Greg's Corner

Updates from March, 2022 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 81 ), fake check ( 51 ), Indiana ( 6 ), music student, musician, overpayment scam ( 10 ), Scams ( 1,524 )   

  Even musicians fall victim to the fake check scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  More so than most people, musicians have a keen eye for scammers when it comes to getting paid. If you’ve ever known a professional or semi-professional musician, you’ve probably heard stories about how they’ve been ripped off by promoters and venue owners, just to name a few. Musicians are often either not paid the amount they were promised, or they have to constantly follow up with whoever owes them money. This is where the term ‘starving musician’ typically comes from. Now, they have yet another payment scam to worry about, and it’s one of the most common scams around today.

  The United States Postal Inspection Service is issuing a warning about the fake check scam, or the overpayment scam, as it’s also known. They’ve highlighted the story of a music student who’s also a gig musician from a university in Indiana. The pianist received an email from her professor that said someone had requested the pianist to play their wedding.

  The pianist contacted the woman who had requested her services, and they agreed on a $200 fee. The pianist received a check for $1900. When the pianist brought this to the attention of the supposed bride, the bride made the excuse of she had accidentally combined the payment of the florist along with that of the pianist. The pianist was then told to deposit the check and send the overage back to the bride at a PayPal address. A few days later, the pianist’s bank discovered the check was fraudulent, and now the musician was out $1700.

  As always, if someone sends you a check for more than the amount you’re asking for, the odds are they’re attempting to scam you. If you deposit the check and then return the overage, you will be held responsible by your bank for the full amount of the check and any associated penalties. However, this story is a great example of how scammers will set out to steal money from just about anyone.

   

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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: auction site ( 2 ), car auction, online auction, Scams ( 1,524 ), used car ( 39 )   

  Avoid online vehicle auction scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Before we get started with today’s topic, I wanted to bring you this article from the New York Times about the ongoing Zelle scams. The article is a good overview about the Zelle scams that we’ve discussed in the past. If you’d like to see stories about the Zelle scam that go into further detail, you can read are posts about it here.

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  When you think of online auction sites, you almost assuredly think about eBay. The platform has been an internet stalwart for over 25 years. While eBay has its own issues with scammers, today we’re going to discuss online auctions that are less than reputable. Many of these auctions are for various types of vehicles, from cars to boats to RVs. Others will offer high-priced or hard to get electronic items. However, many of these auctions are just after your money and your information.

  For example, you may see an ad on social media for an online car auctions that claims to be associated with a government agency. Very often, these phony auctions claim to represent a county sheriff’s office or possibly a state police barracks. Some will even claim to be run by a federal investigative agency. While some of these agencies do often hold seized car auctions, they don’t happen as often as the ad listings would have you believe.

  The scam will set out to rip you off in two ways. The first is, the scammers will ask you for a copy of your driver’s license as part of the registration process. The scammers may even claim they need your license to discourage false bids. The next part of the scam is to take your money. No matter what vehicle you bid on, you’ll receive a message that your bid won. More than likely, you’ll be asked to pay the auctioneer through the usual scammer means, like a cashier’s check or money transfer. Once the scammers get your money, they disappear, and now you’re out of hundreds or thousands of dollars and the car never even existed.

  The best way to avoid this scam is to do your research on the auction before giving your information or committing to any bids. If the auction claims to be a government auction, contact that agency to make sure the auction is legitimate. In other cases, research the auction’s history first. You can do a web search with the name of the auction company along with words like review, scam, or complaint. Lastly, if the auction wants bidders to pay in unusual means, like those mentioned above and others like cryptocurrency, walk away.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: good samaritan scam ( 2 ), police impersonation scam ( 83 ), police scam ( 38 ), qr codes ( 10 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), venmo ( 29 )   

  Scam Round Up: QR Codes, Good Samaritan scam, and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Once again, we’re bringing you a trio of scams we’ve discussed before, but now have a slight new angle to them.

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  The last time we mentioned QR codes, they were being used in a parking scam in Texas. Now, the Attorney General of North Carolina is warning about QR code scams in the Tarheel State. Many businesses are using QR codes for customers to scan to see things like menus on the customer’s phone. This helps cut down on potentially coming in contact with COVID-19. The NC Attorney general is saying scammers are replacing QR codes used by businesses with stickers of the scammer’s QR code. These scam codes can take you to malicious websites that will either ask you for personal information or inject spyware on to your device which could compromise any of your online accounts. Before scanning a QR code in public, make sure the code has not been tampered with and do not download any software the QR code may instruct you to do.

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  Speaking of North Carolina, for our next story we go to Charlotte where a man was scammed out of $4000 for just trying to be a good person. The man lent his phone to another man who said he needed to use the phone for an emergency. The other man made a call then said he needed to text his sister since the connection was bad. What the other man was really doing was accessing the man’s Venmo app and sending $4000 to himself. The victim didn’t realize his money was gone until two days later. If you use any payment app like Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal, among others, there are security measures you can enable to prevent this from happen. You can enable a PIN to keep strangers out of these apps if they happen to access your phone. You can also use a fingerprint lock for devices that are equipped with a fingerprint scanner. It might be a slight inconvenience, but it will help keep thieves out of your financial accounts. And as an additional precaution, you really shouldn’t keep thousands of dollars in apps like Venmo.

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  If you’re in college or even went to college, you may have imbibed in illicit indulgences. Even though it’s legal in many places now, if you engaged in that activity, running into campus police was always one of your biggest fears. In New Mexico, the substance in question is legal, if you’re older than 21. In college, age restrictions usually don’t stop those who are under the legal age limit from partaking. Now, scammers are looking to take advantage of that fear. They’re posing as the New Mexico State University Campus Police and threatening their victims by telling them that the victim is being investigated for a narcotic crime. The scammers are threatening students with arrest if they don’t comply with giving the scammer their personal information. Like any other police impersonation scam, real police will not threaten someone with arrest over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, it is recommended you hang up and call the actual police at the non-emergency number.

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  As we like to tell our readers, even though these scams are not currently happening in your area, now you’re prepared if they do.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 3, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amazon ( 110 ), brushing scam ( 26 ), new york ( 16 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), walmart ( 25 ), Wish.com   

  Brushing scam continues to plague consumers 

  

  By Greg Collier

  On the surface, the brushing scam seems like a victimless crime. You receive a package in the mail addressed to you that you didn’t order and probably didn’t pay for. By law, you get to keep whatever was in the package. No harm, no foul, right? Well, not exactly.

  In the brushing scam, third-party vendors that sell products on platforms like Amazon, Walmart and Wish, will send hundreds of their products to unsuspecting users of those sites. They use the fact that you received the package to use your name in a product review as a verified buyer. This allows the vendor to give themselves phony five-star reviews for a product that more often than not is cheaply made and shoddy. In turn, this tricks unsuspecting consumers into buying this product because of the false positive reviews. As you can see, while the scam is quite elaborate, it’s not without its victims.

  The State of New York, recently issued a warning to its residents about the brushing scam. They suggest that if you receive anything organic, like food, plants, or seeds, to dispose of them as they could pose an ecological threat, especially if they’re from overseas. If the package comes from a platform like Amazon, you should notify them and have them remove any false reviews made in your name. Lastly, you should check all your retail accounts to make sure that you weren’t charged for any of these products. Just as a precaution, you should change your passwords to these accounts every few months or so.

  In some cases, the recipients of these products have had their personal information compromised. So, if you receive one of these brushing packages, you may also want to keep an eye on your credit history to make sure your identity hasn’t been stolen.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 2, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: impersonation scam ( 175 ), income tax ( 17 ), IRS ( 28 ), phone scam ( 48 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), tax scam ( 12 ), taxes ( 9 )   

  Here’s how to deal with tax scammers on the phone 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’re just a month and a half away from the tax deadline this year. In 2022, there’s no courtesy extension due to the pandemic. U.S. tax returns are due on Monday, April 18th. As the deadline draws closer, scammers may see it as having their own deadline, the deadline to commit as many tax scams as possible. Not all tax scammers are after your refund check. Many of them are attempting to get your sensitive personal information instead. To accomplish this, they’ll imitate the one federal agency that everyone fears, the IRS.

  Many scammers will call their victims, posing as the Internal Revenue Service. If the scammer is attempting to get money from you, they’ll set out to get you to make a payment to them, typically in non-traditional means like gift cards or cryptocurrency. If the scammers are trying to steal your personal information, they may tell you the IRS owes you money, but they’ll ask you for personal information to verify your identity. What they’re actually attempting is to steal your identity.

  CNBC has a great article on how to help avoid these scams. According to CNBC, if anyone calls you claiming to be the IRS saying you owe them money, ask them for as many details about the supposed case as possible. While it’s not a guarantee the scammer won’t hang up at this point, it is said that it will stop the majority of scammers from pressing forward. You can also tell the caller you’re not comfortable giving personal information over the phone and would rather continue communication by mail.

  It’s always good to keep in mind the IRS does the majority of its official communication through the postal mail. The agency will only call you if you’ve already been in contact with them through the mail. They will not call you about a case that they just opened.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: banking ( 3 ), Microsoft ( 21 ), pop-ups ( 27 ), remote access ( 6 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), tech support scam ( 52 )   

  Tech support scam costs victims hundreds of thousands of dollars 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If you’re tech-savvy, you may think to yourself, how can anyone fall for a tech support scam, especially one that involves pop-ups? In the past, pop-up windows were such a nuisance that most modern browsers come with pop-up blockers. Today, we hardly even think about pop-ups. However, if we do come across one, we largely ignore them and never go to that website ever again, as it could be providing false information or trying to inject malware into your system. Unfortunately, not everyone is that technically inclined, and those are the people that scammers are preying on. It might not be so bad if the scammers were only taking a few dollars, but these con artists are taking money from people in the six-figures.

  There’s not a lot of information on this story, but we imagine this is how it happened. A woman from Ohio saw a pop-up on her computer. It probably said that her computer had been hacked and left a phone number for her to call. The scammers posed as her bank and was told her bank account had been compromised. In order to protect the funds, she was told to give the person on the phone remote access to her computer. She was also instructed to move money from her IRA to a checking account. After it was all over, the scammers had stolen close to $300,000 from her.

  In Lincoln, Nebraska, a man fell for a similar scam. He also received a pop-up that said his bank account had been hacked and gave a number for him to call. This time, the scammer posed as a Microsoft employee. Again, the man was asked to give remote access to his computer. He was also instructed to move his money to another account, an account that scammers had access to. The man was even instructed not to discuss the matter with police. The scammers took just a little over $200,000 from him.

  Let’s just say that these two instances were committed by the same group of scammers. By just finding two people who fell for their scam, they were able to collect half a million dollars. Scammers don’t need to fool everyone, just a handful of victims.

  If you know someone who may be vulnerable to this scam, please let them know that this isn’t how their devices work. If they see a message that says they’ve been hacked, that message has definitely been sent by scammers. Also, they should never call any phone numbers attached to these pop-ups, as they’ll always connect you to a scammer. Last;y, they should never give anyone remote access to their device, unless it’s that one family member who fixes everyone’s computer.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 28, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charity ( 18 ), charity scam ( 39 ), migrant crisis ( 3 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), Ukraine ( 2 )   

  How to help the people of Ukraine without being scammed 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The Unites States is probably one of the most, if not the most, charitable country in the world. As a society, we do not hesitate to open our wallets and loosen purse strings when it comes to crises of human suffering. And right now, there is no bigger crisis than what’s currently happening in the Eastern European country of Ukraine. But as always, there is no humanitarian crisis that scammers won’t take advantage of, and yes, they are trying to take advantage of the situation in Ukraine.

  Social media posts have already started popping up that lead to websites asking for funds for Ukraine. Except these websites do not state what charity they’re supposed to be collecting for or how the funds will help the people of Ukraine.

  You’ll also want to avoid any form of solicitation when it comes to making any donations. This can include phone calls, emails, text messages, or messages through social media. These solicitors often use generic names for their charities, like ‘International Relief Fund’, or something along those lines. Also, avoid any supposed charity that asks for donations in methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency. You may want to avoid crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe, as scammers have been known to use them for scams after natural and man-made disasters.

  If you really want to donate to help victims of the current crisis, stick to well-known charities such as UNICEF, The International Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders. These organizations are world renowned for helping those who have been displaced through war, famine, or natural disaster. You can find lists of other reliable charitable organizations here and here.

  If there’s a charity not listed that you still want to donate to, please check with sites like Charity Navigator and Give.Org to make sure they are reputable charities.

  Now more than ever, we need our donations going to the people who need them, rather than the pockets of scammers.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 25, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 43 ), Chicago ( 5 ), ComEd, payment app ( 19 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), shut off scam ( 19 ), utility scam ( 34 ), venmo ( 29 ), Zelle ( 71 )   

  Utility scammers move to payment apps 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Winter in the Midwest is an opportune time for utility scammers to find new victims. Power company ComEd, which serves the greater Chicago area, has reported that shut-off scams have increased by 150% and have claimed $27,000 from customers in just one month. No one who lives in the Midwest wants to face the possibility of losing their power during a cold Winter. These factors can create a perfect storm of fear that scammers are ready to take advantage of.

  The shut-off scam is exactly what it sounds like. Scammers will call up their victims while posing as the local electricity provider. The victims will be told they’re behind on their electricity bill and their service is about to be shut off in a matter of minutes. The scammers then demand an immediate payment to prevent the victim’s service from being terminated. Previously, scammers would get their victims to pay in gift cards, pre-paid debit cards, and, in some instances, cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. But now, scammers are moving to a different method for extracting money from their victims.

  According to the Better Business Bureau, shut-off scammers are using payment apps such as Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle, which makes sense in a strange way. With gift cards and cryptocurrency, scammers have to direct their victims to physical locations to complete the transaction. With payment apps, scammers can get the money almost immediately with minimal effort. It also helps the scammers that they can block the victim on these apps once they receive the payment. These apps also do not have a lot of customer protection once a user has been scammed.

  As always, no utility company will threaten you with termination over the phone. If you were to get behind in your bill, you would receive a written warning in the mail before any termination of service would happen. Also, please keep in mind that payment apps like Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle are only supposed to be used with people you know personally. Anyone else who asks for payment through these apps just may be trying to scam you.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 24, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: catfishing ( 4 ), identity theft ( 119 ), impersonation scam ( 175 ), romance scam ( 76 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), social media ( 86 )   

  The other victims of romance scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Typically, when we discuss romance scams, or catfishing as it’s sometimes known, we talk about the victim who ended up losing money to these scammers. However, there’s sometimes another victim in these scams. In romance scams, the scammers often use the photos of actual people and in some cases even impersonate that person. This could lead not only to unnecessary grief for the person being impersonated, but it also has serious safety implications as well.

  A woman from the Scottsdale area of Arizona found herself in the middle of one of these scams. She suddenly started receiving emails at her business, before receiving phone calls at home about a man who was allegedly threatening to show up at her home or business. The man claimed that they had been dating online for months and that he flew from New York to see her. A romance scammer had tricked the man using the woman’s identity into thinking he was in a relationship. It’s believed that the man had given the scammer a substantial amount of money. According to reports, the scammers cut off communication with the man once he landed in Arizona.

  According to the Scottsdale woman, the New York man had trouble accepting that he had been scammed and directed his anger toward her. She claims the man has been leaving voice messages on her phone from multiple phone numbers. She has no idea what the man even looks like.

  Since the woman is a business owner who deals in social media, she has a large social media presence. This allowed the scammers to essentially copy her life and use her online identity in their scam.

  To better protect yourself from not only being in this side of a romance scam, but from other scams as well, it’s best to change your social media profiles to private or friends only. While it’s not a guarantee your online photos won’t be used in a scam, It does help in discouraging scammers from doing so.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 23, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Atlanta ( 4 ), deceased ( 3 ), identity theft ( 119 ), Scams ( 1,524 ), violent crime   

  Crime victim’s family taken advantage of by scammers 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Today, we’re going to discuss a scam that doesn’t happen to everyone. We wish it didn’t have to happen to anyone. However, it once again shows just how low scammers will sink to try to take advantage of someone during a time of crisis.

  The death of a loved one is never easy. Losing a loved one to violent crime is even more difficult, to say the least. Now imagine having that happen to you, and then a con artist tries to use your loved one in one of their scams.

  That’s what happened to a woman living in Atlanta who recently lost her adult son to violent crime. As she was grieving for her son, she received a phone call from someone claiming to be with Atlanta Victim Assistance. The caller told the woman that she would receive $6500 from the organization to help pay for her son’s funeral. The caller asked her for her son’s personal information, such as his Social Security number. The grieving mother realized she may have spoken to a scammer when she spoke with the actual Atlanta Victim Assistance office. They told her that they only request that information after a family applies for funds.

  So why would someone try to get the personal information of a man who is deceased? As horrible as it is to say, the recently deceased can be prime targets for identity theft. An identity thief can potentially use that person’s identity for months before credit agencies and the like are notified of the victim’s passing. This is not unlike how identity thieves will steal the identities of minors and use their identity for years before any fraudulent activity is discovered.

  Security experts recommend that you notify the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and the major credit reporting agencies of your loved one’s passing to avoid having their identity stolen. It’s also recommended to try to limit the amount of personal information used in an obituary, as these often contains enough information for identity thieves to start their scheming.

  It’s a shame that this is what the world has come to, but hopefully, you’re now somewhat prepared if an unfortunate event like this happens to someone you know.