Boston have reported that there have been multiple instances of calls to the parents of school children who are told their child has been kidnapped. Every parent’s fear is the fear of their child disappearing at the hands of a bad actor. In these Boston area calls, the children have even been referred to by name. Even though kidnappings for ransom are rare in the United States, all kinds of logic can go straight out the window when someone thinks their child is in danger.

  While it sounds easier than done, try to remain calm if you receive one of these phone calls. Boston police recommend hanging up immediately and contacting police. It’s also recommended that you limit the information you share about your children on social media. While we all want to be proud parents, you may want to limit the scope of your social media posts to real life friends and family, and also make sure the posts can’t be shared by anyone else. Lastly, talk to your kids about what’s appropriate for them to share with their friends on social media, and explain to them how sharing too much could put them at risk.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: employment ( 35 ), identity theft ( 104 ), job scam ( 76 ), repackaging ( 21 ), reshipping ( 21 ), Scams ( 1,323 ), work at home ( 14 ), work from home ( 8 )   

  Work from home job is just an identity theft scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  More and more employers are offering work from home positions to new recruits. However, scammers have been offering work from home positions longer than employers and know how to convince their victims the job is for real. Work from home scams go back to the days when envelope stuffing positions were offered in the back of magazines. So, it should really come as no surprise when scammers and con artists continue to find victims for their schemes.

  The work from home scam we’re about to discuss may be familiar to our readers, and it’s the reshipping or repackaging scam. In this scam, the scammers typically approach someone who is looking for a job. If they’re looking for a work from home job, it’s even better for the scammers. The scammers will claim that they found the victim’s resume online and that the victim would be perfect for the position.

  That position is one where the victim is expected to receive packages at their home, inspect them for damages, then ship them to a third party. The packages the victims receive are usually items that were paid for with stolen credit cards. Then the victim unknowingly is shipping them to another scammer who will sell the items for a profit.

  However, there is a secondary outcome to the reshipping scam. The scammers have the victims fill out official-looking paperwork as if the victim is really applying for a job. This includes not only the victim’s Social Security number but can include their banking information as well under the guise of having direct deposit set up.

  A victim from Oklahoma worked one of these scam positions for a month. When she asked the phony employer about payment, the scammers cut off all communication with her. Here, this person thought they would be paid, but instead are now behind on their bills thanks to the scammers.

  The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to know that the reshipping position is not a real job offered by real companies. This kind of job offer only comes from scammers. Be wary of any employment offer that seems to be going too fast from the time of contact to the time of hire. Also, be wary of any position where the employer only communicates with you through some kind of messaging app. These are used instead of more traditional communications, so the scammers can remain virtually anonymous.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: car wrapping ( 10 ), check scam ( 78 ), debt collectors ( 9 ), fake check ( 46 ), job scam ( 76 ), law firm ( 2 ), real estate ( 126 ), Scams ( 1,323 )   

  Scam Round Up: Phony Law Firm Scam and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  This week, in the Scam Round Up, we’ll be reminding our readers of an old scam, a new twist on a familiar scam, and a new and potentially terrifying scam.

  ***

  Lots of scams are designed to swindle people who are looking to make a supplemental income. One of those scams is the car wrap scam. This is where scammers promise to pay you for putting advertising decals on your car and just driving around town. While there are legitimate opportunities to do this, they aren’t as frequent as the scammers would have you believe. They’ll also go to great lengths to try to convince you that they’re the legitimate offer.

  For example, an Arkansas man received what appeared to be a legitimate car wrap offer in the mail. The offer appeared professional in nature, but the closer the man looked, the more he realized it was a scam.

  The offer included a check for $3700. $100 of it was for gas, $600 was supposed to be the man’s payment, and the remaining $3000 was supposed to go to the company that would wrap his car. Except, he was supposed to deposit the check and then pay the company through Venmo or Cash App.

  Thankfully, the man waited before sending any of the money. He waited for his bank to let him know whether the check was legitimate or not, and it turned out to be fraudulent. Just by waiting, he saved himself from being thousands of dollars in debt to his bank.

  ***

  Speaking of fake check scams, one seems to be hitting the real estate market hard. Scammers are sending fraudulent cashier’s checks to realtors and title companies, posing as someone who is interested in buying a house. Once the check is deposited, the scammers claim they’ve changed their mind about the home and want their money back. Now, most knowledgeable realtors won’t move forward with any transaction until the check clears.

  While most realtors wouldn’t fall for this scam, it’s still tying up properties while realtors wait to see if the check is real. Taking a property off the market and putting it back on can not only hurt the home’s value, but it also keeps it out of the hands of people needing to find a home.

  ***

  Lastly, we have a story about a man who received a cal from a law firm trying to collect a debt. The law firm said that he had defaulted on a loan from 2016. The caller said they needed to send someone to his home to receive his signature. The scammers even knew a lot of information about their target, including his Social Security number, and the names of his family members.

  They said he owed $9000 but would be willing to take an immediate payment of $4000. The man was taken aback at first, but once he gathered his composure, he realized this was a scam. After the man hung up on the scammers, the scammers called the man’s adult son to try to intimidate the man further.

  If you receive a call from someone trying to collect a debt, ask them to mail you a debt verification letter that will detail where the debt supposedly came from. If they know way too much information about you than they should, consider putting fraud alerts on all your financial accounts.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 12, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: flood cars ( 2 ), hurricane ( 4 ), hurricane ian ( 3 ), Scams ( 1,323 ), used car ( 31 )   

  Flood damaged cars are about to hit the market 

  

  By Greg Collier

  By some estimates, 300,000 cars were damaged by flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Many of them will end up being a total loss. However, this won’t stop many of these vehicles from ending up on car lots in states that weren’t affected by the storm. Potentially, you could be car shopping in Arizona and end up buying a flood damaged car from Florida without even knowing.

  This is done through a process called title-washing. When a car damaged to the point where the insurance company considers it a loss, the car is issued a salvage title. The problem with salvage titles is the amount of damage required varies by state. For example, one state may require the car’s damage to be 75% of its worth. Meanwhile, another state may require the damage to be 85% of the car’s worth. This way, unscrupulous car dealers could move the car from one state to the other to get a clean title.

  You can protect yourself from this scam. One of the best ways is to get a vehicle history of the car from a service like CARFAX. This could help you pinpoint if a vehicle was in a certain area during a natural disaster.

  A thorough inspection of the vehicle is also recommended to avoid buying a flood car. If the car smells musty, there’s a good chance it’s been caught in a flood. Also, be wary of a car that has an overpowering smell of air freshener or deodorizer, as that could be covering up the musty smell. Look for signs of water damage like mud and waterlines. Look for them in places like the trunk, under the dashboard, and in the glove box. You should also check for inordinate amounts of rust for a vehicle that may not be as old as it looks.

  Lastly, if you suspect someone of trying to sell you a damaged flood vehicle, you can report it to the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline toll-free at 866-720-5721 or at the FTC’s website.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 11, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: advance fee scam ( 42 ), bitcoin ( 31 ), Cash App ( 41 ), cryptocurrency ( 48 ), investment scams ( 10 ), Scams ( 1,323 ), toilet paper   

  Scam victim ends up with a briefcase full of toilet paper 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Opinions differ on whether cryptocurrencies are scams themselves, but due to the decentralized nature of crypto, it is vulnerable to scams. Not only that, but the get-rich-quick possibility that some see in cryptocurrencies leave them vulnerable to scams as well.

  One of the more popular crypto scams lately is a form of advance fee scam. Typically, scammers have been finding their victims on dating platforms. The victim is told the person they’ve matched with works for a financial company, and they can guarantee a profit if the victim invests in cryptocurrency. The catch is that the person they’ve just met will invest the money for them.

  After the victim gives the scammer money, the victim is later told that his initial investment has multiplied. However, in order to cash out, the victim needs to make another payment for ‘processing fees’ or some other made up charge. It’s usually at this point that the victim realizes they’ve been scammed.

  That’s not exactly what happened to a 26-year-old Colorado man, but he fell for a similar crypto scam, and ended up with an insulting consolation prize. The invested $23,000 on what he thought was a legitimate crypto investment he found on Instagram. The victim paid the money to the scammers through Cash App and Bitcoin.

  After a while, the victim received a briefcase that was supposed to contain the return on his investment of $210,000. But he was also told that he needed to pay $9000 to get the combination to the briefcase, which he did. Once the briefcase was opened, it contained nothing but books and toilet paper.

  The cryptocurrency market attracts countless con artists, and their favorite way to advertise is on social media. They almost always promise a guaranteed return in any investment made. In truth, no one can guarantee a profitable investment. This goes for investments in traditional financial markets as well. Anyone who says they can, is just selling you a bill of goods.

  Cryptocurrency should only be invested in if you’re familiar with the cryptocurrency market. Even then, as with most investments, you should only invest what you can afford to lose. Otherwise, you’re just gambling to pay the bills.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 10, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amazon ( 108 ), antivirus scam ( 5 ), FTC ( 15 ), impersonation scam ( 140 ), Scams ( 1,323 ), wire transfer ( 4 )   

  Scam victim gets hit with multiple scams at once 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve said in the past that if you’ve been scammed once, the odds are pretty good that you’ll be targeted by scammers again. Except, it doesn’t typically happen in one day. That’s what happened to one Texas senior who not only lost $75,000 to scammers, but they continued to plague her afterwards.

  It all started when she received a call from someone offering to install an antivirus program on her computer. The victim says she needed this for her computer, but in order to do so, the caller needed remote access to her computer. Right off the bat, the scammers are starting with the tech support scam. If the scammers aren’t saying they’re installing software, they’re telling you that you have a virus on your computer. Once scammers have access to a victim’s device, there’s an untold amount of havoc that can be wreaked using the victim’s personal information.

  But getting back to the story, the woman then received a message on her computer that said her Amazon account had been hacked, and she needed to call the listed phone number. Now, the scammers are following up with the Amazon scam. This is where scammers claim to be from Amazon and that there is something wrong with your account. This is done to either get your payment information, or the scammers will try to convince you that you need to ‘move your money’ to avoid being hacked.

  While on the phone with the fake Amazon representative, the victim was then told she was being transferred to the Federal Trade Commission. Not only did the scammers pretend to be with the FTC, but they pretended to be the current FTC chairwoman. This is what’s known as the government impersonation scam. Scammers will pose as anyone from local police to the chairs of federal commissions if they think they can intimidate their victims. Unfortunately, this is not the first instance we’ve seen of scammers posing as high-ranking government officials.

  The phony FTC chairwoman threatened the victim with arrest if she didn’t comply with her demands. The victim was told that someone was selling drugs and laundering money through her bank account. To ‘clean’ her money, the victim would need to wire it to the scammers posing as FBI agents.

  Again, when someone who is not familiar with how online activity works, it can be quite easy to fall for such a scam. However, there are tips to keep you or a relative safe. The first is not to allow anyone you don’t know personally to install software on your device, or give them remote access. Anyone calling to offer software is more than likely a scammer. Also, if your computer runs Windows 10 or 11, they have built-in security software already.

  If Amazon is calling or your device says you need to call them, it’s a scam. Amazon, or any other company, does not know the status of your device, nor do they know your banking activity. If any company besides your bank says there’s a problem with your bank account, they’re probably trying to scam you.

  Lastly, no legitimate government agency or law enforcement branch is going to threaten you with arrest over the phone. Neither will they ever ask you to move your money to ‘clean’ it, whatever that means.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bail scam ( 15 ), bond scam ( 2 ), couriers ( 3 ), grandparent scam ( 68 ), Scams ( 1,323 )   

  Dangerous scam continues to target seniors 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If recent news reports are anything to go by, more and more scammers are resorting to the grandparent scam. It seems like every day, there is a news report from a police department or sheriff’s office warning their residents about this scam. Usually, after someone has already fallen victim to the scam. It’s becoming such a common occurrence that the scammers have almost perfected the scam and have any answer the victim might have about the scam.

  For example, an elderly woman from New Jersey was having trouble getting in touch with her grandson. Before she could get a hold of him, scammers called her, posing as her grandson. The phony grandson said he was in trouble and had a broken nose and split lip. Scammers will say their face is injured to explain why they don’t sound like the actual grandchild.

  The phony grandson told the woman that he was in jail because he was involved in a car accident with a woman who was eight-months pregnant. This is often told to victims to make the situation appear more serious and appeals to the victim’s emotions, hoping that the victim thinks less clearly.

  The woman offered to call the grandson’s father, but the scammer begged her not to, with the only explanation being “I’ll explain later”. Scammers do this to isolate the victim from contacting anyone else, which would potentially tip the victim off to this being a scam.

  The woman was instructed to call a phone number which was supposed to be a public defender’s office. This was just another part of the scam. She was told she needed to pay $8000 in cash to bail out her grandson. She offered to pay with a credit card, but was instructed it had to be cash. Grandparent scammers usually ask for cash, since there will be no paper trail once the money has been handed over.

  She was also told that these proceedings were under a gag order, and she could not tell anyone about them. Again, this is done to isolate the victim. Gag orders do not work in this way and are usually given to the participants of a trial.

  She went to her bank and got the $8000 and was told to put it in a shoebox full of magazines. We imagine this is done in an attempt to hide the money from police in case the scammer is pulled over, but any cop worth their salt would find the money fairly quickly.

  Then someone posing as a courier came to her house, claimed the box and drove off. Local police are now searching for the supposed courier.

  Two hours after this all happened, her actual grandson called her and told her he had not been in jail.

  One of the best ways to protect yourself from this scam is to ask the ‘grandchild’ only something they would know. When confronted with questions like this, scammers tend to hang up. You can also hang up from the phone call and try to call the person who has been supposedly arrested. No one ever got more jail time from being hung up on. Lastly, you can also call the police department that supposedly arrested them. They’ll be more than happy to assist you and will let you know if you’re being scammed.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 6, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: catfishing ( 4 ), check scam ( 78 ), fake check ( 46 ), romance scam ( 70 ), Scams ( 1,323 )   

  Romance scammer defrauds victim of $82,000 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Romance scammers are some of the cruelest scammers out there. They take advantage of someone’s loneliness while stringing them along for weeks or months before leaving them with an empty bank account or worse.

  This is what happened to a woman from the Chicago area after meeting a man online. The 37-year-old woman met her scammer on the dating app Hinge. The scammer claimed to be an architectural engineer from Greece, who was currently working in America. The scammer also claimed that he had a five-year-old daughter who was living with his sister in Utah.

  The conversations moved off the Hinge platform and on to various other methods, including phone calls. The scammer acted like a man in love, while the victim thought she was in an authentic relationship.

  Six weeks into the phony relationship, the scammer started sowing the seeds of their master plan. He claimed he needed to get $500 to his sister to help pay for his daughter’s care. The victim sent the $500 to the sister through PayPal. To lull the victim into a false sense of security, the scammer actually paid back $500 to the victim. As we’ll see, $500 was a small price for the scammer to pay to get their ultimate payoff.

  The scammer sent the victim a check for $85,000. He claimed the money needed to go to his daughter, but he couldn’t get to his own bank. He asked her to deposit the check in her account before wiring $82,000 to the supposed man’s sister. The scammer even advised her to deposit the check through an ATM, probably so it wouldn’t draw any attention from bank employee’s. The check turned out to be fraudulent, leaving the victim with a negative balance of $82,000.

  When the victim messaged the scammer about the check, the scammer went dark. However, she did receive a Facebook message claiming to be from the FBI telling her that she had been scammed. This message was more than likely from the scammer as well.

  Anybody who asks you to deposit a check into your account to pay someone else is almost assuredly trying to scam you. Banks do not wait for the check to clear before making the funds available. There is a several day window where the scammers can strike. If the money is taken out of the victim’s bank account before the check clears, then the victim will be responsible for paying that money back to the bank.

  Dating apps typically do not do any kind of background check on their users. If you meet someone online, the first thing you should do is a reverse image search to make sure they’re not using pictures stolen from elsewhere on the internet.

  Lastly, if the person you meet claims to have a job that makes it difficult to meet in person, this is a good indicator of a potential scam. These jobs can include a military member stationed overseas, oil rig workers, and international business workers.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 5, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: advance fee scam ( 42 ), identity theft ( 104 ), imposter scam ( 3 ), impostor scam ( 14 ), lottery scam ( 12 ), Scams ( 1,323 )   

  Lottery winners are not giving away money 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The lottery winner scam is reportedly making the rounds again. If you’re unfamiliar with this scam, scammers will claim to be someone who won one of the major lottery prizes in the country. The scammers will use the names of real lottery winners to make the scam seem more legitimate.

  The scammers will then text, email, or send a private message to their potential victims telling them that they’re giving away part of their winnings. Typically, the offer is for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The messages also include articles that show the news of the actual lottery winner.

  The scammers are usually after one of two things. The first is personal and financial information. They may ask for your banking information in the guise of sending you the money. They may also ask for identifying information, such as a copy of your driver’s license. This leads to either the victim’s identity being stolen or their bank account being hijacked.

  The other thing these scammers are usually after is your money. After promising victims all this money, the scammers will try to get money out of the victim by saying that some form of taxes or processing fees need to be paid first. This is known as the advance fee scam and is quite common when it comes to lottery and sweepstakes scams.

  While there are legitimate lottery winners who have been generous with their winnings, they do not hand out hundreds of thousands of dollars to random people. The logistics and legal wranglings of doing so would be a procedural nightmare to say the least.

  As with most giveaway scams, it’s good to keep two sayings in mine. ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’, and ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is’.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 41 ), check scam ( 78 ), college ( 17 ), fake check ( 46 ), job scam ( 76 ), Scams ( 1,323 ), venmo ( 27 )   

  College students still vulnerable to job scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  College students and other young adults tend to be more technologically inclined than previous generations. Unfortunately, being more comfortable with modern tech can lead young people into a false sense of security. When it comes to finding a job, many of the analog ways of older generations are still in effect. Scammers will take advantage of the convenience of tech while using the anonymity it can sometimes afford them. This chicanery has become very prevalent in the job market. With many young people striking out on their own for possibly the first time, they could easily fall victim to job scammers.

  This recently happened to a college student in Texas. She was searching for a job online and more than likely had posted her resume on employment platforms. She received a text message that claimed to be from a textile company in Chicago, offering her a job. The position was a remote data entry position that offered close to $40/hr along with benefits and a 401K. All interviews and follow-ups were done through text or messaging app. The student never saw the face of anyone at the supposed company.

  She was hired almost on the spot. She was then told she would need equipment for the position. The student was then sent two checks that added up to $10,000. The company instructed her to deposit the checks and use the money to buy the equipment she needed. She was told to use specific vendors and that she could pay them through Venmo or Cash App. When payment wouldn’t go through on either of those apps, she was told to wire the money. The checks turned out to be fraudulent, which not only wiped out her savings but left her in debt to her bank.

  Those that are inexperienced in the job market may not be aware that businesses do not use apps like Zelle and Venmo to pay for business expenses. Even those who have years of job experience may not know that legitimate businesses, even those offering remote positions, do not send checks that the employee is supposed to deposit in their own bank account to use for business expenses. The fake check scam is one that has been duping job applicants for years now.

  If colleges and universities are not doing do already, scam awareness should be part of the orientation process. If you know a young person who is attending college, you may want to let them know about the scams that specifically target them, like this one.