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  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 9, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , huntsville, Huntsville International Airport, ,   

    Modeling scam victim almost lured into trafficking 

    Modeling scam victim almost lured into trafficking

    Whenever we discuss the modeling scam we usually talk about how it could lead the victim into spending a lot of money that they don’t need to. For example, a number of online and radio ads for modeling jobs are actually just sales pitches for overpriced classes or photo packages. However, there is a much darker side to the modeling scam that can have grave consequences for the victims involved and that is human trafficking. Traffickers often pose as modeling or talent agents in order to find victims and a recent story shows what lengths they will go to find their victims.

    In Huntsville, Alabama it’s believed a 21-year-old woman almost fell victim to human traffickers posing as a modeling agency. If it wasn’t for her mother losing her car in the airport parking lot the woman might have never been seen again. When an airport employee saw the woman frantically looking for her car the employee stopped to help the woman. As they got to talking the woman said she had just dropped off her daughter at the terminal and that her daughter was leaving for a modeling offer in Phoenix. The mother told the employee that the agency even bought her daughter the ticket to fly to Phoenix. Thankfully, the airport employee had been trained on how to recognize human trafficking.

    Thankfully, they were able to find the woman before she boarded the plane. The employee was able to convince the woman that the modeling offer may not be on the up and up and arranged to have a police officer escort her at her destination. The employee then called the ‘agency’ to tell them that the woman would be escorted by police. It was shortly thereafter when the woman received texts from the fake modeling agency saying her flight had been canceled. Both Homeland Security and the TSA have said that the phony agency has been linked to other instances of human trafficking.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8TNT4fHJ3g%5D

    If you or a family member has ambitions of getting into modeling, have realistic expectations of what can be achieved in such a field crowded with treachery at every turn. Always do as much research as you can into any offer or opportunity you might find. Not everyone can be a model but these scammers, predators, and traffickers target victims who believe they have a shot in the modeling or entertainment industry and take advantage of their dreams. The Federal Trade Commission website has some tips on how not to get scammed by modeling ads.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 6, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    Presidential candidate puts fake census ads on social media 

    Presidential candidate puts fake census ads on Facebook

    Since the US census only takes place only once a decade, it gives scammers the opportunity to find a new generation of victims. Previously we’ve discussed how census scammers may try to either steal your personal information or get you to give them money. Then it may or may not come as a surprise to you that a member of the government may be using the census to try to get you to give them money, specifically to make donations to their presidential campaign. And what if we told you that not only was this person allegedly using phony census ads to solicit campaign donations but that they have held one of the highest offices in the land.

    Facebook recently removed a series of misleading ads that claimed to be from the Official 2020 Congressional District Census. One of the main purposes of the actual US Census is to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. So by claiming to be an official Congressional district census, you can see how it could lead to confusion. not only that but the 2020 census, which starts March 12th, will be the first US Census that you can complete online which could lead to more confusion from the deceptive ads.

    If you were to click on one of these ads you would be asked a series of questions before being taken to the candidate’s campaign website where you’d be asked to make a campaign donation. Here’s a handy picture of what one of the ads looked like. We’ve edited the picture in order to remain impartial.

    While some may decry this ad as FAKE NEWS since anyone can buy a Facebook ad, a BBC investigation found that the ads were backed by the candidate’s official campaign and the candidate’s own political party.

    Those who oppose this candidate may be well within their right to say actions like this not only undermine an official government function in the census, but it also appears to severely undermine the Democratic process in America.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 5, 2020 Permalink | Reply
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    Coronavirus scams are as bad as the disease 

    Coronavirus scams are as bad as the disease

    The coronavirus crisis has not gotten any better over the past few weeks. Tragically, it has claimed more lives and more cases are being reported every day. The crisis has created such a climate of fear that scammers have tried to seize every opportunity to take advantage of that fear. It’s gotten so bad that Amazon has removed one million products that made false coronavirus claims and Facebook has cracked down on misleading ads about coronavirus. This is not something that either of these companies does lightly. Just about every State Attorney General has also warned their constituents to wary of scams related to the outbreak.

    When we first discussed coronavirus scams, we discussed phishing attacks that are used to infect your device with malware. Those phishing attacks have become more sophisticated as many of them are now trying to disguise their emails as coming from places like the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control. A great way to tell that these emails are fake is checking the email address it was sent from. If it’s from the WHO the email address would end in who.int while the CDC’s would end in cdc.gov. You should also always hover your cursor over any links contained in the email to see exactly where the links may take you. The odds are they’ll take you to a site infested with malware or one designed to try to steal your personal information.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcDoiSgrrzI%5D

    We’ve also previously discussed how con artists from all over the world are trying to sell snake oil cures. Again, as of the time of this post, there is no vaccine or cure for the coronavirus. Anyone who is trying to tell you otherwise is either woefully misinformed or trying to sell you something that is at best a placebo and at worst toxic and dangerous.

    Much like when a natural disaster occurs, price gouging is also being committed for legitimate supplies that will be useful if everyday services become disrupted. Bottled water is one of those items as are surgical masks. Speaking of the masks, you shouldn’t be going out to buy a crate of masks unless advised by a medical professional. Surgical masks are designed to keep the wearer from spreading any infection and doesn’t prevent wearers from getting one. Not only that, but there are also counterfeiters who are selling bogus masks that don’t do anything at all. There have also been reports that bogus websites have been popping up claiming to sell masks and other items that aren’t selling anything at all. Instead, they’re just stealing your financial information.

    Even the greedy among us are being scammed by buying into phony investments that promise a return when you supposedly invest in companies that will supposedly cure the virus. On the flip side, the charitable among us are at risk as well as many scammers will be posing as charities that either claim to be researching a cure or helping those affected by the disease. Always carefully research any charity you think is worth donating to.

    For more information please check the Federal Trade Commission’s website about coronavirus scams.

    As always, if you want to keep abreast of the ever-changing situation please go to the websites for the World Health Organization, or the Centers for Disease Control.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 4, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , checks,   

    The never ending check scam 

    The never ending check scam

    The other day, we discussed how the rental scam is one of the most prevalent online scams. If we had to pick one that’s more rampant than that, it would have to be the phony check scam. This is a scam that’s been plaguing the online classifieds market since almost the beginning. However, fake checks are used in so many scams there’s hardly a scam going today that doesn’t use them.

    At it’s most basic, the check scam works like this. Someone will send you a check, they’ll ask you to deposit it in your own bank account and then for whatever reason, they’ll tell you to send a portion of the money back to them. Your bank will let you have access to the money long before the bank discovers it’s a fake. By this time, you’ve probably spent part or all of the money and the scammers have made off with the rest. Unfortunately. since you were the one who deposited the phony check, you’ll be responsible for paying back the bank. Fake checks are used from everything to selling something online to phony employment scams.

    According to the Federal Trade Commission, the fake check scam cost US consumers $28 million in 2019 with the average victim of the scam losing $2,000. The scam has also increased in frequency by 65% since 2015 meaning that even more people are falling victim to the scam. The FTC says that people in their 20s are more likely to fall for the scam than people in their 30s are older. If you are a young person and you think a check you received might be a fake, please don’t hesitate to ask your bank if the check is phony or check with a trusted older relative or friend. It never hurts to ask.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXNaea3u6LY%5D

    The best way to tell if a check is fake it to look for any discrepancies. Is the check from a different person or company that you spoke with? Is the address on the check different from that person or company? If the answer is yes to either of those questions then the check is more than likely a fake. But if someone sends you a check and ever asks for you to return a portion of it for whatever reason, it’s almost guaranteed to be a fake.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 3, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    Major pharmacy leaks customer data 

    Major pharmacy leaks customer data

    Out of all your personal information that could be potentially exposed, it’s probably your medical history that you would least want to be public knowledge. After all, your medical information is the most personal information you have. It’s so personal, in fact, that Congress passed a monumental law back in 1996 to better protect patient privacy. That law was the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, otherwise known as HIPAA. The government has been known to level heavy fines against medical providers when patient privacy has been. One of the nation’s leading pharmacies may now be getting ready to be on the receiving end of one of those record fines.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTHncn-5Vs%5D

    Walgreens recently announced that their mobile app had a flaw that could have potentially exposed customer’s names along with the medication they’re taking and other health-related information. According to Walgreens…

    The bug allowed “a small percentage of impacted customers” to view one or more personal messages containing limited health-related info of other app users “between January 9, 2020, and January 15, 2020.”

    However, they say that no customers’ financial information has been released. That’s not to say that medical information can’t be used for nefarious purposes. In the past, medical information that was made public has been used to blackmail people.

    Walgreens is said to be sending letters to those affected in the breach but they have also been quiet on the number of customers who have been affected. This isn’t the first time Walgreens has run afoul of HIPAA. In 2013, they were fined $1.4 million when a pharmacist inappropriately shared a customer’s medical data. Imagine how much the fine could potentially be now with a nationwide breach.

    Unfortunately, there’s not much a patient can do once their medical information is out in the wild. At best, they can sue the medical provider for damages but once medical information falls into the wrong hands it’s out there for good.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 2, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    Man pays six months rent in advance to scammer 

    Man pays six months rent in advance to scammer

    One of the most common scams that we discuss is the rental scam. This is where someone looking to rent a property pays money to a scammer who posses online as the landlord. We discuss it so much because unfortunately, people are still falling victim to it. It’s so common it’s almost become a daily occurrence in the news. It happens all over the country as well and usually affects those who are the most desperate for a place to live. Too often the victims of the scam end up both impoverished and without a roof over their heads.

    Recently, this happened to a man in Colorado who paid the scammers six months’ rent in advance for a home he had found online. He researched the property and found the property owner’s name, however, the scammers knew that as well and were posing as the actual owner of the property. The man paid the scammers $10,000 as a bank transfer but once the money hit the scammers account the account was closed. The man contacted the bank in hopes of getting his money back but was unable to since the account was closed and the money was gone. He had even hired an attorney to try to get the money back incurring another expense.

    The mistake the man in question made was not meeting the landlord in person or inspecting the property. All the communication between the scammers and their victim was through email and text. This is one of the biggest red flags to look out for when looking for a new place to rent. If they give you some excuse about not being able to show the property it is more than likely a scam. While you may be in a rush to find a new home it’s always worth taking the time to research the property. You should always do a reverse image search to make sure the property ad isn’t being copied from a legitimate realtor or landlord.

    It’s always better to put in the extra time so you don’t end up losing money and a roof over your head.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 28, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Man taken in inheritance romance scam for $43,000 

    Man taken in inheritance romance scam for $43,000

    A man in Northern Virginia recently reported to local police that he was fleeced out of $43,000 in a romance scam. In this particular scam, the scammers posed as a Russian woman on a dating site. While the scammers communicated with the man over text and email, they went the extra mile by communicating with the man by phone. That’s almost unheard of in romance scams as in most cases the scammers don’t want to leave any potentially identifying information. Like in almost all romance scams, there came an event that supposedly required a large sum of money.

    In this instance, the scammer said that they had received an inheritance of ‘family valuables’. However, in order to get the inheritance, they would need money for transfer fees. The victim is even said to have received a ‘certificate of ownership for an inheritance.’ As reprehensible as these scammers are, they really pulled out all the stops for this particular scam. In total, the man wired $43,000 to the scammers before he came to realization that he was being scammed. Unfortunately, this type of romance scam is not unheard of. Along with the romantic interest the victim thinks they’re getting, the scammers will sometimes throw in an element of a get rich quick scheme. We’ve seen this before where victims were offered gold or jewels if they just send their phony paramours a large sum of money to get the supposed riches out of their country. Of course, these treasures don’t actually exist.

    As we usually say at the end of romance scam stories, this can happen to just about anyone. Victims from all age groups, socioeconomic statuses, and education levels have fallen for romance scams. From CEOs to entry-level employees, the romance scam does not discriminate against any of its victims. If you or someone you know is involved with someone online that you haven’t met face to face yet, you should be very suspicious if they start asking for money. If you think someone you know may be the target of a romance scam, please show them the FTC’s website about romance scams and/or our posts about romance scams.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 27, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Are you safe from voice cloning? 

    Are you safe from voice cloning?

    It used to be if you saw someone’s voice being mimicked on the phone it was either in a movie or TV show. Now, thanks to advancements in technology voice cloning has become a reality. All someone would need is just a few recorded phrases from you to use artificial intelligence to construct a program that imitates your voice almost flawlessly. There have already been instances where voice cloning has been used against businesses where a cloned voice was used to direct funds to a con artist. it’s now being reported that individuals are being targeted as well.

    The way scammers can get a recording of your voice is just by calling you and trying to get you to interact for just a few minutes. With that, they can then pose as you on a voice call to do any number of things. One of the biggest concerns about voice cloning is it being used in grandparent scams. If the scammers have a voice copy, they can pretend to be anyone related to their victim and swindle them out of their savings. The potential of voice cloning being used in grandparent scams has gotten to the point where even the Attorney General of Florida is warning residents about it.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lutmolzcyws%5D

    To better protect your loved ones against such scams it’s recommended that you set up a code word to ensure that they’re talking to the person they say they are. If you receive a call that you suspect may be a cloned voice you can always ask the caller a question that only they would know. And as always, if you can call someone else in your family to make sure that the person calling is who they say they are.

    With the number of scams that are taking place over the phone these days, could we be seeing the decline of phone calls as a way of communication? Within a generation will we all be using devices that only text and make no calls or will a voice cloning detector be developed by then? Only time will tell.

     

  • Geebo 8:59 am on February 26, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Robocallers are posing as campaigns to trick you 

    Robocallers are posing as campaigns to trick you

    With the primary elections in full gear, you might receive phone calls from various candidates running for office. Whether it’s a local, state, or national election many politicians will be looking for your vote or possibly a donation to their campaign. Many of these calls may be automated and may even have the candidate themselves delivering a recorded message. As you can probably guess, not all of these calls are legitimate. Scammers are said to be posing as various political campaigns in order to take your money or your personal information.

    The scammers are using robocalls while posing as various campaigns or causes. They’ll have automated messages that may even use recordings of the actual candidates. They’ll then try soliciting you for money in the guise of supporting a candidate. Instead, the money is going to scammers and they may ask not only for your financial information but your personal information for possible identity theft. They’ll also try to use high-pressure tactics to get you to ‘donate’.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk8UvO_s1LA%5D

    The Better Business Bureau suggests signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry to cut down on the number of robocalls you receive. However, not only are political campaign calls exempt from the Do Not Call List, but scammers don’t abide by the list as it is. The best ways to handle these calls are to either let the call go to voicemail if you don’t recognize the number or hang up immediately if it’s a robocall. If you feel passionate about a certain candidate or cause, the best way to support them is directly through their websites. A quick web search should be able to get you to the official website of the candidate you’d like to support.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 25, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Don’t be intimidated by scammers’ threats of violence 

    Don't be intimidated by scammers' threats of violence

    In Illinois, a woman received a message on social media that appeared to be from a relative. The woman noticed that the account used to send the message wasn’t her relative’s actual account but one made to look like her relative’s. When the woman responded to the scammer asking them to leave her family alone the scammer started threatening her. The scammer said that if they weren’t paid money that they were going to hurt the family even going as far as to threaten a shooting.

    The hacker responded saying “Tell her to pay me $300 dollars for her to get her page back. I’m going to do bad stuff to her soon.” That’s when she called the police. But the scammer threatened more. “Police can’t stop snipers,” they messaged. “You getting killed first.”

    Unfortunately, these threats of violence have become just another tool in a scammer’s bag of tricks. This isn’t the first time where we discussed someone having their family threatened with violence from scammers. Last year, a man in Brooklyn, New York had his family threatened if he didn’t give scammers money. The scammers then sent him violent and graphic pictures while claiming to be from a criminal cartel. There’s also the virtual kidnapping scam where scammers will either claim to have kidnapped a loved one or pose as the kidnap victim to try to get money for a kidnapping that didn’t happen.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9bwYa1mN9U%5D

    Scammers are hoping that by using threats of violence they can put their victims in such an emotional state that the victims will give in to the scammer’s demands. More often than not, the scammers are calling or messaging from overseas and have no way of carrying out these threats. If you receive a call or message from a scammer, your best option is to not engage with them. Even telling them to stop contacting you gives them information they can potentially use for future scams. If a scammer threatens you, don’t hesitate to contact police. If police can’t apprehend the scammer they can at least warn others in your community of the scam.

     

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