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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 19, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: advance fee scam ( 45 ), gift cards, loan scam ( 6 ), Scams ( 1,362 )   

  Don’t pay advance fees for loans 

  

  By Greg Collier

  There are certain business you shouldn’t use if they solicit your business through email. One of those businesses is that of the online lender. These supposed lenders claim they’ll lend you thousands of dollars that they’ll get to you in no time flat. They may also claim that no credit check is needed, or that they’re not like the big banks when it comes to lending.

  If someone were to take one of these lenders up on their offer, a number of things could happen, and none of them are good. You could have your personal and financial information stolen, or you could be victim to a predatory lender with exorbitant interest rates. Think along the lines of those payday loan stores. However, the most common scam when it comes to online loans is the advance fee scam.

  Typically, when we talk about the advance fee scam, we’re talking about phony sweepstakes that scammers say their victims have one. Then the scammers ask for payment to cover taxes or processing fees. Scammers will keep asking for payments as long as they can keep the victim on the hook. Meanwhile, there are no sweepstakes that the victim won.

  This recently happened with a loan to a man in Arkansas who was looking to make some improvements to his home. He applied for some loans online before getting an email from a supposed lender. The lender promised that could get the money to his bank account in 15 minutes. All the man needed to do was pay them $200 in gift cards. After the man paid the initial $200, he was asked to pay another $200. He did, and still did not receive his loan. It was at this point the man realized he had been scammed.

  Legitimate lenders will never ask for payment in advance. They make their money through interest once the loan is paid back and not through outlandish fees. That’s not even considering no legitimate bank or financial institution will accept gift cards as payment.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on March 25, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: eBay Motors ( 5 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 62 ), gift cards, Scams ( 1,362 ), used car ( 33 )   

  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.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on March 23, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: free piano scam ( 2 ), gift cards, mail fraud ( 21 ), movers ( 8 ), police impersonation scam ( 64 ), police scam ( 37 ), Scams ( 1,362 )   

  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.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 17, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: fake check ( 48 ), gift cards, job scam ( 79 ), Scams ( 1,362 ), secret shopper ( 15 )   

  Scammers offer ‘bonuses’ to victims 

  

  By Greg Collier

  San Antonio, Texas, is most famous for being the site of The Alamo. However, what many people outside of Texas don’t realize is San Antonio is not only the second-largest city in Texas, but it’s also the 7th largest city in the United States. We bring this up to show that when a scam show up in San Antonio, there’s a good chance that the scam will be showing up in other areas of the country.

  In this case, the Better Business Bureau of San Antonio is reporting a dramatic increase in job scams in the area. The main difference between this and previous job scams is that scammers are using honey instead of vinegar to get their victims to react quicker.

  For example, a woman in San Antonio thought she had been hired as a secret shopper. She was instructed to buy numerous gift cards from a store and evaluate the store. To get the victim to complete her task more quickly, the scammers told the victim that if she completed her task within 12 hours, she’d get a $200 bonus. Scammers may also be doing this to try to occupy the victim’s time, so they have no time to figure out that the whole procedure is a scam. The BBB has said that the scammers are even texting the victims continuously to make sure they’re completing the task, keeping them even more occupied. Unfortunately, the victim completed her task per the scammer’s orders. She was paid with a phony check that later bounced, leaving her thousands of dollars in debt to the bank, while the scammers made off with the gift card money.

  Any time a potential employer asks you to use your own funds or deposit a check for business purposes into your account, that should serve as a red flag that the job is probably a scam. The same goes for being hired without being interviewed.

   
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  Geebo 9:01 am on December 10, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bank scam ( 70 ), gift cards, puppy scam ( 37 ), Scams ( 1,362 ), Zelle ( 66 )   

  Will Zelle replace gift cards in online scams? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Just yesterday, we were talking about gift cards and how they’ve been the payment avenue of choice for most scammers. Well, if current trends continue, the mobile payment app Zelle may start catching up to gift cards. By now, you’re probably familiar with the bank impersonation scam that uses Zelle. This is when a victim receives phony texts and phone calls that say the victim has fraudulent activity in their bank account. The scammers direct the victim to use Zelle to protect their account when, in reality, the scammers are directing victims to send all their money to the scammers through Zelle.

  Now, it seems that scammers are starting to use Zelle as they used to use gift cards. For example, a woman from Baltimore was trying to buy a puppy online. Unfortunately, she fell for the puppy scam. The puppy didn’t actually exist, and the scammers kept asking for more money for such things as special delivery crates and customs fees. You can read more on how to avoid puppy scams here. Anyway, the point being that the victim made all the payments through Zelle to her scammers. Historically, scammers like this would ask for payment in gift cards by making the victim read the numbers from the back of the gift card. As we’ve mentioned before, Zelle has a reputation for not offering many protections when it comes to getting scammed.

  Previously, it seems that banks only issue refunds to scam victims after the victims get their local media involved. However, there is another way where you can possibly get your money back if you’ve been scammed over Zelle. According to a consumer protection news report out of New York City, you’ll have the best chance of getting a refund from your bank if you file a police report, and report the scam to the bank within 60 days. Now, this is no guarantee you’ll receive a refund since many banks tell their customers that when using Zellee, the customer is responsible for all transactions including scams.

  Why is Zelle being used in a shut-off scam important? | Greg's Corner is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 9, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Christmas shopping ( 22 ), gift cards, holiday shopping ( 15 ), Scams ( 1,362 )   

  Is it safe to buy gift cards for the holidays? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  On this blog, we talk about gift cards a lot. That’s because they’re used by a multitude of scammers as an untraceable form of payment. As a matter of fact, the Federal Trade Commission recently released a report that stated at least 40,000 people lost a total of $148 million to scams that involved gift cards. Typically, these are scams that are demanding some kind of payment that supposed to prevent some kind of distress to the victim. Keep in mind that no company or agency accepts gift cards as payment unless it’s the retailer they’re intended for. You can’t pay bail with gift cards. You can’t pay your bills with gift cards. You can’t pay your taxes with gift cards. If someone is demanding that you pay them with gift cards, they are more than likely a scammer. As we are fond of saying, gift cards are the currency of scammers. But what if you wanted to buy gift cards for their intended purpose. Do you still have to worry about scams? Unfortunately, you do.

  For example, if you’re in the store looking at gift cards, make sure that the number on the back of the card isn’t already exposed. That could mean that the gift card was already purchased and out back on the shelf. Scammers will do this and wait for someone to re-purchase the card. When someone does buy the card, the scammers will quickly drain the card of the money that was added to it. Another version of this scam is when the scammers will scratch off the back to reveal the card number, then place a sticker over it waiting for someone to buy the card. In that case, compare the card with other cards on the rack to make sure the card hasn’t been tampered with.

  You may also want to avoid so-called gift card exchanges. This is where scammers will post on social media that they have a gift card for one retailer but want to trade it with someone who has a gift card for another retailer. However, after the trade is made, the victim finds out that the git card they received has little to no funds available on it.

  While gift cards are incredibly convenient for gift giving and receiving, there are many pitfalls you need to look out for, so you don’t have a complicated Christmas.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 7, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 48 ), gift cards, money mule ( 4 ), money mules ( 4 ), money transfer ( 7 ), reshipping ( 22 ), romance scam ( 70 ), Scams ( 1,362 )   

  Can you be tricked into being a money mule? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The Federal Government has recently issued multiple warnings about the dangers of becoming a money mule. The phrase is reminiscent of someone who is a drug mule. However, it’s much easier to be a money mule since money mules don’t have to leave the country or there on home for that matter since money can be moved around in several virtual ways. The main problem with money mules is that many of them don’t even know they’re being used to move dirty money around the globe.

  Both the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission have issued warnings about unwittingly becoming a money mule. Most of the ways people become unwitting money mules is through many of the scams that we should already be familiar with. The major ones are the fake check scam and the romance scam. The fake check scam is when the scammer sends you a fake check for any number of reasons. They then ask you to deposit the check into your bank account, keep a little bit of the money for yourself before sending the remainder to a third party. By the time the victim’s bank finds out the check is fake, the scammers have made off with the money, while the victim is responsible for the amount of the check to their bank.

  Meanwhile, the FBI is warning citizens about romance scams and how even victims of a romance scam can find themselves on the wrong side of the law. They’ve released a video about an 81-year-old woman who fell for a romance scam and allegedly helped her ‘boyfriend’ defraud other people.

  The reshipping scam is another avenue where scammers use unwitting participants as money mules. This is when people think they have a legitimate job as a package inspector. The victims receive packages, inspect them, then send them to a third part. The items they inspect are usually bought with stolen credit card information. By the time the credit card company catches on, the merchandise is in another country. If a reshipper does anything to skirt US Custom laws, even if instructed by the scammer, they could face arrest.

  This also includes any scam that involves gift cards or money transfers.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 3, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 48 ), gift cards, job scam ( 79 ), mystery shopper ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,362 ), secret shopper ( 15 )   

  Secret shopper scam seeks more targets 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In yesterday’s post, we discussed a job scam that seemed to be picking up in activity during the holiday season, that was the reshipping scam. Now, it’s being reported that in some parts of the country that another old job scam is ramping up during the holidays, and that is the secret shopper scam.

  Secret shopper is actually a real position with many major brick and mortar retailers. They’re employed by the retailers to go to the various store locations and rate the performance of the store and its employees. However, it’s not as common a position that the scammers would have you believe. Scammers post ads for secret shopper positions year round, but like most scammers, they’re really looking to target those looking to add to their holiday income.

  The Charlotte, North Carolina area has reported an uptick in secret shopper scams. Residents there have been responding to the ads for secret shoppers, only to realize it’s a scam. Victims are being sent checks for thousands of dollars and are told to deposit the check into their bank accounts. They are then instructed to keep $300 for themselves and $50 for gas. The rest of the money is supposed to be used to buy Walmart gift cards to supposedly rate Walmart’s service. The victim is supposed to give the numbers from the gift card to their supposed employer.

  The problem with this scam is that the checks are fake. By the time the victim’s bank realizes the check is fraudulent, the scammers have already made off with the money that was put on the gift cards. This leaves the victim holding the bag when it comes to reimbursing the bank for the amount of the phony check.

  No legitimate employer will ever ask you to deposit funds that are supposed to be used for business into your account. If they do, that’s a good indication that the check is fraudulent. Another red flag is almost anything to do with gift cards. Unless they’re being used as an actual gift, gift card numbers should never be given to anyone over the phone.

  If you really want to find a legitimate secret shopper position, your best bet is to check with the Mystery Shopping Providers Association at their website.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 24, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: extortion ( 14 ), gift cards, google voice ( 13 ), missing pets ( 11 ), Scams ( 1,362 )   

  When pets go missing, scammers follow 

  

  By Greg Collier

  It only takes a moment. Maybe you left the front door open just a second too long. Or maybe the leash gets yanked out of your hand while on a walk. Before you know it, your pet is long gone, run off to who knows where in the neighborhood. You hope your neighbors are kind enough to let you know if they spot your pet, so you put up notices on platforms like Facebook, Craigslist, and Nextdoor. You even post fliers on telephone poles in the area. However, you’re teased with brief glimpses of hope as people claim that they’ve found your pet, only to find out that they’re scammers.

  This is what happened to a woman in Texas when her 17-year-old dog with special needs got out of the family’s home in the blink of an eye. The dog’s owner posted about her lost dog on social media and put out physical fliers that included her phone number. It wasn’t long before people started calling her, claiming to have her dog. One caller asked the woman to enter a verification code to prove she was the dog’s owner. While the report doesn’t state it, this sounds a lot like the Google Voice scam. This is where scammers can get a Google Voice number linked to your phone number and use the Google number to commit future scams.

  Another caller said that they were going to harm the dog and sent the woman a picture of a gun. Again, while the report doesn’t mention it, this scammer was probably trying to extort some kind of payment out of the dog’s owner even though they didn’t have the dog.

  Unfortunately, the woman has yet to find her lost dog.

  So what can you do to prevent this from happening to you and your pet? The first thing you should do before a pet can run off is take them to the vet and get them microchipped. Chipped pets have a much better chance of being returned home. If you need to post fliers or social media posts, use your email address instead of your phone number. Scammers can find a lot of personal information about you if they know your phone number. If someone claims to have your pet, ask them to send a picture of your pet. And if someone claims to have your pet and asks you to wire money or send them gift cards, they do not have your pet and are just trying to scam you.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 23, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Black Friday ( 7 ), Christmas shopping ( 22 ), gift cards, holiday shopping ( 15 ), online shopping ( 33 ), retail ( 49 ), Scams ( 1,362 )   

  Avoid Black Friday again this year 

  

  By Greg Collier

  As you’re probably well aware of, this Friday is the infamous shopping holiday Black Friday. Every year, we urge our readers to avoid going to brick and mortar stores due to deceptive practices by the stores. Last year, we urged our readers not to go for health reasons due to the ongoing pandemic. This year, we’d like to remind our readers that COVID-19 infections are still happening and being in such close quarters with other shoppers may increase the risk of infection. But again, there are other reasons why you should be wary of many different things on Black Friday.

  The first thing to be aware of is the so-called doorbuster deals. These items are usually very limited in stock. These items are generally designed to get you in the door and try to get you to buy something more expensive once the limited stock is exhausted. Some have even said that the doorbuster products are manufactured with cheaper components to keep profit margins high for the store. That’s not even taking the current supply line crisis into account, as this year’s stock could be even more limited than before. Many of the doorbuster deals can be found on sale later on in the holiday season at an even better price if they’ll be available.

  Shopping online is a much better alternative, but there are pitfalls online that need to be avoided as well. While shopping with the major online retailers is relatively safe, scammers will try to trick you into believing you’re using one of those retailers. Scammers will send out phishing emails using the actual logos of famous shopping sites but will leave a link in the email that will take you to a phony site that resembles the real thing. They’ll then try to gain your financial information for possible identity theft and other potential abuses. In the same vein, scammers will pose as retailers and email you asking you to download something to get a deal. This will instead infect your device with malware, which could allow bad actors to access your device remotely and steal as much information as they want from it. Always go directly to a retailer’s website rather than clicking on anything in an email.

  If at all possible, use a credit card when shopping online. While debit cards may offer some protection against fraudulent purchases, credit cards have better protections and won’t take any money directly from your bank balance. Also, keep an eye on both your debit and credit card accounts to make sure that no unauthorized purchases have been made on them. Many of these services can be set up to send you a notification every time the account is used. While the notifications may be a bit annoying, they can go a long way in preventing fraud on your accounts.

  Even if you’re just buying gift cards for the family this year, there are still hazards to look out for. If you get a gift card where the PIN has already been exposed, it may have already been bought by a scammer. Sometimes scammers will put the card back on the shelf, hoping that someone will add additional funds to the card. Then the scammer could use the funds on the card without your knowledge. Another variation of this scam is when a scammer will scratch the protective coating off the card’s PIN, then replace it with a sticker after writing down the number.

  We hope these tips help you shop smarter and safer this holiday season.