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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 19, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check cashing ( 2 ), check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 48 ), homeless, Scams ( 1,388 )   

  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 July 21, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: homeless, north carolina ( 15 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams ( 1,388 ), veterans ( 8 ), Zelle ( 67 )   

  Homeless vet taken in rental scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve said it many times in the past, scammers don’t care who they take advantage of. They’ll use any situation to steal money from the most vulnerable members of our society. Scammers often fleece the elderly who live alone. They would literally steal from babies if given the chance. So, it should come as no surprise that scammers would not only steal from a man who served our country, but one who has also fallen on hard times.

  A veteran from North Carolina, is currently living in a tent in the woods of Concord, a semi-rural suburb of Charlotte. He served in Iraq and has been trying to find stable housing. Unfortunately, it’s been difficult for him to find housing due to his credit history and a criminal record.

  He thought he had found an ideal place when he found an online listing for a home to rent. The supposed landlord gave the man’s brother the access code to the home, so they could actually tour the home. The man agreed to rent the home and sent the landlord $2,000 through the personal payment app Zelle. The landlord then cut off all communication with the veteran. The property was actually being rented by a rental company.

  Scammers having the access codes to rental homes is nothing new. The scammers get the code by contacting the rental company and taking a tour of the home. The code is then used by the scammers to make the scam appear more legitimate.

  And again, it should come as no surprise that Zelle was also used in the scam. Since Zelle offers little to no protection to its users, it has become a tool of choice for scammers everywhere.

  Rental scammers are constantly looking for people who are desperate for housing. Since housing is one of the most basic of needs, people who are scrambling for shelter may often overlook the warning signs of a scam.

  Again, security codes are not a sign of a legitimate property owner. To better prevent yourself from being scammed, it always pays to research a property first. Just a quick web search of the property’s address can bring up a plethora of information that can help you determine whether a listing is a scam or not. You can also find the true owner of a property by checking with the county’s tax assessor’s office.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 21, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charity ( 17 ), charity scam ( 36 ), domestic violence ( 2 ), homeless, Scams ( 1,388 )   

  Always check your charity 

  

  This time of year, many charities see increases in donations due to the giving spirit of the holidays. However, there are some organizations posing as charities that might not help who they claim to. Recently, police in North Carolina have been warning residents about a charity they believe to be a scam. To make matters even worse, the charity claims to assist the homeless and victims of domestic violence. These are people who are at their most vulnerable and probably need our donations the most. Yet there are those who are willing to exploit their plight in order to make a profit.

  Residents of Cornelius, North Carolina, which is just outside of Charlotte, have been reporting that they’ve found pink bags stuck in their doors. The bags are said to be for clothing donations that would help the homeless and domestic violence victims. It’s not just North Carolina where these bags have popped up either. Other reports have shown the bags showing up all over the Southeast. Some reports have gone as far as to say that the charity is selling the donations for profit. There have also been other accusations saying the charity is actually exploiting those they’re supposed to be helping by making them work in a call center to solicit more donations. The Better Business Bureau has said that this group is a charity but not a very good one.

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKCL_1pBmds%5D

  While researching this story all it took was a quick web search to find out many of the problems various states have had with this charity. Anytime you’re solicited by a charity that you haven’t heard of, it’s always best if you research them first before donating any money or goods. There are many families who are homeless or in domestic violence shelters at any time of the year. However, this time of the year is especially bad for them. If you feel the need to help them during the holidays, please contact your local shelters to see how you can help.

   
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  Geebo 9:01 am on May 21, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: apps ( 15 ), homeless, Samaritan, Seattle ( 8 ), startup ( 4 )   

  Startup app hopes to better connect homeless to the public 

  

  Most startup apps hope to accomplish one of two things. The first is to try to innovate some new social trend that existing social platforms haven’t thought of yet. In the crowded social space, those innovative ideas are few and far between. The other things most startup apps try to do to is to be bought out by a larger company like Facebook, Google, or Twitter in hopes of making a quick fortune. Rarely do we hear about a startup app that’s trying to help those less fortunate in society, but now a startup app out of Seattle is trying to help one of society’s most marginalized people.

  The way the Samaritan app works is that someone who is homeless can get a Bluetooth beacon from any one of Samaritan’s outreach partners. This beacon allows its holder to share their story through their app so they’re not just a faceless person holding a cardboard sign. Many of us have reasons why we don’t give money to homeless people. Some of us don’t carry cash while others have social anxieties that prevent them from talking to people they don’t know, and of course, there are some of us that don’t believe some of those needing help are truly homeless. The Samaritan app helps with a lot of those problems as money can be donated directly to a homeless person in your area who the app notifies you about. Once you receive a notification on the app, you can donate money to that person directly electronically. Users of the beacon can then use the money to get foods and services at many partnered locations, however, alcohol cannot be bought using the Samaritan service.

  So far, the app is available for both iOS and Android devices, but currently, the program is only running in Seattle. They hope to expand into 100 cities within the year. So far, the results in Seattle have been nothing short of amazing, helping people not only to get money to find food but others have been able to find housing and employment through the program. Startup culture and angel investors need to start cultivating more apps like Samaritan and fewer apps that are highlighted by some form of Kardashian.

   
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  Geebo 9:54 am on August 12, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: apps ( 15 ), chat bot ( 2 ), homeless   

  Student builds app to help homeless find homes 

  

  When we think of smart phone apps we usually think of social apps like Twitter or game apps like Pokemon Go. We rarely think of them as tools for social change. If a 19-year-old Stanford student has his way that may change.

  UK native Joshua Browder, has developed a chat bot that is helping the homeless in UK find homes. The bot asks the user a series of questions then crafts a letter that the user can send to the government to request housing. In the UK, housing is a right guaranteed by the government. Browder would like to see his app help homeless in the US be he says because of all the different homeless laws in the different cities and states makes it incredibly difficult.

  As hard as it is for the needy to navigate through the bureaucracy to obtain the services they need, more apps like this could go a long way in assisting those who need help the most.