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  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 15, 2024 Permalink | Reply
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    College athletes targeted in sophisticated scam 

    College athletes targeted in sophisticated scam

    By Greg Collier

    Connecticut’s state authorities are issuing a stern warning about a disturbing new trend targeting college athletes and their families. According to authorities, scammers are exploiting publicly available information to dupe unsuspecting individuals into making immediate payments under false pretenses, creating a sense of urgency and panic in the process.

    Reports from Connecticut State University Police Departments have revealed a troubling pattern. The callers, posing as university police officers, contact parents of university students, specifically targeting student-athletes. They claim that the student-athlete has been slapped with citations for various infractions like open container violations, curfew breaches, or trespassing. To compound the urgency, the scammer demands immediate payment through platforms like CashApp and Venmo.

    If this scam rings a bell, it’s because it bears striking resemblances to both the grandparent scam and the virtual kidnapping scam, sprinkled with elements of police impersonation. It’s now known more commonly as the family emergency scam.

    It’s a chilling reminder that scammers stop at nothing to manipulate emotions and coerce victims into compliance. The tactic of impersonating law enforcement adds an extra layer of credibility and intimidation, leaving victims feeling cornered and compelled to act swiftly.

    The State of Connecticut has issued a statement that said, a legitimate police department or campus safety program will never solicit payment for citations over the phone.

    Although this version of the scam is aimed at student-athletes, previous iterations have targeted the families of college students who aren’t involved in athletics. Essentially, any parent with a child attending college could potentially fall victim to this scam.

    Individuals who receive suspicious calls or communications purporting to be from law enforcement are urged to hang up immediately and report the incident to local police. Furthermore, those who have fallen victim to this scam are advised to take swift action by contacting their financial institutions to mitigate potential damages.

     
  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 29, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , grandparent scam,   

    Scammer gives money back to avoid arrest 

    Scammer gives money back to avoid arrest

    By Greg Collier

    We often hear about scammers taking money from their victims, but rarely do we hear about scammers giving the money back. That’s what allegedly happened with a grandparent scammer from Florida when they ran up against the wrong grandparent.

    Around Christmas, the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to be an attorney working for Allstate Insurance. The supposed attorney told the victim his grandson was in jail after getting into a car accident with a foreign diplomat. However, the man could get his grandson out of jail if he paid the attorney $600. The victim did the right thing by calling his grandson, but when he couldn’t get a hold of him, he paid the $600.

    The man’s wife went to their bank to get a cashier’s check, but the scammer convinced the man to stay on the call because it was important to keep the line open.

    The scammer then convinced the man his grandson would be charged with a felony, but once again, a payment could resolve the situation. This time, the scammer was asking for $8000, and that a federal courier would come by to pick up the money.

    The courier showed up to the victim’s home wearing a surgical mask, however, the victim said he wasn’t comfortable giving the money to someone he didn’t know and asked him to remove the mask. When the courier removed his mask, the victim took a picture of the courier without the courier’s knowledge. The victim also took a picture of the courier’s license plate as he drove away.

    When the victim finally got a hold of his grandson, he realized he’d been scammed.

    After the victim went to his local police, they were able to identify the scammer. Later, the victim received another phone call from the supposed attorney, who claimed the courier got scared and never delivered the payment. The attorney asked the victim not to press charges against the courier if the victim’s money was returned. And believe it or not, someone who wasn’t the courier, dropped the money off to the victim.

    As it turned out, the attorney and the courier were the same person. When police approached the scammer, he reportedly told police he was doing a favor for his cousin in Canada. The scammer was promptly arrested.

    If you receive a call informing you that a loved one is in jail and the caller requests immediate payment, be cautious, as it may be a scam. Legitimate bail processes involve payment either at the courthouse or through a licensed bail bondsman. Courts, police, or attorneys will not solicit bail money over the phone. If a caller insists on keeping you on the line, claiming legal reasons prevent you from hanging up, it is likely a fraudulent attempt to deceive you. Always verify such situations independently before providing any personal or financial information.

     
  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 12, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , family emergency, grandparent scam, , ,   

    More police warn of AI voice scams 

    More police warn of AI voice scams

    By Greg Collier

    AI voice spoofing refers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to imitate or replicate a person’s voice in a way that may deceive listeners into thinking they are hearing the real person. This technology can be used to generate synthetic voices that closely mimic the tone, pitch, and cadence of a specific individual. The term is often associated with negative uses, such as creating fraudulent phone calls or audio messages with the intent to deceive or manipulate.

    Scammers can exploit a brief audio clip of your family member’s voice, easily obtained from online content. With access to a voice-cloning program, the scammer can then imitate your loved one’s voice convincingly when making a call, leading to potential deception and manipulation. Scammers have quickly taken to this technology in order to fool people into believing their loved ones are in danger in what are being called family emergency scams.

    Family emergency scams typically break down into two categories, the virtual kidnapping scam, and the grandparent scam. Today, we’re focused on the grandparent scam. It garnered its name from the fact that scammers often target elderly victims, posing as the victim’s grandchild in peril. This scam has been happening a lot lately in the Memphis area, to the point where a Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning to local residents about it.

    One family received a phone call that appeared to be coming from their adult granddaughter. The caller sounded exactly like their granddaughter, who said they needed $500 for bail money after getting into a car accident. Smartly, the family kept asking the caller questions that only their granddaughter would know. The scammers finally hung up.

    To safeguard against this scam, it’s crucial to rely on caution rather than solely trusting your ears. If you receive a call from a supposed relative or loved one urgently requesting money due to a purported crisis, adhere to the same safety measures. Resist the urge to engage further; instead, promptly end the call and independently contact the person who is claimed to be in trouble to verify the authenticity of the situation. This proactive approach helps ensure protection against potential scams, even when the voice on the call seems identical to that of your loved one.

     
  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , grandparent scam, ,   

    Scammers are master emotional manipulators 

    Scammers are master emotional manipulators

    By Greg Collier

    Scammers like to find victims who are in an emotional state. This allows scammers to take advantage of people who aren’t in the right mindset to assess a potentially fraudulent situation. Of course, scammers are not going to wait around to find vulnerable victims, so the scammers themselves will often put their victims in just such an emotional state.

    For example, scammers will frequently try to make it sound like a victim’s loved one is in some kind of peril. To achieve this, scammers will pose as the victim’s loved one and claim they’ve been arrested. Most of us wouldn’t hesitate to try to help get a close friend or family member out of jail. That’s exactly what happened when scammers recently contacted a Virginia man.

    The scammers posed as the man’s 40-year-old nephew when they called him. The phony nephew claimed her had been in a car accident and broke his nose. Scammers will say that in order to explain away why they don’t sound like the actual person they’re imitating.

    The ‘nephew’ went on to say they got into the accident with a pregnant woman who was injured in the wreck. Again, this is done to get the victim into a worse emotional state. The victim was also told not to tell the nephew’s parents out of embarrassment. But, with all that said, the nephew claimed to need $6500 cash for bail. The victim was instructed to go to a specific ATM inside a grocery store to deposit the money. A security guard noticed the victim, but the victim was told by the scammers not to divulge to anyone what he was doing. Typically, scammers claim that a gag order has been placed on the victim. In actuality, that’s not how gag orders work.

    Once scammers convince a victim to pay them once, they’ll almost always try to get the victim to pay again. In this case, the victim was told the pregnant woman’s baby died and an additional $5000 was needed, which the victim paid in the same fashion.

    Then the scammers really twisted the emotional knife in their victim. This time, they asked for $16,000, which the victim didn’t have. It was at this point, the phony nephew claimed they were going to take their own life if the victim didn’t pay the $16,000.

    The victim felt horrible and called his nephew a few days later. That’s when he found out the whole thing had been a hoax. Luckily, the victim was able to get some of his money back from the bank where he deposited the money.

    There are no depths scammers won’t sink to try to get your money. This is what they do for a dishonest living, and they’re very goof at what they do. If you receive a distressing request for money, no matter who it comes from, always verify their story. If you’re being told not to tell anyone, that’s the scammers trying to discourage you from finding out the truth.

     
  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 27, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , grandparent scam, , , ,   

    The FTC puts a bounty on AI voice cloning 

    The FTC puts a bounty on AI voice cloning

    By Greg Collier

    AI-generated voice cloning, or voice spoofing, scams have become such a nuisance, the federal government is turning to the people to help solve the problem. If you’re unfamiliar with AI-voice generation technology, there are apps and programs that can take a short sample of anyone’s voice and make that voice say whatever you want it to. The benefit of it is it can give people who lost their speaking ability a voice. However, every tool that’s made for the good of mankind can also be used to its detriment.

    Scammers use cloned voices in what are known as emergency scams. Emergency scams can be broken down into two categories, for the most part, the grandparent scam, and the virtual kidnapping scam. In both sets of scams, the scammers need to convince their victim one of the victim’s loved ones is in some sort of peril. In the case of the grandparent scam, the scammer will try to convince the victim their loved one is in jail and needs bail money. While in the virtual kidnapping scam, the scammers try to convince the victim their loved one has been kidnapped for ransom.

    Scammers will take a sample of someone’s voice, typically from a video that’s been posted to social media. Then, they’ll use the voice cloning technology to make it sound like that person is in a situation that requires the victim to send money.

    Voice cloning has become such a problem, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a challenge to anyone who thinks they can develop some kind of voice cloning detector. The top prize winner can receive $25,000, the runner-up can get $4000, while three honorable mentions can get $2000.

    In their own words, the FTC has issued this challenge to help push forward ideas to mitigate risks upstream—shielding consumers, creative professionals, and small businesses against the harms of voice cloning before the harm reaches a consumer.

    The online submission portal can be found at this link, and submissions will be accepted from January 2 to 12, 2024.

    Hopefully, someone can come up with the right idea to better help consumers from losing their money to these scammers.

     
  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 7, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , grandparent scam,   

    College parents targeted by this scam 

    By Greg Collier

    Parents of college students are being targeted in a new scam, but it’s actually an old scam with new targets. It’s more infamously known as the grandparent scam. As you may know, that scam targets the elderly, with scammers trying to convince their victims that one of their grandchildren is in trouble. Often the scammers will claim to be the grandchild. It’s all done to try to squeeze money out of the victims disguised as bail money or some other legal fee. Meanwhile, the grandchild is safe and unaware they’re being used in a scam.

    As you can surmise by the headline, some scammers have decided to target a new demographic, but it’s still the same old scam. Now referred to as the emergency scam, scammers are calling college parents and telling them their child has been arrested. The scammers then ask for bail money that needs to be paid through apps like Venmo or Zelle. With a student possibly being states away from their parents, this could put the parents into a panicked state where they’re not thinking clearly. This is what the scammers are hoping for, so parents don’t have time to logically think about the situation.

    So, how do scammers know which parents to target? Social media, of course. The scammers look for college students on social media, and from there it’s usually not hard to find the student’s parents.

    It also doesn’t help that scammers are now using AI-generated voice cloning technology to imitate the voices of students. If a student is active on social media and have posted videos of themselves, it’s not difficult for the scammers to get a sample of their voice to use in their schemes.

    However, if you’re aware of the scam, it’s easy to beat. Even if it sounds like your own child is telling you they’re in jail, be suspicious. Instead, attempt to contact them directly, either using another phone or text message. You can also call the police department where they’re supposedly being held. And keep in mind that bail is never paid through payment apps, gift cards, cryptocurrencies, or money transfers. Setting up a code word with your child that’s only to be used in the case of an emergency will also go a long way in protecting your family from this scam.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: grandparent scam,   

    Grandparent scammer gets victim to pay twice 

    Grandparent scammer gets victim to pay twice

    By Greg Collier

    One of the more cruel things about scams is that once a scammer finds a victim who gives them money, the scammers will try to get more money out of that victim. Take the puppy scam, for example. Once the victim pays for a puppy that doesn’t exist, the scammers will send the victim repeated requests for money under the guise of special travel crates, insurance, and emergency vet fees. Unfortunately, we’ve seen multiple victims of the puppy scam pay multiple payments to their scammers. While the puppy scam is the more common scam where multiple payments happen, it can occur in almost any scam. An elderly Florida woman sadly found that out the hard way when she fell victim to the grandparent scam.

    For those who may be unfamiliar, the grandparent scam is when scammers pose as one of the victim’s grandchildren. They’ll call the victim claiming to be in some kind of trouble and need money to bail them out.

    In this instance, the scammer called the Florida woman, claiming to be her grandson. He said he got into a car accident with a pregnant woman who lost her baby. This is a common claim used in grandparent scams, as it tries to make the phony charges seem serious while also trying to garner sympathy from the victim. Scammers are masters of emotional manipulation.

    The ‘grandchild’ then handed the call over to someone he said was his friend’s father, who just happened to be an attorney. In actuality, the attorney was the scammer’s partner, who put on a good enough show.

    The phony attorney told the woman her grandson needed $36,000 for bail. When the woman told the scammer she didn’t have that kind of money, the scammer settled for $18,000. After she withdrew that money from the bank, she was instructed a courier would come by her home and pick up the money.

    That’s not how bail works in the real world. Once bail is set, it typically stays at that amount. It can go up, but it seldomly goes down. Also, bail is never picked up by a courier. It’s typically paid at the courthouse or through a bail bondsman.

    You would think that $18,000 would be enough for this scammer, but they kept making more ridiculous claims in order to get more money. The fake attorney told the woman that her grandson was caught taking selfies in the courtroom, which incurred an increase in bail of $16,000. This time, the woman was told to send cash through FedEx to another state, and that the judge placed a gag order on the case, meaning she couldn’t talk to anyone about the matter, including family.

    If someone were to be arrested, they would not be allowed to have their phone on them in the courtroom, so courtroom selfies are highly unlikely. Scammers will also use the gag order card to prevent victims from talking to other family members. That’s not how a gag order works, however. Gag orders are typically only issued to participants of a trial. If someone tries to tell you over the phone, there’s a gag order in place, they’re more than likely trying to scam you. No one can stop you from talking to your family.

    Then the scammer tried to get a third payment from the grandmother, The scammer claimed that the grandson violated the gag order and the bail had been raised another $12,000. When the woman tried to get the $12,000 from her bank, she was told by a bank employee, she was told she was being scammed.

    To avoid falling victim to the grandparent scam, it’s important to be skeptical of unexpected phone calls or emails from people claiming to be a grandchild in distress. Don’t give out personal information or money without verifying the identity of the caller. If you are unsure if the person is truly a grandchild, ask them questions that only your real grandchild would know the answer to. Additionally, consider setting up a code word with your grandchildren to confirm their identity before providing any information or assistance. Lastly, if you do receive a suspicious call or email, please report it to the appropriate authorities.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 26, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: grandparent scam, ,   

    New version of grandparent scam changes the target 

    New version of grandparent scam changes the target

    By Greg Collier

    If you haven’t heard of the grandparent scam, it’s called that because it mostly targets the elderly. The way it works is, scammers will call their elderly target and pose as one of the target’s grandchildren. The call usually starts with the scammer saying something like “Grampa?”. They’re hoping the target will respond with a grandchild’s name by replying with something along the lines of, “Is this Brandon?”. The scammer will reply with yes to no matter what name they’re supplied with. Then the real grift begins.

    While posing as the grandchild, the scammer will tell their target they’ve gotten into legal trouble and need money to fix the situation. Typically, the phony grandchild will claim they’ve been in a car accident that was their fault and need money for bail or some other legal fee. Sometimes, the call is passed off to the scammer’s partner, who will pose as the police, a bail bondsman, or attorney to add an element of urgency to the target.

    Payment is usually asked for through means that are hard to recover, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards, or through payment apps like Zelle, Cash App and Venmo. The target is also instructed not to tell anyone else in the family, sometimes under the threat of a gag order.

    That’s how the grandparent scam traditionally worked until the development of AI voice-spoofing technology. Now, the grandparent scam has become more focused, with scammers targeting specific victims instead of random elderly people.

    With that development, the Better Business Bureau has issued a warning that scammers have also flipped the script on the grandparent scam. According to the BBB, scammers are now posing as grandparents in distress on these scam phone calls. Thanks to AI voice-spoofing, scammers are now targeting children and grandchildren instead of just the elderly with this scam. You can imagine how panicked this would make the victim of this new version of the scam.

    However, the ways to protect yourself remain the same. Educating your family about the scam is the best defense. Your family should also set up a code word you can use to verify the identity of the person who is calling. Or, you could ask the caller a question only they would know the answer to. Lastly, don’t believe your ears when you get a call like this, it may sound like your loved one, but now, scammers can mimic any voice down to a T.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , grandparent scam, , ,   

    Grandmother scammed for weeks in AI voice-spoofing scam 

    By Greg Collier

    It’s been a short while since we last discussed the AI voice-spoofing scam. For new readers, this is when scammers obtain a sample of someone’s voice from online, and run it through an AI program, which allows the scammers to make the voice say whatever they want. The scammers then use the person’s voice to convince that person’s loved one to send the scammers money.

    Voice-spoofing is typically used in one of two consumer-level scams. The first one is the virtual kidnapping scam, which is exactly what it sounds like. Scammers will use the spoofed voice to make it sound like somebody’s loved one has been kidnapped, and the scammers will demand a ransom.

    The second scam is the one we’ll be discussing today, which is the grandparent scam. In this scam, the scammers pose as an elderly victim’s grandchild who’s in some kind of legal trouble. The scammers will often ask for bail money or legal fees.

    An elderly woman from Utah recently fell victim to the grandparent scam. Scammers called her on the phone using the cloned voice of one of her granddaughters. The ‘granddaughter’ said she had been arrested after riding in a car with someone who had drugs and needed bail money. A scammer then got on the call and pretended to be the granddaughter’s attorney and instructed the woman on how she could send payment. The woman was also instructed not to tell anyone else in the family, as it could jeopardize the granddaughter’s court case.

    One of the many problems with scammers is if you pay them once, chances are they’ll come back for more money, which is what happened here. For weeks, the phony granddaughter kept calling back needing more money each time for various legal proceedings. Keep in mind that with each conversation, the grandmother is not actually talking to anybody but a computer-generated voice, which sounds exactly like her granddaughter.

    Eventually, the grandmother did grow suspicious and told her son, who informed her she was being scammed.

    Don’t trust your ears when it comes to phone scams. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a relative or loved one in need of money, it’s important to follow the same precautions, even if the voice sounds exactly like them. Hang up on the call and contact the person who’s supposedly in trouble. If you can’t reach them, ask other family members who might know where they are. Be sure to tell them about the situation you encountered, and never keep it a secret. Lastly, never send money under any circumstances.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: grandparent scam, , , ,   

    County official targeted in AI scam 

    By Greg Collier

    We’ve come across yet another story where an AI-generated voice has been used in a scam. This time it took place in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area. There, a county official received a phone call she thought was coming from her daughter. The voice on the other end sounded exactly like her daughter, and was sobbing and crying. Then a man got on the call and claimed to be a police officer. That man said that the daughter caused a car accident after looking at her phone while driving. It wasn’t long before the man asked for $15,000 bail. Thankfully, while this was going on, the woman got a text message from her actual daughter, which spoiled the scam.

    Regular readers will recognize this as the grandparent scam. It was initially called that because scammers would target the elderly and pose as one of the victim’s grandchildren. Now, ‘grandparent scam’ is a misnomer because more recently, scammers have been targeting parents as well. This is thanks to the advancement of AI technology lately. Scammers now have the capability of spoofing the voice of just about anyone they want and making it say whatever they want. This makes a scam that was concerning at first, absolutely terrifying now. Before voice-spoofing, a scammer would have to try to imitate a loved one while claiming they had some kind of injury which made their voice sound different, such as a broken nose. Now, scammers don’t even have to bother. All they need now is a few seconds of someone’s voice they can take from a video on social media.

    But as always, If you receive a distressing call from a supposed loved one who claims they’re in some kind of trouble, it is critical to verify their situation by contacting them directly. Scammers will try to keep you on the phone by threatening arrest if you hang up or claiming there is some kind of gag order. Nothing is keeping you from hanging up on the phone call to verify the story with your family or friends. Even if you’re convinced you’re hearing your loved one’s voice, always verify the story before making any kind of payment is even considered.

     
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