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  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 25, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Used car scam finds new home on popular platform 

    Used car scam finds new home on popular platform

    By Greg Collier

    In the time since Facebook Marketplace launched, it has dethroned other platforms like Craigslist and OfferUp. By sheer popularity, many consider Facebook Marketplace the king of classifieds online. However, just because something is popular, that doesn’t necessarily make it good. McDonald’s has sold billions of burgers, but no one calls it fine dining.

    Facebook Marketplace has attracted a new demographic who may have been hesitant to use Craigslist due to its sketchy reputation. Since Facebook provides a single destination for many people, the convenience of Marketplace lends it a sense of legitimacy. And now that Facebook Marketplace stands at the top of the mountain, its users are experiencing the same pitfalls that befell Craigslist users before them.

    For example, a very common used car scam has found its way to Facebook Marketplace. A woman from Nashville found a used car for sale on Marketplace. However, the seller said they couldn’t bring the car to the Nashville woman. The seller allegedly said that her husband had recently died, and she was getting ready to deploy with the military. The buyer was told that the seller had arranged for ‘eBay Services’ to deliver the car. According to the seller, once the car is delivered, the buyer has five days to inspect the car before the money is released to the seller. The buyer paid the seller $1000 for the car, but later, the seller asked for an additional $1000 for delivery insurance to be paid in gift cards. It was then the buyer realized she was being scammed.

    Even if someone is buying a car through eBay Motors, eBay does not deliver the vehicle. They’re definitely not going to deliver a vehicle that wasn’t listed on their platform. Anyone who tries to tell you that a vehicle will be delivered through eBay is trying to scam you.

    This scammer also went all in with their sob story. Typically, the story is that a spouse died, and it was their car, or they’re being deployed and need to sell the car quickly. In this instance, the scammer used both stories to attempt to pull on the buyer’s heartstrings, and it worked. Always be wary of an emotional story attached to a too good to be true deal.

    Lastly, just because an online marketplace has a slick appearance, that doesn’t make it safer than a platform that doesn’t. In our opinion, Facebook Marketplace with their modern interface is just as problematic as Craigslist, whose interface still stuck in the 1990s.

    We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention that both of those platforms are also mostly unmoderated, while Geebo.com moderates every ad to try to mitigate the chances of a scam.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 24, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , poshmark,   

    Luxury platforms encounter same old scams 

    Luxury platforms encounter same old scams

    By Greg Collier

    If you’ve never heard of Poshmark, it’s an online marketplace that deals in designer clothes and items. It’s similar to eBay since Poshmark’s users can both buy and sell designer goods. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Poshmark, but with any online marketplace, Poshmark is not immune to scammers.

    A victim of a Poshmark scam recently went viral on TikTok for her video detailing how she was scammed. She had found a Chanel purse on Poshmark and bid $400 for it. Typically, Chanel purses like the one she found go for ten times that amount. The victim states that should have been a red flag, but often people will sell items like this at a steep discount just to clean out their closets.

    Her bid was accepted, and she waited for her purse to arrive in the mail. She gets a notification from the post office stating her purse had been delivered, but the purse did not arrive. She notifies Poshmark who allegedly told her that their records say the purse was delivered, so she would need to contact the United States Postal Service, which she did. USPS showed her a scan of the package. The package did not have her address but an address nearby. What was received at the incorrect address was just an empty envelope. The scammers had changed the address to something nearby to show the package was delivered by the post office. They were probably hoping that the victim would think that their package was stolen from their mailbox.

    This is not too dissimilar to a PayPal scam we’ve posted about in the past. In the PayPal scam, phony vendors will promise a popular product at a steep discount. Victims will receive some cheap product that they didn’t order. When victims have tried to argue with PayPal, in some instances, they’re told the package has been delivered to they can’t refund the payment.

    On platforms like Poshmark, consumers also have to be wary of designer counterfeits as well. These counterfeits have been known to fund organized crime or sweatshops that use child labor.

    If the seller is used to dealing with luxury items, they should have the receipt from the original purchase. Ask to see it. While it’s not a perfect way to prevent being ripped off, it does go a long way.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 23, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: The free piano scam and more 

    Scam Round Up: The free piano scam and more

    By Greg Collier

    This week in the Scam Round Up, we have the reemergence of an old scam, a new twist on an old scam, and scam we’ve not heard of until now.

    ***

    As our readers know, gift cards are being used in all manner of scams. Often, the advice about gift cards is to only use them for gifts. But even then, you can still be scammed. In Centennial, Colorado, a woman purchased a gift card in the amount of $500. However, no funds appeared on the card. A scammer had replaced the barcode on the back of the gift card with sticker. The sticker had a barcode that redirected the $500 to a card the scammer had bought. When buying gift cards, check the card for tampering before taking it to the register. You should also take the cards from the middle of the stack as they are less likely to be tampered with.

    ***

    Another scam our readers should be aware of is the arrest warrant scam. This is where scammers will pose as your local police department or sheriff’s office. Typically, the scammers call their victims and threaten the victims with arrest. In the majority of cases, the scammers will say that the victim missed jury duty, but other fake infractions have also been used. The scammers tell the victim that they can avoid arrest by paying a fine over the phone. Again, scammers usually ask for these payments in gift cards.

    One county in Northeastern Pennsylvania is receiving these threats in the mail instead of over the phone. The letters appear to be an arrest warrant from a federal court. The letter also says the arrest is on hold for 24 hours and can be avoided by purchasing gift cards.

    As always, no law enforcement agency in the United States accepts gift cards as payment.

    ***

    Lastly, we have the scam we’ve not heard of before which is saying something. It’s called the free piano scam. Have you ever seen an online ad for a free piano? They’re out there. It seems really plausible when someone says they have a piano that no one uses, and they just want to get rid of it. As with most things that are too good to be true, there’s a catch. If the seller says that the piano is on a moving truck and the buyer needs to contact the moving company, there is a scam afoot. The scam is when the moving company asks the buyer for money to have the piano shipped to them. Once the buyer sends the money, the movers disappear with the money.

    If you’re in the market for a piano and find an ad for a free one, unless you pick it up yourself, or hire your own movers, it’s best left alone.

    ***

    While these scams may not be currently appearing in your area, it could be a matter of time before they are. But now, you’ll be ready.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , package mule scam, , , ,   

    FBI warns of scam that could land victims in jail 

    FBI warns of scam that could land victims in jail

    By Greg Collier

    Both the FBI and the Better Business Bureau have issued a warning about a work from home scam that could have devastating consequences for its victims. They’re referring to the scam that’s called the repackaging or reshipping scam. It also goes by the name of the package mule scam.

    Scammers will advertise a work from home position as a package inspector. Applicants will be asked to receive deliveries at their place of residence. These inspectors will be asked to make sure the item they received isn’t damaged before sending the item to a third-party. Typically, the items are purchased using stolen credit card information. By the time anyone realizes the purchase has been made, the item has been shipped overseas by the unwitting package inspector. Calling this a scam almost downplays the seriousness of the matter. The reshipping scam is actually part of a larger money laundering operation.

    The reshipping scam can have several harmful outcomes for the package inspector. For example, the supposed company could pay the inspectors with a fraudulent check. The inspectors could also be asked to use that check to pay for business equipment needed for the job with the money from the fraudulent check. This would leave the inspector with a large debt to their bank they might not be able to pay. However, the most serious outcome is the one where the victim is arrested without knowing they were being scammed. If an inspector knowingly falsifies shipping documents under the instruction of the scammers to get around US customs, they could face jail time.

    The best way to protect yourself from a scam like this is with the knowledge that work from home package inspector is not a real job. Often, these scammers will pose as large companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. They’ll give the phony positions names like ‘shipping coordinator’, ‘warehouse distribution coordinator’, or ‘local hub inspector’. The FBI says corporations like this should be able to do any kind of item inspection on their own.

    If you think you may be a victim in a reshipping scam, there are steps you can take. If you’ve already received items, don’t mail them. Instead, contact the USPS Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 21, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    New Instagram scam hijacks your account 

    New Instagram scam hijacks your account

    By Greg Collier

    We wouldn’t say Instagram is rife with scammers, but it’s definitely fertile ground for them. Most often, Instagram scams involve accounts that claim to be selling a product you’ll never receive. There are also accounts that attempt to lure victims in with some get-rich-quick scheme, typically involving cryptocurrency. Even on Geebo.com’s Instagram account, we receive comments from spam accounts asking to promote our posts on these spam accounts. However, today, we’re going to discuss a scam that not only compromises your Instagram account, but could take it over too.

    Essentially, it’s a phishing scam. Phishing is a type of hack where an attacker sends a fraudulent message designed to trick a person into revealing personal information. In this case, scammers are sending out emails that appear to have come directly from Instagram. The email states that the Instagram account in question has violated copyright law and will be deleted in 24 hours if the user doesn’t act. The email also contains a link for users to click if they want to dispute the claim.

    Of course, anybody who is active on Instagram is going to click the link to attempt to protect their account. Once the link is clicked, the user will be asked to input their Instagram login information for verification. Then, the user will be directed to Instagram.com, making the scam seem almost legitimate. Scammers do this to obtain accounts, so they can have more accounts to help spread other scams. It doesn’t matter whether you have 2 million followers or just two. Scammers will attempt to hijack any active account they can to lend legitimacy to their other scams.

    To protect yourself from a scam like this, you should know how Instagram actually handles copyright claims. They do not delete entire accounts for a single infraction. Instead, if an author of a work claims you violated their copyright, Instagram will remove the post from your account and send you a message saying so. Another way to protect yourself is by inspecting the email itself. While it may look as if it came from Instagram, scammers are hoping you won’t look at the email address it came from. Often, phishing emails are sent from free email services like Gmail and Yahoo. You can also check any links sent in the email by hovering your cursor over the link. This should show you where the link will actually take you.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 18, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Sweepstakes scam targeting the elderly again 

    Sweepstakes scam targeting the elderly again

    By Greg Collier

    It appears that the scammers who pose as Publishers Clearing House are wreaking havoc again, And, as always, they’re targeting the elderly in their scams. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the magazine marketing company that runs the country’s most well-known sweepstakes. We’ve all seen their commercials where their Prize Patrol van pulls up to a lucky winner’s home and presents them with a novelty-sized check for a substantial amount of money.

    Instead of pulling up in a van, scammers will call their victims while posing as PCH. The scammers will tell their victims that they’ve won one of the cash prizes. Then, the scammers will inform the victim that the victim needs to pay either a tax on their supposed winnings or some kind of processing fee. These scams tend to target the elderly, since they’re one of the larger demographics who participate in the sweepstakes.

    Recently, several elderly victims have fallen for this scam. In Maryland, a man was scammed out of $1500 when a phony PCH representative told the man he needed to pay $1500 in eBay gift cards to claim his prize. A 93-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was scammed out of $3000 after she gave the scammers access to her bank account. And an 81-year-old woman, also from Pennsylvania, was scammed out of $15,000 after she was promised a prize.

    This is known as the advance fee scam. It’s called that, since victims are paying a fee in hopes of getting a bigger payout. In some instances, once scammers will receive the first payment, they’ll come up with more fraudulent scenarios where they’ll ask the victims to pay even more money while still dangling the promise of a huge cash prize in front of them.

    The best way to prevent someone from falling for this scam is to keep the one phrase in mind that’s included in every sweepstakes in the US, no purchase necessary. It’s illegal for anyone who runs a sweepstakes to collect money before a prize is awarded. Even on PCH’s own website, they go into extensive detail how to recognize a scammer from the real thing.

    So please keep in mind, if someone asks you for money to claim a prize, you haven’t won. Paying for a prize is only a losing proposition.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 17, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , U.S. Marshals   

    Police impersonators threaten to take your children 

    By Greg Collier

    Before we get started with today’s story, we wanted to bring you an article about the ongoing Zelle scam, which you can read here. The Zelle scam is so prolific that we just wanted to remind our readers about it.

    However, our main story for the day is about police impersonation scams. This is when scammers call their victims posing as a law enforcement agency. The scammers will pose as anyone from your local police department all the way up to the FBI. These scams often have different tactics the scammers can use, but they typically have the same purpose. The scammers will threaten you with arrest over some infraction that you didn’t commit, so they can extort a payment out of you.

    When scammers pose as local police, they may tell you that you missed jury duty, or you have a warrant out for your arrest. They’ll then tell you the matter can be cleared up with a payment done over the phone. On the federal level, we’ve seen scammers pose as the FBI, Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In these cases, the scammers will say you’re connected with a much more serious crime, such as drug trafficking or money laundering. Again, the scammers will threaten you with arrest if a payment isn’t made at that moment.

    More recently, The U.S. Marshals have issued a warning that says scammers are posing as marshals and pulling the same impersonation scam. This time, however, the scammers are turning up the heat on their victims. The scammers are now threatening their victims not only with arrest by the U.S. Marshals, but also threatening them with losing their job and losing custody of their children. This is a scare tactic designed to keep the victim unnerved and on the phone.

    Thankfully, this scam has an easy solution. Just hang up. No legitimate law enforcement agency in the United States will ever ask for money over the phone. Neither will they call you to threaten you with arrest.

    Another way you can tell it’s a scam is if the caller asks you for payment in ways such as gift cards, pre-paid debit cards, money transfers, cryptocurrencies, or payment apps. These methods of payment are virtually untraceable and almost impossible to recover.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 16, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Spring Break, ,   

    Spring break is the season of kidnapping scams 

    By Greg Collier

    It’s getting to be that time of year when college students from around the country descend on locales with warmer climates. Of course, I’m talking about Spring Break. While the US has many beach hotspots students can enjoy, many will choose to go outside the country to try to maximize their Spring Break experience. Whether it’s the Caribbean, Central America, or overseas, Spring Breakers should be relatively safe as long as they don’t stray from the tourist areas. However, scammers are hoping that the parents of Spring Breakers are not so sure about the safety of their college-aged children.

    The FBI is advising they see an increase in the virtual kidnapping scam during Spring Break since so many students are traversing in and out of the country. As you may have heard, in the virtual kidnapping scam, scammers will have claimed to have kidnapped a loved one and will demand a ransom. Meanwhile, your loved one is actually safe and has no idea their well-being is being used in a scam. The reason we’re focusing this time on students traveling outside the country is because kidnappings for ransom are quite rare in the United States. That doesn’t mean the scam doesn’t take place in the US. You can read more about those here.

    The FBI is saying that during Spring Break, these scammers will claim to be from a drug cartel or corrupt police department. The scammers will then demand a ransom in some untraceable form, such as gift cards or money transfer. There might even be someone in the background of the phone call screaming, pretending to be the supposed kidnap victim. The scammers will also try to keep you on the phone, so you don’t have a chance to try to contact your loved one. However, that’s precisely what you should do. Try to contact your loved one on another device as quickly as possible. Keep the scammers on the phone by repeating their orders, and tell them you’re writing their instructions down. Don’t volunteer any information to the callers, they can use that against you during the call. In numerous instances, the scammers will use information they’ve taken from social media to make it seem like they have your loved one held hostage.

    The best way to avoid falling victim to this scam is to set up a code word of sorts between you and your kids, who are traveling for Spring Break. This way, you should be able to immediately identify if your children are in actual danger.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , gangs, ,   

    Are gangs showing up at your grandparents’ home? 

    Are gangs showing up at your grandparents' home?

    By Greg Collier

    The grandparent scam has been going on all over the country for a while now. The scam itself has evolved so many times, it seems like it’s taken on a life of its own. The latest evolution of the scam will probably cause even more concern than its past iterations.

    The grandparent scam is named that way because it largely targets the elderly, and the scammers pose as the victim’s grandchild. The bogus grandchild will claim they’re in jail or some other kind of legal trouble and need money, such as bail or legal fees. These scams typically cost their victims thousands of dollars.

    When these scams first started, everything was done over the phone. The scammers would have their victims send money either through gift cards, money transfers, or even cash in the mail. However, as more people became aware of the scam, the scammers started changing their tactics. Instead of trying to get payment over the phone, the scammers would send unwitting Uber drivers to collect cash from the victims. Then the scammers started getting more brazen and would show up at their victims’ homes themselves, posing as couriers.

    If these situations weren’t alarming enough, a report out of the Pacific Northwest states that it’s not just overseas scammers that are getting in on stealing from the elderly. According to the AARP, they’ve started seeing instances of street gangs engaging in the grandparent scam. It’s believed that if caught, gang members will serve less jail time for the grandparent scam than they would if they were committing more violent and illicit crimes associated with gangs. This is potentially disheartening because most scammers will try to get as much out of their victims as possible. With gangs, this could lead to robberies or home invasions.

    The best prevention for avoiding this scam is to be forewarned. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a loved one who’s been arrested, hang up and verify their actual location. If you can’t reach them, contact someone in your family who would know where they are. Often in these scams, the scammer will try to get the victim not to tell anyone else, but that never helps anyone. Also, try not to give out any personal information while on the phone with potential scammers. For example, if the callers says ‘Grandma?’, don’t use any of your grandchildren’s names in response.

    As always, we ask that if you have an elderly relative or neighbor who may be vulnerable to this scam, we ask that you share this post or the article we linked to about this scam.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , gray market, ,   

    Are scammers selling tainted baby formula? 

    Are scammers selling tainted baby formula?

    By Greg Collier

    It will come as no shock to some parents of newborn babies that baby formula is expensive. Some experts believe it’s artificially expensive, but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, to make matters worse, there was a major recall of baby formula launched last month. Some well established brands were found to be contaminated with salmonella. You can get more specific details about the recall at the USDA’s website. Combined with already existing supply chain issues, the recall has helped create a baby formula shortage. As has become the norm, whenever there’s a crisis, scammers will try to take advantage of it. The recall is no different, but it could lead to disastrous effects to their victims.

    Much of the country’s baby formula is distributed through state WIC programs. The program, is designed to help low-income families whose young children may be at nutritional risk. This can include the distribution of baby formula for families who request it. Unfortunately, WIC programs have distributed some of the recalled formula. This is where the scammers come in.

    According to the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, scammers are going door to door posing as WIC employees. They’re asking for the recalled formula so they can return the formula and get a refund for the recipient. Reports say the scammers are returning the formula and pocketing the refund for themselves. However, there could also be a much more dangerous fallout to this scam.

    Baby formula is a popular item to sell in online gray markets. In some cases, people who are on WIC will get the formula even if they don’t need it and will sell it at a discount. These recent scammers may not want to wait for a refund from the government and will instead try to sell the formula online. Families who don’t qualify for WIC but still need formula may buy the tainted formula online without knowing its risks.

    If you find that you have some of the recalled formula, there are avenues you can pursue to get a refund. You can return it to where it was purchased, return it to WIC, or go to the manufacturer’s website for further instructions. However, you should be aware that WIC is not going door to door to collect the formula. If someone comes to your door claiming to be from any governmental agency, ask to see their identification and call the agency they’re supposed to represent to see whether they are legitimate or not.

     

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