Greg's Corner

Scam Round Up: Fitness Tracker Scam and More

By Greg Collier

If you tend to shop online, you may want to keep an eye out for a recurring delivery scam. A woman from Kansas was expecting a delivery of medical equipment in the mail when she received a text message. The message claimed to be from the US Postal Service, stating her delivery was $0.30 short on postage that she would need to pay. The text message contained a link which took her to a website that appeared to be the official USPS website. Since she thought the website was official, she gave them her debit card information. Luckily, her bank caught the charge and notified her she had been scammed. She did have to cancel her debit card and get a new one, which can be an inconvenience if you tend not to carry cash.

There’s also a similar scam to look out for where the text messages say your delivery will be late or couldn’t be delivered. These text messages claim to come from services like UPS and FedEx, along with USPS. These messages should be ignored and deleted. Instead, check the tracking number of your delivery to see if there are any actual issues.

If you’re the theatrical type or looking to get into the entertainment industry, you may want to be aware of fake casting calls. For example, South Carolina is where the show Outer Banks is filmed. Fake casting calls for extras were posted to social media. The scam listings were said to be a ploy to ask potential extras for money to be in the production. The official casting agency says that’s not how it works, and they would never ask for money.

Like any other job offer, research the company you would be dealing with to make sure you’re dealing with the actual company and not some impostor company.

Lastly, if you’re into fitness and use a fitness tracker, you may want to be wary of the online communities which some of the trackers can connect you to. The groups themselves can actually be beneficial, especially to those who may be struggling with their fitness goals. But just like most online communities, scammers lurk among the members.

According to reports, scammers will approach a victim about their fitness goals. After a while, the scammer will get more friendly before asking for money with some story designed to manipulate your emotions behind it. It almost seems like a low-key version of the romance scam. The scammers will also insist on communicating with them outside the community page or app.

To better protect yourself, try not to use a photo of yourself as your profile picture. Also, don’t share any personal information with people you don’t know in regular life.