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  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Maui wildfires bring out the scammers 

    Maui wildfires bring out the scammers

    By Greg Collier

    In case you haven’t been following the news, the island of Maui in Hawaii has been experiencing the worst wildfires in over a century. And whenever there is a natural disaster of this scale, the scammers are sure to follow. In that vein, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is trying to get ahead of the scammers and has issued a warning not only to the residents of Maui, but also those looking to help the victims of the fires.

    The first type of scam the FTC is warning residents about is the FEMA impersonation scam. After natural disasters, scammers will often impersonate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to try to get personal information or money from victims of the disaster.

    Fraudsters masquerade as FEMA representatives and contact individuals, offering aid related to disaster relief or financial support.

    These impostors deploy a variety of tactics to target potential victims, utilizing means like phone calls, emails, text messages, or social media posts. They might assert that the person has been granted financial aid, or insist on the need for personal particulars to facilitate aid distribution.

    After winning the victim’s confidence, the scammers proceed to request sensitive personal and financial data, including Social Security numbers, bank account specifics, or credit card particulars. Additionally, they might solicit funds or persuade the victim to acquire gift cards under the guise of receiving assistance.

    In actuality, authentic FEMA representatives never solicit personal or financial details through phone calls or emails, nor do they ask for monetary contributions or gift cards as prerequisites for disaster relief. Should you receive a suspicious communication purporting to be from FEMA, it’s advisable to directly contact the agency to authenticate the legitimacy of the message.

    Then there are the charity scams, which almost always appear following a disaster like this. Individuals seeking to contribute to a relief fund should exercise caution when encountering phone or email solicitations from entities with generic names such as ‘Disaster Relief Fund’. If a charitable organization seems to be exerting undue pressure on you to donate, whether via phone conversations or online platforms, there’s a strong likelihood that they are operating as scammers.

    You have the option to verify a charity’s authenticity by visiting platforms like Charity Navigator and Give.org. These resources can provide insights into which charities are genuine and which ones should be approached with skepticism. Additionally, you can cross-check with the IRS to determine whether a charity is officially registered with them; this step significantly contributes to establishing the legitimacy of the charity.

    And please keep in mind, you can always donate money or blood to the Red Cross. This will not only help the people of Maui but the victims of other disasters as well.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 25, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Reporter’s home used in rental scam 

    By Greg Collier

    If you’re a rental scammer, the last house you want to use in your scam is probably one which belongs to a police officer. The second to last house a scammer would want to use would most likely belong to a reporter. But that’s precisely what happened to a TV reporter from the Hampton Roads, Virginia area.

    The reporter listed her home for rent on Zillow and only Zillow. After posting her home on Zillow, she received a text from a good Samaritan. The man who texted her said he found her home listed for rent on Craigslist. Not only did the Craigslist ad list the home for a cheaper rent, but the scammer was asking for an $80 application fee. The scammer had reportedly been talking to the man for two days before the man drove over to the property and called the number that was on the ‘for rent’ sign.

    Then the reporter did what reporters do, she began to investigate the phony listing. During her investigation, she also found her home listed for rent on Facebook Marketplace. As you might expect, she called the phone number listed in the phony ads. The scammer said he would meet with her to show her the home and would need $1000 for the security deposit. However, when it came time to meet, the scammer instead sent the reporter a link to the application and asked for the $80 application fee. The reporter even commented on how official looking the application was.

    The reporter called the scammer and asked him how long he owned the home, with the scammer replying two years. She then told the scammer she was both the owner of the home and a reporter. The scammer hung up the call, and when the reporter tried to call back, she only got the voicemail message.

    If you’re looking to rent or sell your home online, there’s not much you can do to prevent it being used in a scam. We have seen online listings where the seller states that the home is not listed on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. That may aid in discouraging renters from falling victim to a rental scam.

    We understand that there may be urgent situations requiring individuals to find a new home swiftly. However, regardless of the circumstances, it is crucial for potential renters to dedicate time to researching a property before making any financial commitments. One essential step is to determine the current rental rates for homes in the desired area. If a particular home seems remarkably affordable, exercising caution is advisable. Engage in a thorough web search using the property’s address to identify any other listings associated with different realtors and rental prices, as scammers often replicate legitimate real estate offers. Additionally, it is prudent to verify the true ownership of the property by consulting the county’s tax assessor office or website. By taking these precautionary measures, individuals can protect themselves from potential rental scams and ensure a safe and informed decision-making process.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Another family homeless after rental scam 

    By Greg Collier

    After mistakenly believing they had legitimately rented a home, a Florida family finds themselves homeless and forced to live on the streets. Tragically, stories like this are becoming far too common, as rental scammers continue to prey on families who are just looking for a roof over their heads.

    This family found a home for rent in their price range on Facebook Marketplace. The person who listed the home on Marketplace then directed the family to tour the home using an app called Rently. For those unfamiliar with Rently, it’s a service that allows prospective tenants to view and access rental properties without the need for a leasing agent or property manager to be present. Lockboxes are put on the doors of homes for rent or sale, and people who want to tour the home are given a combination to the lockbox, which has the keys in it.

    To get access to these homes, scammers will pose as prospective renters or buyers just so they can get the lockbox combination. Many realtors aren’t very good about changing the lockbox combinations, so scammers can use them repeatedly if need be.

    After the family toured the home and said they were interested in renting, the supposed landlord asked them for four months rent in advance, which came to an eye-watering $7000. Part of the payment was even asked for in eBay gift cards.

    After they moved in to the home, a sheriff’s deputy showed up at the door to inform the family they were trespassing and needed to leave.

    The home was available for rent, but was being rented out by a property management company.

    To add insult to injury, the family’s trailer that they were towing broke just a few feet after leaving the property.

    Just because an ad is listed on a multi-billion dollar platform like Facebook Marketplace doesn’t guarantee the listing is legitimate. Facebook was a haven for scammers long before Marketplace was implemented. Another red flag in this story is the landlord not being present during the home’s tour, or at any other time at all. And the biggest red flag was when partial payment was asked for in gift cards. As we are fond of saying, gift cards are the currency of scammers.

    We understand there are times when someone needs to find a new home quickly as possible. But no matter the reason, prospective renters should always take the time to research a property before paying any money. Research the going rate for rental homes in that area. If the home you’re looking at seems like a bargain, be suspicious. Do a web search on the address to see if other listings appear with different realtor names and rental prices, as scammers often copy legitimate real estate listings. And as always, you can check with the county’s tax assessor office or website to see who the true owner of the home really is.

     

  • Geebo 8:01 am on June 26, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Elderly man loses $800K to in a week to scammers 

    By Greg Collier

    This story is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating. An elderly man from Washington sold his home for $800,000 and planned to use the money for his retirement. Within a week, he was essentially homeless.

    When the movers showed up at his home, he couldn’t afford to pay them. He called his daughter, who lives in Minneapolis. The man kept telling his daughter everything will be fine soon, but wouldn’t elaborate. Eventually, she was able to coax out of her father he thought he had won a sweepstakes.

    The man had fallen victim to the advance fee scam. This is when scammers will tell the victim they’ve won something, but they need to make a payment in order to claim their prize. Typically, the scammers will say the money the victim is paying is for taxes or processing fees.

    In this man’s case, the scammers kept asking for cashier’s checks in the amount of $50,000 each before they took all of his savings. They called and texted him every day for a week before they completely drained him of all his money.

    Once again, the bank is being called into question for not allegedly seeing the red flags of a man who withdrew $200,000 in one day from two separate branches of the same bank. Scammers of all types will often instruct their victims to use separate bank branches to try to throw off suspicion from the banks.

    There could be a light at the end of the tunnel for the victim of this story. Both the media and the FBI are looking into the man’s case and seem to have some promising leads. However, in the majority of cases, victims never see their money again.

    For those of us with elderly relatives, we want to try to protect them from cruel scams like this, but we can’t be there 24-7 for them. The best way to help them is to remind them of scams like this. You can let them know it’s illegal for anyone to ask for money for a sweepstakes prize. You can also show them this blog post or any number of news articles that detail this scam.

    No one’s parents or grandparents should have to endure this kind of financial torment.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    New type of rental scam changes the game 

    By Greg Collier

    We’re pretty sure when Craigslist first started allowing real estate listings, the rental scam was born. For any new readers, the rental scam is when a scammer will list a property online for rent which they don’t actually own. Scammers will copy a legitimate listing from a realtor of a property which is for sale, then post it for rent on unregulated marketplaces like Craigslist. The listing will have a below-market rent in order to lure in victims. Typically, these scammers will ask for either a security deposit or first month’d rent before disappearing with the victim’s money. These scams have cost victims thousands of dollars and have left many of them homeless.

    However, there is a new rental scam that’s occurring across the country, according to the Better Business Bureau. The BBB says these new scammers aren’t after renters’ money, but their personal information instead.

    The scammers are still using the same tricks to find a potential victim, but instead of trying to take their money, the scammers are having victims fill out phony credit checks. Victims are being led to a website that appears to be professional and legitimate, but once renters give their personal information, the scammers disappear with the victim’s identity.

    Now, it’s not unusual for landlords to perform credit checks before renting to a new tenant. However, there are ways to protect yourself from this scam, and many of them are the same ways to protect yourself from the typical rental scam.

    The first thing you should do is Google the address of the rental property. If there are duplicate listings and the landlord details don’t match, there’s a good chance you’ve discovered a scam listing. If the listing from a realtor’s website says the home is for sale, or the rent is more expensive, then the other listing is the phony one. And as always, you can always check with the county’s tax office or website to find out who the true landlord is.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 12, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Romance scammers threaten more than your heart 

    Romance scammers threaten more than your heart

    By Greg Collier

    One of the more lucrative romance scams is what’s known as the ‘pig butchering’ scam. It got this unfortunate name because the scammers will virtually ‘fatten’ their victims before leading them to financial slaughter.

    Typically, in a pig butchering scam, it starts off like any other romance scam. Once the scammer has gained their victim’s confidence, the scammer will advise the victim to invest in cryptocurrency. The victim is directed to a phony cryptocurrency exchange run by the scammers. The phony exchange will make it appear as if the victim’s investment is multiplying by leaps and bounds. However, once the victim tries to reap their supposed profits, they’re told they need to make an additional payment before their windfall can be released.

    This cycle can continue repeatedly if a victim does not realize they’re being scammed. Historically, when a victim realizes they’re being scammed, the scammers just disappear with the victim’s money. But in some cases, the scammers will continue to try to extort money from the victim.

    For example, a man in Iowa fell victim to the scam to the tune of $232,000. The man received an errant text message from an unknown woman. The woman said the text was meant from someone else, but the pair struck up a friendship anyway. The friendship then turned into more of a romantic relationship. After three months of this online relationship, the woman said she made a substantial amount of money through cryptocurrency, and would help the man do the same.

    Unfortunately, the man emptied his retirement account, took out a bank loan, and borrowed money from his mother, so he could make the initial $232,000 investment. He was told his investment grew almost instantly into $1.1 million, but when he tried to access that money, he was told he’d need to pay another $100,000 disguised as a tax payment.

    When the man refused to pay the money, his ‘girlfriend’ started threatening him with revealing their relationship to the man’s family. She also threatened the man’s family with violence and said she had hired agents to kill the man to harvest his organs for the black market.

    While these threats may seem convincing, the majority of these scammers are overseas and have no way of carrying out these threats.

    In order to safeguard yourself against this kind of fraudulent activity, it is crucial to steer clear of individuals who promise to assist you in earning money through cryptocurrency, especially if you haven’t had any face-to-face interactions with them. It’s important to note that cryptocurrency markets exhibit high levels of volatility, thereby increasing the likelihood of legitimate investments transforming into losses within a short span of time. Additionally, it is worth noting that scammers and cybercriminals often favor cryptocurrency as a means of payment.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 6, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Phony FBI letters sent by scammers 

    By Greg Collier

    Scammers will take advantage of a victim. ‘Good’ scammers will try to take advantage of the same victim twice. You can see this in the scam recovery service scam we’ve posted about in the recent past. That’s where scammers go after scam victims and promise the victims they can recover their money for a fee, of course. Now, a new scam has emerged, and while it doesn’t specifically target scam victims., they can be more vulnerable to this scam.

    It’s being reported in South Central Pennsylvania that residents are receiving a letter which appears to come from the FBI. Well, the letters are actually embedded in emails sent to victims. The letters claim to not only be from the FBI, but also from the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is better known as IC3. The IC3 website is where scam victims can go to report internet scams.

    Getting back to the letters, they claim that the recipient was the victim of a cybercrime. The letter goes on to state that the recipient’s email address was found in the database of a Nigerian scammer. The hook to this scam is the letter says the recipient is eligible for restitution in the amount of $1.4 million.

    The report we read doesn’t state what the scammers are after, but if history is any indicator, it could be one of three things. The first is the scammers will need victims to make a payment which will be disguised as taxes or processing fees. The second thing the scammers could want is the victim’s personal and financial information under the guise of where they should send the phony payment. This could give the scammers access to the victim’s bank accounts. Lastly, the scammers could include a link in the email which could inject malware into the victim’s device. If it’s the right device, the scammers could steal the victim’s identity and take over their life.

    Thankfully, there is a simple way to protect yourself from this scam. Law enforcement will not conduct official business through email. If the FBI really wanted to get a hold of you, they would do it by official mail or a personal visit. Secondly, very few scam victims are scammed for $1.4 million dollars. If the FBI recovered that much money and there were multiple victims, you may get partial payment by check in an amount that would be similar to those issued in a class action lawsuit, i.e., nowhere near $1.4 million. If you receive one of these emails and still have questions, contact your nearest FBI Office directly, and do not use any contact information included in the letter.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: The classics make a return 

    By Greg Collier

    Even though there has been an uptick in technologically advanced scams, there are some classic scams that never went away. Here are three we think you should be reminded of.

    If you get a phone call or email that says there’s been a fraudulent charge on your Amazon account, the chances are it’s a scam.

    A woman from Lincoln, Nebraska, recently fell victim to this scam when she thought she was talking to the fraud department of her bank. The scammers convinced her she needed to make payments in Bitcoin to correct the error. She ended up sending the scammers $52,000 in Bitcoin after withdrawing it from her 401K.

    If you receive a call or message like this, go directly to your Amazon account and check for fraudulent charges. If there aren’t any, then whoever contacted you is trying to scam you. No matter how urgent they make it seem, slow down and verify their story before sending any money. And if Bitcoin is brought up in the conversation, then it’s definitely a scam.

    Scammers love to hijack Facebook accounts. When they do, not only do they get your personal information, but they can then use your account to try to scam everyone on your friends list.

    One of the ways they do this is by sending a Facebook message that says, “Look who died.” The message contains a link that appears like it will take you to a news article. Instead, it will inject malware onto your device that can hijack your Facebook account.

    Messenger is a pretty big breeding ground for scams. Outside of the ‘look who died’ message, you should also avoid messages about government grants, cryptocurrency, or just about any message that involves money.

    You may also want to let your Facebook friend know outside of Facebook that their account has been hacked.

    Last, but certainly not least, is the Publisher’s Clearinghouse scam. We’re all familiar with PCH. If you win a substantial prize from them, they surprise you at home in their Prize Van with a large novelty check. The thing with PCH is, you have to enter their sweepstakes first before you can win anything.

    Scammers will call victims at random while posing as PCH, telling their victims they’ve won millions of dollars. The scammers will then try to get their victims to make a payment to claim their prize. The payment will be disguised as something like taxes or processing fees. This is known as the advanced fee scam, which has cost victims thousands of dollars. Once a victim makes payment, the scammers will continue to string the victim along by asking for more money.

    Keep in mind, it’s illegal for sweepstakes like PCH to ask for money before issuing a prize. That’s why legitimate sweepstakes always have the tagline of ‘no purchase necessary’.

     

  • Geebo 9:13 am on May 12, 2023 Permalink | Reply
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    $2.3 million lost to romance scam 

    $2.3 million lost to romance scam

    By Greg Collier

    The romance scam is when criminals create fake online profiles to gain the trust of their victims, usually with the intention of deceiving them out of money or personal information. The scammer will often build a relationship with the victim over time, using flattery, emotional manipulation, and even fake photos and identities to gain their trust. Once the scammer has established a relationship with the victim, they will typically request money or personal information, such as bank account or credit card details. Romance scams can be particularly devastating because victims may feel embarrassed or ashamed, and may not report the crime to authorities.

    There’s even a more specific version of the romance scam that is known as the ‘pig butchering’ scam in certain circles. It’s called that because the victims are seen as the pigs that the scammers ‘raise’ before leading them to the financial slaughterhouse. In that scam, after the scammer has gained the victim’s confidence, they’ll advise the victim to invest in cryptocurrency.

    The victim is directed to a cryptocurrency exchange operated by the scammers. The victim is asked to pay the exchange for their investment, and is later informed that their investment has generated a significant return. However, when the victim attempts to withdraw their money, the exchange informs them that they need to pay additional fees to access their returns. This cycle may persist until the victim runs out of funds or becomes aware that they are being deceived.

    We often say it doesn’t matter what your education level or socioeconomic status is. Everyone has a scam with their name on it. There are so many scams affecting people today and so many new ones being created that anybody can fall for one scam or another.

    That’s what happened to a wealthy woman from Southern California. She met a man through a dating platform that only caters to the rich. Users of the platform have to verify their identity by submitting their driver’s license along with their tax return. As secure as that sounds, that didn’t stop from romance scammers from accessing the platform.

    The scammer posed as a successful businessman from New York. It didn’t take the scammer long to convince his victim to invest in cryptocurrency. She was directed to a fake cryptocurrency platform where she thought she was getting substantial returns on her investment. Except her investments were being pocketed by her supposed new beau. Before it was all over, she had invested $2.3 million.

    The victim realized there were red flags after she realized she had been scammed. The man she thought was her boyfriend would never video chat with her and would only chat through a messaging app. A reverse image search uncovered that the picture the scammer sent her was stolen from an actual New York businessman.

    To protect yourself from this type of scam, it’s important to avoid individuals who offer to help you earn money through cryptocurrency, particularly if you have not met them in person. Cryptocurrency markets can be extremely volatile, which means even legitimate investments can quickly turn into losses. Furthermore, scammers and cybercriminals often prefer cryptocurrency as a payment method.

    It’s worth noting that despite having a distinct name, this scam is ultimately a variation of a romance scam. If you develop an online relationship with someone who starts requesting money, it’s highly probable that they are a scammer. If the person has shared photos with you, consider conducting a reverse image search to see if these photos have been used elsewhere on the internet. Romance scammers frequently use other people’s photos to construct fake identities.

     

  • 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
     

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