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  Geebo 8:00 am on September 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Atlanta, real estate ( 117 ), Scams ( 1,219 ), Zelle ( 62 ), zillow ( 14 )   

  Million dollar home lists for $22K 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The online real estate market has been rife with scams and fraud almost since the beginning. It almost seems like you can’t post an online real estate listing without someone copying it. This is what usually leads to the numerous rental scams out there. However, it’s not just rental scams you have to worry about, but there are scams when trying to buy a home too. Except, the scam we’re about to discuss today had so many red flags it could have been part of the Soviet Navy.

  A local realtor in Atlanta found a peculiar listing on Zillow. The home was in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood and was estimated to be worth at least a million dollars. However, the Zillow listing claimed the house was for sale at the low, low price of $22,000. The supposed owner of the house claimed the price was so cheap because they owned a number of properties and this would be a tax write-off for them.

  If those weren’t enough warnings, this listing could be a scam, it also came with plenty of strings attached. The listing specified that this was for first time buyers only, who didn’t have any representation. The listing also stated that the price was non-negotiable and approved applicants would pay a $2,000 payment through Zelle.

  No matter how bad the real estate market may be, no one is going to sell a million dollar home for .02% of its value. The scammer was obviously looking for homebuyers with no experience in the market, so they easily could be taken advantage of. If a listing specifies that you should have no representation, you should assume it’s a scam.

  Lastly, the fact that the listing is asking for payment through Zelle should be a dead giveaway that it’s a scam. As we’ve said previously, Zelle should only be used to pay people you know personally and not to random strangers on the internet.

   

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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 23, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Atlanta, deceased ( 3 ), identity theft ( 96 ), Scams ( 1,219 ), violent crime   

  Crime victim’s family taken advantage of by scammers 

  

  By Greg Collier

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

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

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

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

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

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

   
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  Geebo 8:07 am on May 4, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Atlanta, bank scam ( 64 ), BBB ( 18 ), Scams ( 1,219 ), Zelle ( 62 )   

  Anybody can fall for a scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Every once in a while after we post a story about the latest scam, we’ll get a comment from someone claiming that they would never fall for that scam. You’re probably right. You may not fall for that scam, but be assured there is a scam out there with your name on it. As we like to remind our readers, scams find victims from every socioeconomic status and every level of education. We’ve posted stories where scam victims held a PhD or were the CEO of a successful company. Now, imagine if it was your job to educate others about scams. Would you still think you’re scam-proof?

  This exactly what happened to an employee of the Metro Atlanta’s Better Business Bureau. The subject of our story is a Community Engagement Executive. She received a spoofed call that appeared to come from her bank. The caller claimed to be from her bank’s fraud department. They asked her about a small charge on her account that could be fraudulent, and there was actually a small charge on her account that she did not make. The caller also had the last four digits of her debit card which added legitimacy to the caller. However, the caller asked the BBB employee to verify her name and email address as well as getting her to answer her security question. With this information, the scammer was able to lock the woman out of her own bank account before taking $4,000 through the Zelle app. Luckily, she was able to work with the bank to get her money back, but that’s more the exception than the rule.

  Scammers are always evolving. If they’re not coming up with a brand-new scam, they’re tweaking old scams to fit new circumstances. No one person can possibly know every scam that’s going on today. The general public only finds about new scams after victims who were taken in the scam come forward. Since many don’t come forward out of embarrassment, it’s safe to assume there are scams out there that we have yet to hear about. To be so confident to think that you could never be taken in a scam is to let your guard down due to hubris. That’s when you leave yourself wide open for a scam.

   
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  Geebo 9:58 am on October 19, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Atlanta, fake nurse, Scams ( 1,219 ), used car ( 28 )   

  Ga. woman taken in fake nurse scam 

  

  In DeKalb County, Georgia, a local woman was scammed out of $1600 after responding to an online ad for a used car. The ‘seller’ met the woman at an Atlanta hospital claiming that she was a nurse. The woman paid the ‘nurse’ $1600 and was given a set of keys. The seller claimed that since she was ‘at work’ and had patients, she couldn’t leave the hospital and instructed the woman where she could find the car in the parking garage. The problem was not only that there was no car but it’s believed the suspect was not a nurse and was only using the hospital to complete the scam.

  This should serve as a warning to other potential buyers. Whether you’re searching for a used car or even a rental property, never put money down on anything sight unseen. If someone is telling you for whatever reason that they can’t present the item or property, walk away. While a legitimate seller may have valid reasons for doing so, most times it will be a scam and as seen in this story, scammers will stoop to any level in order to swindle their victims.