Greg's Corner

Scam Round Up: A new stolen car scam and more

By Greg Collier

This week, in the Round Up, we’ll be reviewing two scams we’ve discussed before and a new one that took even us by surprise.

Today’s first scam is one that we thought we’d see more of, but that could just mean that victims aren’t coming forward. Anyway, the voice spoofing scam has found its way to another family, this time in Tacoma, Washington. The scammers spoofed the voice of the family’s 16-year-old daughter and said that she had been in a car wreck and needed $10,000. Scammers only need a few seconds of someone’s voice to be able to generate that person’s voice using AI technology.

This voice spoofing technology has been used in the grandparent scam, as shown above, and the virtual kidnapping scam. Even if your ears are trying to convince you that you’re talking to a loved one, always verify their story. Try to use another device to contact that person. Or have a code phrase set up beforehand with your family in case of an actual emergency.

The second scam for today seems like it’s popping up more often lately, if the news is any indication. More homeowners have been receiving concerning letters in the mail that many think are coming from their mortgage company. In reality, the letters are from someone trying to sell a home warranty policy. However, the Better Business Bureau notes that the fine print should tell you all you need to know about the letter. In some instances, the letter says something similar to, “Not all consumers have previous coverage. We are not affiliated with your current mortgage.”

If you have any questions or concerns about your mortgage or current home warranty, call those companies directly. Do not use any contact information contained in the letter.

Lastly, it seems we’ve seen a number of car scams emerge, and this may be one of the most heinous. Selling a stolen car online is nothing new. It’s the buyers who pay the price once they find out that the car is stolen when they’re notified by either the DMV or the police. More recently, car scammers are taking the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of a car of a similar make and model, and using it on the stolen car.

This way, when a buyer may run a vehicle history report, it will come back with the history of a car that hasn’t been stolen.

However, this isn’t a perfect scam for the scammers. A buyer would need to look out for any discrepancies between the vehicle history and what the seller is telling you. If there are any discrepancies, or there’s an issue with any paperwork, the buyer should walk away.