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  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Bank to scam victims: You have to prove it wasn’t you 

    Bank to scam victims: You have to prove it wasn't you

    By Greg Collier

    Previously, we told you about a scam that happens at ATMs. The way we were told about is scammers put glue in the card slot of ATMs. The bank customer would then use the tap to pay feature on the ATM. The tap feature on the ATM uses the RFID chip in the card to verify the transaction. If an ATM has an RFID reader placed near it, scammers would be able to steal the card’s details and duplicate the card.

    That is definitely one version of the scam. However, there’s an even simpler version of the scam. In this version, the scammer still puts glue in the ATM’s card slot. Except, instead of using an RFID reader, the scammer hangs around the ATM acting as a good Samaritan. When a customer tries to use the ATM, the scammer will tell the customer to use the tap feature. The problem with the tap feature on some ATMs is that it doesn’t automatically sign the customer out when the transaction is finished. This allows the scammer to use the ATM while the customer is still logged in. Of course, this has resulted in many having their bank accounts emptied.

    If you’ve been a frequent reader here, you won’t be surprised to learn that one of the nation’s leading banks is allegedly refusing to assist scam victims. Chase Bank has had a number of their customers fall victim to this scam, and much like they did with the Zelle scam, Chase is reportedly putting the onus on the customers.

    When Chase looks at their records, they only see it as a customer transaction and have told scam victims that the victim must have taken the money. One customer was even told, “Well, you have to prove it wasn’t you.”

    You might assume that since ATMs have cameras, Chase could easily verify if the customer made the transaction. According to one customer, they were told that Chase cannot pull the footage unless they’re subpoenaed by law enforcement.

    But also, much like the Zelle scam, Chase refunded the scam victims once their local media got involved.

    If you go to an ATM and the card reader is not functional, consider going into the bank or trying another ATM situated elsewhere. Additionally, if you possess a credit card, it might be a wise decision to utilize that instead. This is because credit cards have a built-in safety measure that aids in preventing such fraudulent activities. Moreover, credit cards provide more consumer protection than debit cards.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 4, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Reshipping scam resurfaces 

    Reshipping scam resurfaces

    By Greg Collier

    When it comes to job scams, especially work from home scams, the reshipping scam is probably one of the most nefarious. This is a type of fraud where criminals purchase items with stolen credit card information and have them shipped to a person in another country or location.

    The reshipper then receives the package, removes the original shipping label and replaces it with a new one addressed to the final destination, which is usually another location where the scammers can collect the items or resell them for a profit.

    The scam works by exploiting the differences in the cost of goods and shipping fees between countries or regions, allowing scammers to purchase items at a lower price from one country and sell them for a higher price in another, using the stolen credit card information to cover the costs. The reshipper is usually unaware that they are participating in a criminal activity and may believe that they are providing a legitimate forwarding service.

    The Better Business Bureau recently issued a warning after receiving complaints from victims who were hired by scammers as a packaging inspector. The state of Wisconsin has been especially hit hard, as many of the scam’s victims have been found there.

    What makes the scam appear legitimate is the scammers have a phony payroll dashboard online where victims not only track their hours worked, but also provide their personal information for payment. The victims are never paid and when they inquire with their supposed employer about their payment, the scammers disappear, taking the victim’s personal information with them.

    What’s most problematic about this scam is this scam could actually land a victim in jail. If a scam victim willingly falsifies shipping documentation as directed by the scammers to bypass US customs, they may be subject to imprisonment.

    This scam is easy to avoid if you’re aware of one vital piece of information. Reshipping is not a real job. It’s exclusive to job scammers. These positions are often advertised online with such titles as ‘shipping coordinator’, ‘warehouse distribution coordinator’, or ‘local hub inspector’. No matter what the job is called, it’s never legitimate.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 3, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: AI voice scam finds another victim and more 

    By Greg Collier

    This week in the round-up, we’ll be discussing three scams we’ve discussed before, but have popped up again recently.

    Our first scam is the Medicare card scam. Medicare issued new cards back in 2018 which started using an ID# rather than the recipient’s Social Security number. This was done to help prevent Medicare fraud and ensure patient privacy. Ever since then, scammers have been trying to fool Medicare recipients into believing another new card was being issued. Scammers typically do this to try to steal their victim’s Medicare information.

    The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office has issued a warning which says scammers are calling residents posing as Medicare, the Social Security Administration, or the Department of Insurance. The scammers are telling residents they need to turn in their paper Medicare cards for new plastic ones. This is not true. If Medicare were to issue new cards, they would announce it through the mail and not by calling Medicare recipients.

    The next scam pertains to families who have a loved one who is currently incarcerated. The Georgia Parole Board has issued their own warning to the families of the incarnated. They’ve reported scammers are calling the families and asking for money for the release of their family member. The scammers claim the money is needed for an ankle monitor before the inmate could be released.

    According to the parole board, they will never call anyone’s family asking for money. Georgia residents are advised to check with the parole board’s website before to determine the current parole status of their family member.

    Our final scam is one that’s not that old and has been in the news a lot lately, the voice spoofing scam. Scammers are taking voice recordings from social media or spam phone calls and feeding it to an AI program that can replicate that person’s voice. So far, it’s mostly been used in the grandparent scam, and the virtual kidnapping scam.

    An elderly coupe from Texas fell victim to the grandparent scam when they heard the voice of their grandson asking for help. The AI-generated voice said they were in an accident in Mexico and needed $1000. Believing he was talking to his actual grandson, the grandfather sent the money.

    If you receive a call like this, don’t believe your ears, as they can be deceived. Instead, try to contact the person who is supposedly in danger before sending any money.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Craigslist rental scam leads to identity theft 

    By Greg Collier

    When we discuss rental scams, we mostly discuss how victims lose money. However, there is another pitfall to the rental scam, and that’s having your identity stolen. That could end up costing a rental scam victim even more money and headaches after they lose money to the scammer.

    Typically, rental scams involve individuals who pretend to be landlords or property managers in order to deceive potential renters into paying upfront for a rental property that they have no right to rent out or don’t even own. The scam begins with an advertisement for a rental property that appears to be priced well below the market rate, which attracts the attention of potential renters. The scammer then persuades the victim to pay a security deposit or the first month’s rent before they have had the chance to view the property. Once the payment is made, the scammer may become unreachable or vanish altogether, leaving the victim without a rental property and without any recourse to recover their money.

    But what these stories sometimes fail to mention is the phony application process scammers make victims go through. To make the scam seem more legitimate, rental scammers will have their victims fill out rental applications that ask for the victim’s personal and financial information. Once the scammers have that information, they can obviously use it for more profitable crimes.

    For example, a woman in Connecticut found a rental home on Craigslist that was well within her budget. The rental scammer had her fill out an application that asked for all pertinent information they would need for identity theft. This included the victim’s Social Security number, driver’s license number, and tax history. Just a few days later, the scammer tried to open a credit card account in the victim’s name. The victim had to freeze her credit for a year, which comes with its own set of issues.

    When filling out a rental application, avoid giving out information that is not publicly available, such as your Social Security number, driver’s license number, and banking information.

    However, before you even get to that step, you should research the property first. The listing in the story was copied from a Zillow listing where the home was for sale., Information like this can be discerned just by doing a Google search for the property’s address. And you can always check the property records with the county.

    https://youtu.be/RkiYbFsrIWU
     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    New dangerous scam uses pictures of your car 

    New dangerous scam uses pictures of your car

    By Greg Collier

    Imagine you’re scrolling through Facebook and all of a sudden, you see a picture of your car. Not a picture of the same make and model of your car, but your actual car. Except, not only do you not remember taking that picture, but you didn’t make that post. That would be jarring, wouldn’t it?

    That’s what happened to at least one family from San Diego. A photo of their SUV appeared in a community Facebook group for nearby Tijuana, Mexico. Whoever made the post claimed that the vehicle was stolen at gunpoint in Tijuana and was offering a $1000 reward for it.

    The problem with posts like this on social media is too many people will believe it without questioning it. As the saying goes, “A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on.” Many people commenting on the post are believing it like it was gospel. Some have even claimed to have seen the SUV.

    So, what’s the scam? Whoever posted the photo also gave out a phone number to contact to try to claim the reward. If someone calls the number thinking they’re helping someone in need, they’ll be asked for their financial information, so the reward can be given to them. Once the scammers have that, then any number of financial frauds can be committed.

    What’s dangerous about it is the family who owns the SUV could come face to face with someone who may decide they want to take back the vehicle themselves.

    Unfortunately, if you’re the owner of the car, there’s not much you can do to prevent someone from taking a picture of your car in public.

    However, if you see one of these posts, don’t respond to it, don’t share it, and don’t call the phone number in the post.

    This is something that should be handled by the police.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Just how bad are rental scams today? 

    By Greg Collier

    Ever since real estate listings have been online, there have been rental scammers. The rental scam in real estate is where scammers pose as landlords or property managers to trick prospective tenants into paying money upfront for a rental property that they do not own or have no authority to rent out.

    The scam usually begins with an advertisement for a property that is below market value, making it attractive to prospective renters. Once a victim expresses interest in the property, the scammer may request payment of a security deposit or the first month’s rent before the victim has seen the property. After the payment is made, the scammer may become difficult to reach or disappear entirely, leaving the victim without a rental property and out of money.

    The rental scam is also one of the more common scams we’ve discussed on this blog. Much like the jury duty scam, hardly a day goes by where we don’t see a rental scam story in the news. However, the scam may be much worse than we originally thought.

    For example, a homeless family in Atlanta thought they had found a home that they could afford. They paid $3000 to someone they thought was the property owner. The family was even given two sets of keys to the property. They weren’t staying in the home long before the real property manager showed up and allowed them 24 hours to vacate the premises.

    When a local news station spoke with the property management company, the company said it’s part of their job to visit their vacant properties that have been illegally occupied. The company also commented that this happens around 15 times a week. And that’s just one property management company in one city. Now just imagine how often situations like this happen not only across the country, but in your area as well.

    Thankfully, the property management company tries to help the victims they’ve encountered, but when someone has just lost all the money they had to scammers, it’s hard to imagine how much help can really be offered.

    To avoid falling victim to a rental scam, it is important to do your research and verify the legitimacy of the property and the person claiming to be the landlord or property manager. Always insist on viewing the property before making any payments, and be wary of any requests for personal or financial information that seem unnecessary or suspicious.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 27, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Man loses $38K to voice spoofing scam 

    Man loses $38K to voice spoofing scam

    By Greg Collier

    We haven’t seen a scam proliferate as fast as the voice spoofing scam in a while. Even scams like the Zelle scam, which took off like wildfire, didn’t spread this fast. For those who may just be learning about voice spoofing, or voice cloning as it’s sometimes called, scammers can spoof just about anyone’s voice. Using a voice recording taken from social media or spam phone calls, scammers can then use artificial intelligence (AI) programs to make that voice say just about anything they want.

    At the risk of sounding like a broken record, voice spoofing is typically used in two different scams, so far. One is the virtual kidnapping scam, and the other is the grandparent scam. Both scams rely on phone calls that need to sound as legitimate as possible, and using the voice of a victim’s loved one makes these scam calls sound more convincing than ever.

    The grandparent scam is a type of phone scam where a fraudster poses as a grandchild or another family member in distress and asks the targeted grandparent to send money immediately, often using wire transfers or gift cards, for a supposed urgent situation, such as bail or medical bills. The scam relies on the emotional manipulation and trust of the victim and often preys on their desire to help their loved ones.

    Before AI programs became so pervasive, scammers would always use some excuse as to why they didn’t sound like the victim’s grandchild. They would usually claim they had a broken nose or some other injury that made their voice sound different. Now, with voice spoofing, they don’t have to worry about that.

    Recently, an elderly man in Maryland fell victim to this scam. He received a call that sounded like it was coming from his granddaughter. The caller claimed they had been in an accident that sent several victims to the hospital. The fake granddaughter then turned the call over to a ‘lawyer’ who told the man that he needed to send $38,000 for bail, which he did. It was a few days later when he texted his granddaughter, he found out he had been scammed.

    Now you may think, this was an elderly person who is more vulnerable to scams like this. However, when a recording of the call was played for the granddaughter’s parents, they also said it sounded exactly like their daughter.

    There’s a saying that’s often attributed to Edgar Allan Poe that says, “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” That adage couldn’t be truer when it comes to the grandparent scam. Even if you hear the voice of a loved one saying they’re in trouble and need money, try to contact that loved one immediately. Don’t believe any claims that you can’t hang up the phone or requests not to talk to anyone else in the family, even if the caller claims there is a gag order.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 26, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Puppies don’t need a COVID vaccine 

    Puppies don't need a COVID vaccine

    By Greg Collier

    The puppy scam is a type of online scam where scammers pose as legitimate breeders or sellers of puppies, and offer to sell or adopt out puppies to unsuspecting victims. They often use online platforms such as classified ads or social media to advertise their puppies and attract potential buyers.

    Once a victim expresses interest in a puppy, the scammer will ask for payment for the puppy and related expenses such as shipping or insurance. However, after the payment is made, the scammer will disappear without providing the puppy.

    A woman from Georgia recently fell victim to this scam, and the scammers made an unusual request. The woman thought she found a breeder of bulldogs on Puppies.com. The scammers claimed to sell bulldogs at thousands of dollars below typical market value. After the woman paid the initial $650 for a puppy, the scammers kept asking for more money. She then paid a $200, shipping fee, close to $1000 for a shipping crate, and $1800 for COVID vaccinations.

    The COVID vaccinations should have been a dead giveaway that this was a scam. For one, puppies don’t need COVID vaccinations. If the vaccines were supposedly for any workers, $1800 would be enough for 450 to 900 employees.

    The victim realized that she was being scammed after being asked to pay an additional $2600 for an airport fee. In total, she lost close to $4000 to the scammers, which is the current going price for purebred bulldog puppies.

    To avoid falling victim to the puppy scam, it is important to research the breeder or seller thoroughly, ask for references or recommendations from others who have purchased puppies from them, and never send money without receiving proof of the puppy’s existence and health.

    As always, we recommend adopting a puppy or even an adult dog from your local shelter. When you adopt a puppy from a shelter, you are providing a second chance for a dog that may have otherwise been euthanized. Shelters are often overcrowded and underfunded, and adopting a puppy from a shelter can help free up space and resources for other dogs in need.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 25, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    New job scams targets your resume 

    New job scams targets your resume

    By Greg Collier

    There are an untold number of scams that target those looking for employment. Just off the top of our heads, we can think of the fake check scam where scammers will give you a stolen check to buy supplies with and return the balance to them, but eventually, you’ll be the one losing money. Then there is the reshipping scam, which uses unwitting participants to send stolen goods to a third party to avoid prosecution. Some jobseekers have gone to jail for this scam. Then there are many scams that are just trying to steal your identity. Now, there is a scam that tries to take your money as soon as you post your resume online.

    As anyone who’s submitted their resume in the past 15 years knows, your resume is hardly ever reviewed by a human being. Most resumes are scanned by computer software that looks for certain keywords related to the position being applied for. This has led to some applicants thinking they can fool the software by putting keywords in white text on their resume. Now, scammers want you to pay them to ‘improve’ your resume.

    After you post your resume online, scammers will reach out while posing as prospective employers. You’ll be told y our resume looks good, but you’ll have a better chance of getting the job if you have your resume ‘reformatted’. The applicant will be directed to a website that offers a resume reformatting service. These so-called services can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

    When applying for a job, you should never have to pay money for anything, whether it’s a background check fee, a drug test, or resume reformatting. As long as your resume is clear and concise, there shouldn’t be a problem. If you’re unsure how to write a resume, some tips can be found here.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    AI kidnapping scam flourishes 

    AI kidnapping scam flourishes

    It’s almost been two months since we first noticed AI-generated voice cloning, or voice spoofing, scams starting to proliferate. Voice cloning technology is being used in scams where the reproduction of someone’s voice is imperative in making the scam seem more realistic. Typically, they’re being used in grandparent scams and virtual kidnapping scams, where scammers have always tried to imitate a victim’s loved one. Today, we’ll be focusing on the virtual kidnapping scam.

    Before consumer level AI programs became so accessible, kidnapping scammers would try to make it sound like a victim’s loved one had been kidnapped by having someone in the background screaming as if they were being assaulted. Now, a scammer only needs to obtain a few seconds of someone’s voice online to make a program where they can simulate that person saying just about anything. Scammers can obtain someone’s voice either through social media, or by recording a spam call made to that person.

    In Western Pennsylvania, a family received such a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped their teenage daughter. The call appeared to come from the daughter’s phone number, with the daughter’s voice saying she had been kidnapped, and her parents needed to send money. The scammer then got on the phone, threatening to harm the girl.

    In many instances, this would have sent parents into a panic while potentially following the scammers instructions for a ransom payment.

    Thankfully, in this instance, the daughter was standing right next to her parents when they got the call.

    Even though new technology is being used by scammers, the old methods of precaution should still be used.

    If you receive such a call, try to have someone contact the person who’s supposedly been kidnapped. When they put your loved one on the phone, ask them a question that only they would know the answer to. Or, set up a family code word to use only if your loved one is in danger.

     

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