Greg's Corner

Updates from August, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 3, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook Marketplace ( 62 ), free piano scam ( 2 ), piano, Scams ( 1,362 ), shipping ( 5 )   

  There’s no such thing as a free piano 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If you saw an online listing for a free piano, would you think anything of it? It’s understandable why it might be free. Pianos aren’t exactly easy to get rid of. You can’t just leave a piano out on the curb for the sanitation department to pick up. So, giving a piano away for free makes sense. Except, that free piano may not even exist. Instead, it’s all part of a shipping scam.

  The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Connecticut is warning residents of the Nutmeg State that several people there have fallen victim to this scam. The scam starts when someone sees a free piano being given away on Facebook Marketplace. The seller claimed the piano belonged to her late husband and selling it didn’t feel right. She wanted to give it away to ‘honor his soul’.

  Before we get to the heart of the scam, we wanted to stop here and point out the first red flag of not just this scam, but many others as well. Whenever a deal seems too good to be true and there’s an emotional story involved, there’s a good chance it could be a scam. We see this a lot with used and classic cars. The seller will claim the owner passed away, or the owner is being stationed overseas in the military. Stories like these are designed to get the victim to let their guard down while thinking they’re doing a favor for the seller.

  Getting back to the piano, while it may be listed for free, there’s always a price to pay. In this case, the seller insists on having the victim use a certain moving company to have the piano picked up. The seller is directed to the website of a moving company that appears to be professional and legitimate. The website then asks the victim to make the payment by entering their payment information. Then the victim has their financial information stolen.

  If you happen to be searching for a piano and come across a free one advertised, it’s advisable to avoid it unless you are willing to personally pick it up or arrange for your own movers.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: impersonation scam ( 144 ), Scams ( 1,362 ), shut off scam ( 17 ), utility scam ( 31 )   

  Record heatwave brings out shut off scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  With most of the country experiencing record-breaking heatwaves, we probably don’t have to tell you that 2023 is on its way to being the hottest year in recorded history. So, leave it to the scammers to use the sweltering heat to intimidate their victims into giving them money. While shut-off scams are common during this time of year, scammers are now packing a one-two punch of shut-off scams.

  Shut off scams typically depend on weather extremes. They tend to hit during blizzards and cold snaps, or punishing heatwaves. In the shut-off scam, scammers will pose as the power company when calling their victims. The scammers threaten their victims with having their electric service terminated for a past due balance. Victims are then told their service will be turned off in 15-30 minutes if a payment isn’t made immediately. Scammers will ask for payment in unusual means such as gift cards, but we’ve seen instances where victims are directed to make payment at Bitcoin ATMs.

  However, this summer we’re seeing another shut-off scam in addition to the power shut-off scam. Scammers are also posing as the local water company while threatening to shut off service. Being threatened with having your water turned off may even be more intimidating than having your electricity turned off. Then again, some homes can’t even have their water function without electricity. So, either way, this scam could be a nightmare for any consumer.

  It’s easy to protect yourself from this scam if you know about it. Utility companies, such as power and water, never call their customers and only give them a 15-minute warning before service is terminated. That should be the first red flag. Typically, utility companies will send several warnings in the mail before terminating service. Secondly, utility companies will never have you make payments to them in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payment apps like Zelle and Venmo.

  If you receive a phone call like this, hang up. Don’t give the caller any personal information, even if they seem to know who you are. Then call your local utility to verify your account is in good standing.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Elon Musk ( 2 ), phishing ( 75 ), Scams ( 1,362 ), Twitter ( 13 ), twitter scam ( 2 ), X   

  Twitter rebrand brings out scammers 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If you’ve been following the news lately, you’re probably aware of Elon Musk’s rebranding of the social media platform Twitter into X. Gone is the blue Twitter bird that has graced the platform for over 15 years, replaced by a stylized X as the logo. So, when a story like this is large enough to garner national headlines, leave it to the scammers to take advantage of the situation.

  As we have said in the past, scammers are probably the most news-connected people around. They can take a news story as small as a local power outage to a massive story like this and use it to their advantage. In the case of Twitter/X, many scammers have launched a phishing campaign against Twitter/X users, especially those who signed up for Twitter Blue.

  Before Musk took over Twitter, to get the vaunted blue checkmark next to your name, you had to be someone of importance. After Musk bought Twitter, he instituted Twitter Blue, which allowed users to have a blue checkmark as long as they paid an $8/mo. subscription fee. Many critics claimed Twitter Blue devalued the checkmark, and therefore devalued Twitter.

  Now, while Twitter is in the middle of a rebrand, the scammers have decided to strike. Many Twitter Blue users have received emails telling them they need to update their subscriptions to X memberships. The email also contains a link for users to click on to supposedly update their memberships. If someone were to click on the link, they would essentially be handing their Twitter profile to scammers. From there, scammers can use what appear to be verified accounts to spread even more scams.

  To better protect yourself against phishing scams like this, do not click on links or download attachments in emails from unknown or suspicious sources. Check the email address of the sender to ensure it matches the official email address of the organization they claim to represent. Phishers often use email addresses that resemble the real ones, but have slight variations. Legitimate organizations rarely ask for personal information through email or text messages. Be cautious if an email requests sensitive data, such as passwords. Lastly, before clicking on any link, hover your mouse pointer over it to see the actual URL. This allows you to check if the link is legitimate or if it redirects to a suspicious website.