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  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , wrestling,   

    Wrestling with the romance scam 

    By Greg Collier

    When we discuss the romance scam, we generally tell our readers that there are certain occupations the scammers claim to be a part of. Typically, the scammers claim to be in the military, overseas business moguls, or oil rig workers. This gives them built-in excuses for why they can never meet their supposed romantic partners face to face. It also gives the scammers built-in reasons to keep asking their victims for money. But recently, we’ve heard of a romance scam using an occupation we haven’t heard about being used in the scam before.

    In a suburb of Detroit, a 75-year-old man lost $80,000 to a romance scammer. The man met the scammer on Instagram, who was posing as a woman. The scammer sent a direct message to the man saying that she was having problems with her bank account. She asked the man for money to help her get to her job, which required traveling.

    This relationship lasted for 6 months. The victim had sent the scammer cash and pre-paid gift cards. In return, the scammer said she was eventually going to move to Michigan to be with the man and marry him.

    When the man’s own money ran out, he had borrowed $5000 from friends.

    It wasn’t detailed how the man discovered he was being scammed.

    The hook in this story is that the scammer was posing as a women’s professional wrestler who worked for the WWE. Again, if it wasn’t for the fact that a man lost $80,000, we’d almost give credit to the scammer for picking such a unique profession to use in a scam. Pro wrestlers are constantly on the road, with some working 300 dates a year. This gives the scammer another excuse as to why they can’t meet in person.

    Unfortunately, pro wrestlers are no strangers to being used as part of a scam. Scammers often imitate some of the top names in the industry to try to scam wrestling fans. And sometimes these scams can have dangerous results for the wrestlers involved.

    Last year, a fan jumped the barricade at a WWE show in New York, and attacked WWE Superstar Seth Rollins. The fan had been scammed by a social media account that was imitating Rollins online. Thankfully, neither Rollins nor the fan were injured.

    This story also speaks to another problem of the romance scam, and that’s the celebrity impersonator. No matter how minor the celebrity may be, they’re never going to reach out to individual fans for romantic reasons or otherwise.

    And as far as romance scams go, if the person you’re having an online relationship keeps putting off a face-to-face meeting, there’s a great possibility they’re a scammer. No matter how charming they might be, never send money to someone you don’t know personally that you’ve never met in real life. Lastly, always do a reverse image search on their picture to make sure they haven’t stolen the picture from someone else.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Kroger's, ,   

    There’s no free lunch, but are there free groceries? 

    There's no free lunch, but are there free groceries?

    By Greg Collier

    We could all use a break on our grocery bills. Food prices have been the highest they’ve been in years and are only recently have they started to come down. Well, what if a major supermarket chain was willing to give you a coupon for $150 off your order? The store is celebrating their 140th anniversary after all. And you found this great deal on Facebook, what could go wrong? All you have to do to get that kind of discount is enter your personal information on a third-party website. What could the harm be to get those kinds of savings? A lot, actually.

    Kroger is one of the largest supermarket chains in the country. They’re also often the target of hoax coupons like the one mentioned above. Currently, there is one of these coupons circulating on social media that promises a $150 coupon in honor of the chain’s anniversary. If you were to follow a link that promises one of these coupons, you wouldn’t be taken to Kroger’s website. Instead, you’d be taken to a scammer’s website, where you’ll be asked for some personal information in exchange for the coupon. If personal information is entered into the scammer’s website, you’ll more than likely have your identity stolen.

    If you think about it, no supermarket is going to offer $150 off to millions of its customers. While it sounds like a great deal, that’s not how supermarkets make money. Kroger isn’t the only retailer to be targeted in scams like this. Costco also finds itself as targets of this scam. The name of any large retailer can be used in this scam, and probably has.

    According to experts, if the value of a coupon is almost the amount of an item or order, it could be a scam. No consumer should have to exchange sensitive information for a coupon. If you have any questions about a store’s coupon, don’t hesitate to contact the customer service number on the store’s website.

    And as always, while it is a cliché, the adage of ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ really applies here.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Scammers: “How much are your children worth?” 

    Scammers: "How much are your children worth?"

    By Greg Collier

    We’ve been posting about the virtual kidnapping scam for a few years now. If you’re unfamiliar with this particular scam, this is where scammers claim to have kidnapped a loved one and demand a ransom. However, the scammers are bluffing, and are hoping you’ll panic enough that you’ll pay them. Within the past few months, a new and disturbing version of this scam has emerged. Instead of the scammers claiming they’ve kidnapped your spouse or parent, they’re now claiming they’ve kidnapped your child.

    We first saw reports of this scam coming out of the Northeast. It wasn’t long before the scam spread to the Southwest. More recently, it has found its way to California, making this a coast-to-coast scam. That means there’s nothing stopping it from showing up in any community.

    Police in Nevada County, California, have received multiple calls from parents of school age children. The parents have said they received phone calls from people who claimed to have kidnapped their children. According to police, the scammers weren’t able to provide any identifying information about the children they supposedly kidnapped. So, it seems like they were unsuccessful this time. That’s not always the case, though.

    In previous scam attempts, scammers were able to identify the children by name. More than likely, these scammers obtained information on the children through social media. Scammers even spoofed the child’s phone number to make it look like the call came from the child’s phone.

    Authorities in California has recommended to parents they should install a tracking/GPS app on their child’s phone. This way, if the parent receives one of these ransom calls, they can tell where their child is at that time. In most of the previous cases, the children were safe at school.

    If you’re a parent of school age children, you may not be able to avoid scam calls like this. However, you can take steps to prevent yourself from being scammed. If you receive one of these calls, try not to panic, and call your child’s school to make sure they are still there. Also, try to limit what information is shared about your child on social media. That includes talking to your children to let them know what information is ok to share and what isn’t.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 6, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Beware when buying gift cards for the holidays 

    Beware when buying gift cards for the holidays

    By Greg Collier

    Gift cards are one of the most talked about topics on this blog. Typically, it’s because gift cards are the currency of scammers. If someone asks you to pay them in gift cards, you’re likely being scammed. However, there is another problem with gift cards, even if you’re buying them for their intended purpose.

    Scammers and other cybercriminals will go into stores and record the information from the back of gift cards. They’ll then wait for someone to put funds on those cards. Once that’s done, the scammers will use the funds on those cards for themselves.

    This recently happened to a mother from the San Francisco Bay Area who was trying to buy Apple gift cards for her daughter. She bought a card at a supermarket and put $100 on it. When her daughter went to use the card, the funds were already gone. The mother then went to a pharmacy to get another Apple gift card, and again by the time she gave the card to her daughter it was already empty. She was eventually able to get a legitimate card from an Apple Store.

    Gift card scammers will often go into various stores and scratch the security strip from the card. They’ll document the card number before replacing the security strip with a sticker.

    There are some ways to protect yourself against this scam. First, you should always make sure the card has not been tampered with by inspecting the back of the card. Take a handful of cards from the rack and make sure they’re similarly marked on the back. Scammers will often place tampered cards up front to get the money quicker. Try purchasing a card from the middle of the pack instead.

    When buying gift cards, pay for them with a credit card whenever possible. A credit card will give you better protection against loss than if you had paid for the cards with cash or a debit card.

    If you receive a card that’s been emptied, you can try to contact the customer service number that’s on the back of the card. However, they can rarely ever get the money back or offer a refund.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 5, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,   

    Victim robbed of $15K in used car scam 

    Victim robbed of $15K in used car scam

    By Greg Collier

    Most of the scams we discuss don’t often put you in any kind of physical danger. Unfortunately, there are a handful that can do just that. If you’re a frequent buyer or seller using online marketplace platforms, you may know exactly what we’re talking about. Throughout the life of Craigslist, there have been over 100 homicides connected to the site. OfferUp has had some violent crimes attached to it as well. Many of these murders have come from robberies gone bad, where either the buyer or the seller has been fatally injured. Even today, these kinds of crimes continue to persist even with a platform like Facebook Marketplace.

    A woman from Michigan saved up $15,000 to purchase a new car. She found one on Marketplace for just the right price. However, the car was four hours away in Cincinnati, Ohio. The woman took her parents with her when she went to meet the seller of the car. The victim got into the truck of the seller to exchange the money, since they had met in a parking lot. It was at this point, the seller pointed a gun at the woman’s head and robbed her of the $15,000 in cash. The thief is still at large as of the last report and may have victimized other Marketplace users. Thankfully, the victim was physically unharmed.

    Thieves often advertise used cars as a way to lure their victims. They do this in order to ensure their victims are carrying large amounts of cash. But as we said, many times these encounters can turn lethal. Sometimes there is a struggle for the gun, other times the thieves didn’t want to leave any witnesses.

    This doesn’t happen with just used cars, either. It can happen with any type of transaction facilitated through an online marketplace. It used to be recommended to users to meet the other person in daylight at a busy part of town. Those suggestions don’t apply anymore, as the thieves have become so brazen to steal and sometimes kill in broad daylight.

    The best way to protect yourself during one of these exchanges is to meet the other person at a local police department. In the article we linked to above, a Cincinnati police detective even said that they don’t think there isn’t a police department in Ohio that wouldn’t be willing to have the exchange made there.

    This isn’t a guarantee that someone won’t try to rob you, but it goes a long way in discouraging many that would.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 2, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,   

    Buying a puppy for Christmas? Watch out for these scams. 

    Buying a puppy for Christmas? Watch out for these scams.

    By Greg Collier

    Before we get started, we’d like to say that if anyone is thinking about adding a puppy to your family this holiday season, please keep in mind that doing so is a long-time commitment. Pets like this are not meant to be impulse buys and can live up to 20 years. Pet owners should always make sure they’re ready for that kind of dedication.

    Once that kind of decision is made, there are a number of pitfalls a prospective pet owner needs to be aware of before making their purchase, as the online world is full of puppy scams.

    For one, pet buyers should be wary of websites that claim to have puppies at below-market prices. A family in Richmond, Virginia, thought they were paying $700 to a website for a Yorkie puppy. They paid the supposed breeder with Walmart gift cards. When someone asks for payment in gift cards, that’s a major red flag that this could be a scam, as once the money is gone from the gift cards it can rarely ever be reclaimed.

    After the family paid the $700, the scammers came back and asked for more money. Typically, scammers will claim they need additional payment for things like shipping insurance or a specialty crate for transfer.

    Anybody can create a website claiming to be selling puppies using pictures stolen off the internet. To prevent yourself from being scammed by websites like this, you can do a whois search on the domain name to see how long the website has been around. If it’s only been around for a short amount of time, that’s a pretty good indication of a scam. You can also do a reverse image search to see if the pictures used on the website can be found anywhere else.

    A family from Greensboro, North Carolina befell a similar fate recently. A friend of theirs on social media said they were giving away puppies for a rehoming fee of $100. The family sent the fee through Venmo, but the friend claimed the payment didn’t go through and kept asking for the fee. It turns out that the friend’s Facebook page had been hijacked by scammers. It’s recommended, in this instance, to talk to the friend on the phone before sending any money. Like gift cards, once you send money through apps like Venmo, it’s gone.

    As always, when it comes to adding a new puppy to the family, we recommend only shopping locally and through reputable breeders. Contain your search to a reasonable driving distance, and do your due diligence when researching the breeder themselves. Check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints about the breeder.

    However, even more so than that, we ask that you consider adopting a puppy or even an adult dog from your local shelter. Shelter dogs are only there through no fault of their own and can be obtained at little to no cost.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Microsoft pop-up scam claims more elderly victims 

    Microsoft pop-up scam claims more elderly victims

    By Greg Collier

    The technical support scam has been around almost as long as the internet has been commercially available. The scam can take many forms, but they all have the same goal. They all try to trick their victims into calling a phony technical support number. From there, any number of things can happen, from identity theft to the complete loss of a victim’s savings.

    However, there is one particular technical support scam that has become so prevalent lately, it might just be the second most common scam behind the arrest warrant scam. As we’ve said previously, barely a day goes by where we don’t see a report about this scam in multiple locations.

    The scam in question is the Microsoft pop-up scam. This is where a computer user either goes to a website or downloads an app that will trigger a pop-up telling them their computer has been compromised, and they need to call Microsoft support at the number listed on the pop-up. The elderly have largely been targeted in this scam, and many elderly victims have lost thousands to hundreds of thousands in this scam. It’s become such an issue recently, the FBI have issued a warning about the scam.

    The most recent victims who have come forward about the scam are an elderly couple from Michigan. They received one of these pop-ups on their computer stating the computer had been infected with a virus, and they need to call Microsoft immediately at the number given. They called the number and scammers told them they had to convert the money in their bank account to Bitcoin. The couple ended up sending $3000 to the scammers through a Bitcoin ATM.

    Microsoft has assured users that any legitimate pop-up from Microsoft about a virus will never include a phone number. The company recommends that if you receive one of the pop-ups with a phone number to press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your keyboard, clicking on Task Manager, and closing any programs they were using when the pop-up appeared.

    If you end up talking to one of these phony support centers, they’ll ask for remote access to your computer. You should never allow anyone you don’t know personally to have remote access to your computer, as that access is only used to further the scam or steal more information.

    If you have lost money to this scam, contact your local police department right away, then register a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov.

    If someone in your family or someone in your community is an elderly computer user, please warn them about this scam.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 30, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    How to handle multiple rental listings of the same address 

    By Greg Collier

    While most of us have our minds on the holidays, there are still those who are in the market for a new home. Many of them are looking to rent and there are many pitfalls they need to avoid, so they won’t be scammed.

    More often than not, rental scammers will copy the legitimate listing from one platform and post it on another. The only things they’ll usually change are the contact information and the amount of the rent. Scammers will always advertise a much lower rent than the legitimate listing. As you might suspect, this is done to try to attract more attention to their ad than the legitimate ad, even though both ads list the same address.

    Unfortunately, this is a pretty strong strategy for the scammers. Even when the prospective renter has read both ads, they’ll often treat the one with the lower rent price as the legitimate one. When pressed about the multiple listings, the scammers will say something to the effect of they’re no longer renting through that realtor. However, in some instances, the scammers will just imitate the actual owner online.

    That’s what happened to a North Carolina landlord who was renting a property on Zillow. The scammer copied her listing word for word and even used her name in their listing. To lure in victims, the scammers posted a rent price that was $200 lower than the actual price and claimed that the property was friendly for cats and large dogs. The scammers were asking victims to wire them $4500 as a deposit.

    If you come across multiple listings for the same property on different platforms, there are steps you can take to avoid being scammed. In most cases, the listing with the highest rent is going to be the legitimate one, although that’s not a guarantee. If one of the landlords only wants to communicate through text messages, that’s a good indicator they could be a scammer. Also, if you’re being asked to make a deposit through money transfer or a payment app like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App, it’s likely to be a scam.

    As always, we recommend going to the county’s tax assessor’s office or website. At either, you should be able to find out who the true owner of the property is and hopefully avoid all scammers.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 29, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , ,   

    Scam Round Up: Job scam wants your Facebook login and more 

    Scam Round Up: Job scam wants your Facebook login and more

    By Greg Collier

    If you’re thinking of sending money to relatives as a gift this holiday season, you may want to reconsider writing a check. Once again, scammers are stealing mail from mailboxes in hopes of finding a handwritten check. In a process called check washing, scammers can soak the check in chemicals that will remove the ink from a handwritten check. The scammers will then write the check for any amount they please before cashing it.

    To better protect yourself from this scam, mail any checks you may be sending inside the post office itself. This goes a long way in preventing the mail from being stolen. There are also special pens you can purchase that are resistant to the check washing chemicals.

    ***

    The Federal Trade Commission has issued an alert warning taxpayers about a refund scam. According to the FTC, scammers have been sending out text messages claiming you’re eligible for a ‘tax rebate’or some other kind of payment from the IRS. As with most text messaging scams, the messages contain a link for the recipient to click on to get their supposed refund. Clicking on the link could have devastating consequences as it could either ask you for personal or financial information, leading to identity theft, or it could inject malware into your phone.

    Just keep in mind that the IRS is never going to initiate contact with a taxpayer through text messages. If there is any kind of issue concerning your federal taxes, you will receive a notice in the mail before anything else.

    ***

    A woman from Missouri was almost scammed out of her Facebook account while applying for a job online. A friend of a friend had posted a job ad on his Facebook page. While interviewing for the job, she was told that she was being interviewed by the company’s founder and CEO. All the interviews took place through messaging apps like Messenger and Google Chat. The phony CEO asked the woman for a copy of her driver’s license and Social Security card, which may not seem unusual. However, she was also asked for her Facebook login information. Thankfully, she realized this was a scam and cut off contact with the scammer.

    While there have been stories in the past about employers asking for employees’ Facebook logins, those are rare exceptions and not the norm. This seems like the scammers wanted her personal information to hijack her Facebook account and use it for additional scams. Having her personal information might allow them to claim that they are the actual owners of the Facebook account. The acquaintance’s account was more than likely hijacked by the scammers.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 28, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Early Warning Systems, , , ,   

    Why do Zelle scam victims only get repaid after talking to the media? 

    Why do Zelle scam victims only get repaid after talking to the media?

    By Greg Collier

    It’s been more than a year now since the Zelle scam started garnering headlines. In that time, it doesn’t seem like Zelle’s parent company has done much in the way of protecting its users. If you’ll recall, Zelle is owned by a company ironically called Early Warning Systems. In turn, EWS is owned by Bank of America, Truist, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. You’d think between these banking heavy hitters, they’d be able to come up with a way to discourage scammers, yet here we are.

    While there are many scams that have plagued Zelle in the past year or so, we’re referring to the one where scammers pose as your bank. In this scam, victims receive a text message that asks them if they’ve made a large purchase or transfer recently. The victim is asked to respond with either a yes or no. Once the victim responds, the text message is followed up with a phone call. Posing as the victim’s bank’s fraud department, the scammers will direct the victim to either move their money or ‘pay themselves’ through Zelle to protect their bank account. What’s really happening is the scammers are walking the victim through the process of sending money to the scammers through Zelle.

    The banks, such as the ones listed above, have not been consumer-friendly when it comes to helping customers who have been scammed. Typically, these banks throw up their hands and say there’s nothing they can do. Instead, they claim since the victim authorized the transfer, even under false pretenses, the bank is under no obligation to refund the victim’s money.

    However, as we have shown, some victims have gotten their money back, but only after going to their local media. That’s exactly what happened to a family from Northern California when they fell victim to the Zelle scam. They were saving money for their daughter, who is disabled and training to be a para-equestrian. Initially, US Bank said there was no fraud, and there was nothing they could do. Then, after sharing their story with a local news station, US Bank mysteriously issued a refund. This begs the question of why do banks seem to only offer refunds when bad PR is involved? Also, what is it going to take for them to put in more safeguards to help prevent these scams?

    Please keep in mind, Zelle is only supposed to be used between friends and family, people you know personally. Any business or stranger that asks you to pay through Zelle could be trying to scam you. Your bank is also never going to ask you to move your money using Zelle.

    If you find yourself becoming a victim to this scam, the first thing you should do is file a police report immediately. While it’s not a guarantee of a refund, it does go a long way in helping. And if you’re not receiving the fair treatment you think you deserve from your bank, don’t be afraid to contact the consumer advocate reporter in your local area.

     

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