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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 19, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check cashing ( 2 ), check scam ( 79 ), fake check, homeless ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Check cashing scam targets the homeless 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We often don’t think about the homless as being scam victims, but they often are. What money they manage to save can often end up in the hands of scammers. We’ve seen multiple instances where rental scammers have taken the last penny from homeless victims who have done what they can to afford a place to stay. Only for the victims to start all over again. That’s only one of the scams that are frequently being perpetrated on the homeless. There are also scams that could land homeless victims in jail while the scammers get away.

  In Michigan, it’s being reported that scammers are using the homeless to try to cash fraudulent checks. The scammers are allegedly approaching homeless people, asking them if they’re looking for work. If they say yes, the scammers will promise them partial payment from a check the scammers have. The catch is, the homeless person needs to cash it for them.

  So, there are two likely outcomes with this scam. The first is, the check gets cashed. Whether the homeless victim gets paid is mostly unknown because the second scenario is more likely. In the more likely scenario, the check is discovered as being fraudulent and the homeless victim trying to cash it gets arrested.

  This happened to a homeless Michigan man who is currently in jail for allegedly trying to cash a fraudulent check. He was promised $900 out of a $6000 check for some construction work but was arrested at a national bank branch.

  This is far from an isolated case as this scam has been reported in the South, New England, parts of the Midwest and Southern California.

  If you’re homeless, anyone who asks you to cash a check for them is essentially using you as a shield from the police. Nothing good can ever come from it. If you know someone who is homeless, please consider asking them if they’re aware of this scam.

  Most homeless people are not homeless by choice and are still human beings. We should be taking more steps to protect them rather than allowing them to be taken advantage of.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: car wrapping ( 11 ), check scam ( 79 ), debt collectors ( 11 ), fake check, job scam ( 81 ), law firm ( 2 ), real estate ( 128 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Scam Round Up: Phony Law Firm Scam and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  This week, in the Scam Round Up, we’ll be reminding our readers of an old scam, a new twist on a familiar scam, and a new and potentially terrifying scam.

  ***

  Lots of scams are designed to swindle people who are looking to make a supplemental income. One of those scams is the car wrap scam. This is where scammers promise to pay you for putting advertising decals on your car and just driving around town. While there are legitimate opportunities to do this, they aren’t as frequent as the scammers would have you believe. They’ll also go to great lengths to try to convince you that they’re the legitimate offer.

  For example, an Arkansas man received what appeared to be a legitimate car wrap offer in the mail. The offer appeared professional in nature, but the closer the man looked, the more he realized it was a scam.

  The offer included a check for $3700. $100 of it was for gas, $600 was supposed to be the man’s payment, and the remaining $3000 was supposed to go to the company that would wrap his car. Except, he was supposed to deposit the check and then pay the company through Venmo or Cash App.

  Thankfully, the man waited before sending any of the money. He waited for his bank to let him know whether the check was legitimate or not, and it turned out to be fraudulent. Just by waiting, he saved himself from being thousands of dollars in debt to his bank.

  ***

  Speaking of fake check scams, one seems to be hitting the real estate market hard. Scammers are sending fraudulent cashier’s checks to realtors and title companies, posing as someone who is interested in buying a house. Once the check is deposited, the scammers claim they’ve changed their mind about the home and want their money back. Now, most knowledgeable realtors won’t move forward with any transaction until the check clears.

  While most realtors wouldn’t fall for this scam, it’s still tying up properties while realtors wait to see if the check is real. Taking a property off the market and putting it back on can not only hurt the home’s value, but it also keeps it out of the hands of people needing to find a home.

  ***

  Lastly, we have a story about a man who received a cal from a law firm trying to collect a debt. The law firm said that he had defaulted on a loan from 2016. The caller said they needed to send someone to his home to receive his signature. The scammers even knew a lot of information about their target, including his Social Security number, and the names of his family members.

  They said he owed $9000 but would be willing to take an immediate payment of $4000. The man was taken aback at first, but once he gathered his composure, he realized this was a scam. After the man hung up on the scammers, the scammers called the man’s adult son to try to intimidate the man further.

  If you receive a call from someone trying to collect a debt, ask them to mail you a debt verification letter that will detail where the debt supposedly came from. If they know way too much information about you than they should, consider putting fraud alerts on all your financial accounts.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 6, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: catfishing ( 4 ), check scam ( 79 ), fake check, romance scam ( 71 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Romance scammer defrauds victim of $82,000 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Romance scammers are some of the cruelest scammers out there. They take advantage of someone’s loneliness while stringing them along for weeks or months before leaving them with an empty bank account or worse.

  This is what happened to a woman from the Chicago area after meeting a man online. The 37-year-old woman met her scammer on the dating app Hinge. The scammer claimed to be an architectural engineer from Greece, who was currently working in America. The scammer also claimed that he had a five-year-old daughter who was living with his sister in Utah.

  The conversations moved off the Hinge platform and on to various other methods, including phone calls. The scammer acted like a man in love, while the victim thought she was in an authentic relationship.

  Six weeks into the phony relationship, the scammer started sowing the seeds of their master plan. He claimed he needed to get $500 to his sister to help pay for his daughter’s care. The victim sent the $500 to the sister through PayPal. To lull the victim into a false sense of security, the scammer actually paid back $500 to the victim. As we’ll see, $500 was a small price for the scammer to pay to get their ultimate payoff.

  The scammer sent the victim a check for $85,000. He claimed the money needed to go to his daughter, but he couldn’t get to his own bank. He asked her to deposit the check in her account before wiring $82,000 to the supposed man’s sister. The scammer even advised her to deposit the check through an ATM, probably so it wouldn’t draw any attention from bank employee’s. The check turned out to be fraudulent, leaving the victim with a negative balance of $82,000.

  When the victim messaged the scammer about the check, the scammer went dark. However, she did receive a Facebook message claiming to be from the FBI telling her that she had been scammed. This message was more than likely from the scammer as well.

  Anybody who asks you to deposit a check into your account to pay someone else is almost assuredly trying to scam you. Banks do not wait for the check to clear before making the funds available. There is a several day window where the scammers can strike. If the money is taken out of the victim’s bank account before the check clears, then the victim will be responsible for paying that money back to the bank.

  Dating apps typically do not do any kind of background check on their users. If you meet someone online, the first thing you should do is a reverse image search to make sure they’re not using pictures stolen from elsewhere on the internet.

  Lastly, if the person you meet claims to have a job that makes it difficult to meet in person, this is a good indicator of a potential scam. These jobs can include a military member stationed overseas, oil rig workers, and international business workers.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 42 ), check scam ( 79 ), college ( 17 ), fake check, job scam ( 81 ), Scams ( 1,383 ), venmo ( 28 )   

  College students still vulnerable to job scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  College students and other young adults tend to be more technologically inclined than previous generations. Unfortunately, being more comfortable with modern tech can lead young people into a false sense of security. When it comes to finding a job, many of the analog ways of older generations are still in effect. Scammers will take advantage of the convenience of tech while using the anonymity it can sometimes afford them. This chicanery has become very prevalent in the job market. With many young people striking out on their own for possibly the first time, they could easily fall victim to job scammers.

  This recently happened to a college student in Texas. She was searching for a job online and more than likely had posted her resume on employment platforms. She received a text message that claimed to be from a textile company in Chicago, offering her a job. The position was a remote data entry position that offered close to $40/hr along with benefits and a 401K. All interviews and follow-ups were done through text or messaging app. The student never saw the face of anyone at the supposed company.

  She was hired almost on the spot. She was then told she would need equipment for the position. The student was then sent two checks that added up to $10,000. The company instructed her to deposit the checks and use the money to buy the equipment she needed. She was told to use specific vendors and that she could pay them through Venmo or Cash App. When payment wouldn’t go through on either of those apps, she was told to wire the money. The checks turned out to be fraudulent, which not only wiped out her savings but left her in debt to her bank.

  Those that are inexperienced in the job market may not be aware that businesses do not use apps like Zelle and Venmo to pay for business expenses. Even those who have years of job experience may not know that legitimate businesses, even those offering remote positions, do not send checks that the employee is supposed to deposit in their own bank account to use for business expenses. The fake check scam is one that has been duping job applicants for years now.

  If colleges and universities are not doing do already, scam awareness should be part of the orientation process. If you know a young person who is attending college, you may want to let them know about the scams that specifically target them, like this one.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on September 29, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cashier's checks ( 2 ), check cashing ( 2 ), check scam ( 79 ), check washing ( 17 ), fake check, Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Scam Round Up: A trio of tricky check scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Checks have always been prone to a number of scams. Even before most people switched to electronic banking, there was always a way to manipulate checks to someone’s advantage. Now, that most consumers use debit cards and get paid through direct deposit, it’s not surprising there are people who are unaware of how checks can be used in a scam. Here are three check scams from recent news reports you should be aware of.

  ***

  Of course, there’s the fake check scam. This is where scammers will send you a check for any number of reasons. They want you to deposit the check into your own bank account and send some of the money back before your bank finds out the check is fake. While the fake check scam is mostly seen with job scams and online selling scams, it can affect businesses as well.

  For example, a home supply store in Ohio recently received a cashier’s check that was supposed to cover supplies for a home renovation. The check was written for $5000 more than the store was asking. The person who sent the check also included instructions that the difference should be sent to the home’s previous owner for some reason. Thankfully, the store owner felt like he was being scammed and contacted the police.

  If someone you don’t know personally sends you a check and wants you to send part of the money back to them or to a third party, that is almost assuredly a scam.

  ***

  Another check scam that has become more common lately is the check washing scam. This is when checks are stolen from outgoing mail that are usually designed to pay bills. The checks are then soaked in a chemical solution that removes the handwritten portion of the check. This allows the scammers to rewrite the check to themselves and cash the check without the account holder’s knowledge.

  If you pay your bills by check, the best way to protect yourself is to take any outgoing mail that contains checks and drop them off inside the post office. Mail has even been known to be stolen from the mailboxes that are outside the post office. There are also pens you can order that are resistant to check washing.

  ***

  Lastly, the NYPD is warning residents of Staten Island about a different type of fake check scam. One precinct there has received numerous complaints about scammers approaching people on the street asking for help cashing a check. The victim is asked if they could deposit the check at their ATM while withdrawing money for the scammer. Again, the bank won’t find out for a few days that the check is fraudulent, and the victim is responsible for paying that money back to the bank.

  It is recommended if you come into contact with someone asking you to help them cash a check to call 911.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on September 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), covid-19 ( 48 ), fake check, identity theft ( 108 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  COVID con coaxes college kids out of cash 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Just when we thought we might finally be done with COVID-19 related scams, another one pops up. To make matters worse, this scam is targeting college students who have been getting hit extra hard by scammers lately. However, this new scam is actually an old scam with a COVID colored coat of paint on it.

  As you probably know, a considerable number of college students are always on the lookout to make some extra money. This makes them a high-value target for scammers. In this new scam, the students are being sent emails telling them they’ve qualified for a COVID relief fund. The scammers then have the students fill out an application.

  The student is then sent a check. Once the check has been deposited into the student’s bank account, the supposed fund will say there’s been an error and the student needs to send the money back. After the student sends the money back, their bank discovers the check is fraudulent. This leaves the student overdrawn on their account and responsible for paying the bank back even though they were scammed.

  So if a student falls for this scam, not only are they in debt to their bank, but they’ve probably been the victim of identity theft as well. If they gave any personal information during the application process, such as their Social Security number, they have most likely had their identity stolen. Again, college students are high-value targets for identity theft since they tend to have little to no credit history.

  If you think you may have been tricked into depositing a fraudulent check into your bank account, don’t withdrawal that money, even if the sender asks for some or all of it back. Instead, contact your bank and ask them if they can verify the legitimacy of the check. If the check turns out to be fraudulent, but you haven’t spent any of it, it will just be removed from your account.

  If you receive any communication that tells you that you’ve qualified for some kind of fund or grant, do not take it at face value. Research the agency making the offer to find out whether they are legitimate or not. In general, be suspicious of any offer of ‘free money’ because it could cost you in the end.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on September 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), college ( 17 ), fake check, job scam ( 81 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Job and check scam targets college students 

  

  By Greg Collier

  College students have it hard enough today without having to worry about scammers. Unfortunately, that’s what makes them prime targets for scammers. With the ever-increasing cost of tuition, college students often take on part-time jobs along with their full class schedule. Juggling both isn’t an easy feat, and that’s if a student can find a job that allows them the flexibility to attend their classes. With that amount of activity on their plates, it’s no wonder scammers are targeting students.

  One college student from Iowa found this out the hard way to the tune of $3000. The student received an email that appeared to come from his university. It even came from an email address used by his school. The email offered him a job for $450 a week running errands for an off-campus employer. The student said he knew other students who had similar positions, so he didn’t think it was a scam.

  The student was sent a $3000 check and was told to deposit the check into his bank account. He was told to keep $450 for himself and send the remainder of the check to charities. If you’re a regular reader, you know exactly what happened next.

  After the student sent out the money, the student’s bank discovered the check was fraudulent. The charities were more than likely other scammers waiting for their cut. Even though the student was a victim of a scam, he still owes his bank the full amount of the phony check. There aren’t too many college students who can just produce $3000 out of thin air. Having a delinquent bank account like this can also affect his future credit and other banking opportunities.

  While we might like to think our nation’s universities and colleges have their email accounts on lockdown, they don’t. Even email addresses that end in .edu can be hijacked by scammers. They’re just as vulnerable as personal and business email accounts if they have a weak password or were compromised in a data leak.

  Also, no legitimate employer is ever going to ask you to deposit a check used for business expenses into your own account. If they do, the check is fake, and they’re a scammer.

  If you’re a college student, and you receive an email like this, call the proper university department to verify if the job offer if legitimate or not. If you know a college student or have one in your family, you might want to pass this story on to them. Let’s try to make their lives a little easier.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bitcoin atm ( 25 ), car wrapping ( 11 ), fake check, job scam ( 81 ), Microsoft ( 21 ), prescription drugs ( 5 ), ransomware ( 11 ), Scams ( 1,383 ), tech support scam ( 50 )   

  Scam Round Up: Door to door prescription scam and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Today, we’re bringing you three more scams happening around the country that could easily show up in your area.

  ***

  With the weather being warmer, even with rising gas prices, more people are taking to the roads. This has allegedly led to a resurgence of the car warp scam. This is when scammers promise their victims they can make money by wrapping their car in advertisements. While there are legitimate offers for this, the majority of them online are scams. The car wrapping scam is just another avenue for the fake check scam. The scammers send victims a fake check they’re supposed top deposit into their bank account and then use the remainder of the check to pay an ad agency who provides the wrap. The supposed ad agency is part of the scam as well. The victim almost always ends up being held responsible for the full amount of the check to their bank.

  ***

  Unfortunately, another elderly victim was recently targeted in yet another computer virus scam. The Massachusetts woman was using her computer when a message said that her device had been compromised. The message contained a phone number that claimed to be from Microsoft and that she would need to call it to have her computer fixed. This number did not go to Microsoft, but instead went to what is essentially a call center for scammers. They instructed her to take $30,000 out of her bank account and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM. Luckily, police were able to intervene, and the woman got her money back. Keep in mind with this scam that companies like Microsoft don’t usually take phone calls, and no computer repair is worth $30,000.

  ***

  Lastly, we have a story out of Oklahoma City, where authorities are warning about a particularly frightening scam. Law enforcement there are saying that people there are posing as pharmacy employees and going door to door asking residents for expired medication. These are not pharmacy employees, and they are looking for narcotics. If someone comes to your door asking for expired prescriptions, you may want to contact your local police. If you do have expired prescriptions, especially if they’re opioids, you can take them to many pharmacies which do have drug disposal programs. It is also recommended that you can dispose of them in the trash if you mix them with something unpleasant like used cat litter or coffee grounds.

  ***

  Hopefully, these scams won’t come to your area, but if they do, you’re now better prepared for them.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 6, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cars ( 12 ), check scam ( 79 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 63 ), fake check, Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Fake check scam costs victim $50K and muscle car 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The fake check scam has been around for so long, and happens so often because it continues to find victims. In this instance, we’re discussing the fake check scam as it affects online sellers. Typically, scammers will pose as buyers and send a fraudulent check to sellers for more than the seller’s asking price. The seller is told to deposit the check, then send the difference back to the buyer. Banks will make that money available to the seller before it actually clears the bank. By the time the bank realizes the check is fraudulent, the money has been sent back to the buyer. Meanwhile, the seller is left paying the bank the full amount of the fake check along with any penalties. Usually, that results in a loss of a few hundred dollars to the seller. That is, as long as you’re not selling a high-end sports car.

  A man from Georgia was selling his 2018 Chevy Camaro on Facebook Marketplace. A buyer sent him a check by phone for $49,000. This was enough to pay off the loan he had on the vehicle. The credit union who lent him the money even sent him confirmation that the loan had been paid in full. The man drove the car to South Carolina to deliver it to the supposed buyer. It wasn’t until days later, he was notified that the check he wrote to his credit union to pay off the loan bounced. That was because the check he received was fraudulent. Now, the man is stuck paying his monthly loan payment for a car that isn’t even in his possession currently.

  When selling high-dollar items such as a sports car, you can never be too careful when it comes to accepting payment. If you receive a check, whether electronically or physically, ask your bank to verify the authenticity of the check before you deposit it. Even if the bank says the check is legitimate, you’ll probably want to wait a few business days to make sure the deposit isn’t reversed.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 27, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: car wrapping ( 11 ), fake check, Green Dot ( 2 ), jury duty scam ( 30 ), online marketplace ( 11 ), Scams ( 1,383 ), Zelle ( 67 )   

  Scam Round Up: Zelle in online marketplaces and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  As most of us get ready for a three-day weekend, let’s take a look at three scams that we all probably should review.

  ***

  In Pennsylvania Dutch Country around Lancaster, authorities are warning residents that the car wrap scam has resurfaced in their area. This is when scammers promise their victims they can make money by wrapping their car in advertisements. In this particular instance, the scammers are posing as Hershey Chocolate, which is headquartered in the area. However, this scam is a variation of the fake check scam. The scammers will send you a fraudulent check they want you to deposit in your bank account before using that money to pay an ad agency who provides the wrap. Except, there is no ad agency. They’re just another part of the scam. So by the time your bank realizes the check you deposited is fake, the scammers will be long gone, and you’ll be on the hook to your bank for the amount of the check and any subsequent fees. No legitimate employer will ever ask you to deposit money into your bank account and then have you use it for business expenses.

  ***

  In the Cincinnati area, the jury duty scam is being reported on again. Although, this could literally be from anywhere in the United States since it’s such a common scam. Once again, this is the scam where scammers pose as law enforcement or the court system and try to convince their victims over the phone that they missed jury duty. To make themselves seem legitimate, the scammers know the victim’s address and the last four digits of their Social Security number. This information was more than likely obtained in a data breach. The scammers then tell their victim that in order to avoid arrest, they can pay a fine over the phone. In the Cincinnati story, the scammers are asking for their payment specifically in prepaid debit cards known as the Green Dot card. We’re surprised that the jury duty scammers are still using Green Dot cards when most other scammers have moved on to Zelle.

  ***

  And speaking of Zelle, the money transfer app is being used in yet another scam. This time, the scammers are targeting sellers on online marketplaces. A man in Denver was trying to sell a mattress online when he got an immediate response from a supposed buyer. The buyer said that someone else would be picking up the mattress. The buyer also requested to be able to pay through Zelle, and the seller was sent an email from ‘ZelleOfficialPay@gmail.com’. The seller realized that Zelle wouldn’t be using a Gmail address. So, it sounds like that the scammers were posing as Zelle to send some kind of fraudulent payment to the seller. Remember, Zelle should only be used between friends and family. Any online transaction that requests Zelle for any reason is a good indication it could be a scam.

  ***

  Thank you for reading, and we hope you have a safe Memorial Day weekend.