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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 16, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: government scams ( 6 ), impersonation scam ( 148 ), imposter scam ( 4 ), impostor scam, Scams ( 1,383 ), social security ( 29 ), SSA ( 4 )   

  A good change in Social Security brings out the scammers 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The most impersonated government agencies are the IRS, Social Security, and Medicare. Scammers often use these three offices to intimidate their victims into doing what they want. I mean, who wants to be contacted by the IRS? They typically use the other two offices to intimidate older Americans or the disabled into thinking they’re either going to lose their benefits, or they make benefit promises that are better than what the government is offering. Whenever the law or policy changes happen within one of these offices, the scammers are right on top of it, looking to use it to take advantage of their victims.

  At the end of this year, millions of Social Security beneficiaries will be receiving an almost 9% cost of living increase in their benefits. If a beneficiary is eligible for this increase, there is nothing they have to do. They will receive it automatically. Scammers will contact their victims posing as the SSA. They’ll tell their victims they need their personal information, a payment, or both to receive the increase. This could lead to the victim’s identity being stolen, or the loss of hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

  To better protect yourself or someone you know from this scam, the best thing to do is keep in mind that government agencies like this will not reach out to citizens first. Unless you already have an ongoing matter with Social Security, they will not just call someone out of the blue. Most government agencies will contact someone by postal mail if they need to be notified. Also, no one should have to give their personal information to the SSA, as they should already have it if you’re a beneficiary. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from the SSA, hang up and contact the SSA at 1-800-772-1213, or their contact page at SSA.gov.

   

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  Geebo 8:03 am on November 3, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook Messenger ( 4 ), imposter scam ( 4 ), impostor scam, Messenger ( 4 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Scammers can look just like your friends on Messenger 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Facebook Messenger has become a popular tool of scammers in recent years. If a scammer can hijack someone’s account, they can attempt to scam everyone on that user’s friends list. But it’s easy to be skeptical when it’s a text-only message asking you to invest in cryptocurrency, or telling you that you’re eligible for a government grant. But what if it was a video call on Messenger where your friend is asking for money for an emergency? With technology advancing every day, this is now possible for scammers to do.

  Police in Michigan have reported numerous scams where victims got a video call on Messenger that appeared to be from a friend. The video looked just like their friend, where the friend would be moving around as normal. The calls only lasted a few seconds, but that would be enough time for scammers to ask the victims for money. Victims would then be directed to send the money through Cash App.

  The report doesn’t say how this video trick is done. However, if we had to hazard a guess, we’d say it’s done through the same technology that many face apps use. For example, there are apps where you can submit a picture and using rudimentary AI, the app can make the pic look like it’s singing New York New York by Frank Sinatra, or any other song.

  A good way to tell if you’re being scammed in this way is if there’s picture, but no sound. While the scammers can make it appear as if the picture is talking, they’ll type out the message, since they can’t make the picture say anything they want and have it sound like the friend. In all instances, even if a friend is in dire straits and does need a helping hand, always verify with them through a second method of communication such as a phone call or email.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 5, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: advance fee scam ( 45 ), identity theft ( 108 ), imposter scam ( 4 ), impostor scam, lottery scam ( 13 ), Scams ( 1,383 )   

  Lottery winners are not giving away money 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The lottery winner scam is reportedly making the rounds again. If you’re unfamiliar with this scam, scammers will claim to be someone who won one of the major lottery prizes in the country. The scammers will use the names of real lottery winners to make the scam seem more legitimate.

  The scammers will then text, email, or send a private message to their potential victims telling them that they’re giving away part of their winnings. Typically, the offer is for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The messages also include articles that show the news of the actual lottery winner.

  The scammers are usually after one of two things. The first is personal and financial information. They may ask for your banking information in the guise of sending you the money. They may also ask for identifying information, such as a copy of your driver’s license. This leads to either the victim’s identity being stolen or their bank account being hijacked.

  The other thing these scammers are usually after is your money. After promising victims all this money, the scammers will try to get money out of the victim by saying that some form of taxes or processing fees need to be paid first. This is known as the advance fee scam and is quite common when it comes to lottery and sweepstakes scams.

  While there are legitimate lottery winners who have been generous with their winnings, they do not hand out hundreds of thousands of dollars to random people. The logistics and legal wranglings of doing so would be a procedural nightmare to say the least.

  As with most giveaway scams, it’s good to keep two sayings in mine. ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’, and ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is’.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on September 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: gig economy ( 5 ), impersonation scam ( 148 ), impostor scam, rideshare scam ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,383 ), Uber ( 24 )   

  Uber driver loses week’s wages in scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The scam we’re about to talk about today exclusively targets rideshare drivers. Even though the majority of our readers probably aren’t rideshare drivers, we think this story can be useful to our other readers as well. Not only does it show how gig economy workers can be vulnerable to scams, we also think it’s a commentary on how some gig economy companies treat their workers.

  The victim in today’s story is an Uber driver from Salt Lake City. He loves his work and seems to be very successful at it. Rather than driving as a means to make extra money, the driver dos it full-time and is able to make a comfortable living. As an aside, that’s the exception rather than the rule, but that’s neither here nor there for right now.

  Last week, the man received a call from someone claiming to be from Uber. The caller said that the driver had received a complaint and needed to issue a refund. He was instructed to log into the Uber app and given directions on how to issue the supposed refund. What actually happened is that scammers were directing him to issue $1200 directly to the scammers. This wiped out a week’s worth of wages for the driver. Our story doesn’t end there, however.

  The driver reached out to Uber for assistance, who said they investigated the matter, but the man wasn’t due for a refund. It wasn’t until the driver reached out to his local media before Uber issued him a refund.

  Our earning to not only rideshare drivers but other gig economy workers, if you receive a phone call from the company you’re working for about your earnings, contact them through official channels before issuing any supposed refunds. You may also want to research how refunds are actually handled beforehand, so you know what’s a scam and what isn’t.

  However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out how similarly Uber acted like the banks that have had customers scammed through Zelle. Just like in the Zelle scams, Uber didn’t act in the worker’s interest until it became a potential PR issue.

  Learn your rights before joining a gig economy company. In the majority of these companies, you’re not an employee, but rather an outside contractor. These independent contractors do not receive nearly the same protections as an actual employee.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 11, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: advance fee scam ( 45 ), fake websites ( 11 ), Immigration ( 12 ), impostor scam, inheritance ( 6 ), online shopping ( 34 ), Scams ( 1,383 ), text scam ( 23 ), USPS ( 13 ), valentine's day ( 4 )   

  Scam Round Up: Other Valentine scams and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Today, to help start the weekend, we’re bringing you four scams from around the country you should be aware of.

  ***

  With Valentine’s Day approaching, we’ve already discussed the romance scams you should be on the lookout for. However, there are additional scams you should be aware of. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about impostor websites where you might be buying Valentine’s Day gifts such as jewelry and flowers from. Even if you’re shopping for gifts at the last minute, make sure the retailer you’re shopping at is a legitimate one. Check for reviews of the retailer to see if anyone has been scammed already through them. Avoid deals that seem too good to be true. Make sure the website isn’t posing as another retailer by checking the web address, known as a URL, for slight misspellings. Lastly, pass on vendors who only accept payment through cash transfer apps and cryptocurrency. Use a credit card whenever possible, since that provides the most consumer protection.

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  A news report out of Pennsylvania is warning residents there about an inheritance scam. The report states that the scam starts out when the victim receives a letter in the mail from a supposed Canadian bank. The letter states that a distant relative of the victim has died, and the victim is in line to receive a multi-million dollar inheritance. While situations like this make for great TV drama, the reality is much more disappointing. In reality, the victim will either be asked to pay thousands of dollars for either phony taxes or legal fees. Or the victim will be asked for their banking information under the guise of having the inheritance sent to their bank account. If you receive one of these letters, you’re asked to just ignore it.

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  If you live in an area that recently endured the winter storms, you may want to keep an eye out for this scam. In Missouri, residents are reporting receiving text messages that appear to come from the United States Postal Service (USPS). The text messages state that since service was delayed, you can request a re-delivery by clicking on a link. The link takes you to a website that looks like the USPS website and asks you for $3.30 re-delivery fee, which you can pay for with debit or credit card. This is designed to steal your financial information. The USPS will never ask for a re-delivery fee.

  ***

  Lastly, we have a scam that targets the migrant population in our country. In Indiana, police there say that people who are working to become citizens have received calls from scammers posing as local police. The victims are told if they don’t pay a fee, they could lose their status and be deported. Since the victims may not be familiar with US law, they may be easily persuaded to fall for this scam. No law enforcement department or agency will ever threaten arrest over the phone or ask for money over the phone. It’s recommended that if you receive one of these calls to contact the Department of Homeland Security. If you know someone who might be vulnerable to this scam, please let them know.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 24, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: impostor scam, Scams ( 1,383 ), seniors ( 9 ), tech support scam ( 50 ), utility scam ( 31 )   

  Help protect seniors from scams 

  

  Today, we’re focusing on a number of scams that have targeted seniors recently.

  The first is what’s known as the tech support scam. In these cases, scammers will pose as tech companies telling seniors that they have viruses on their computers. Usually, the scammers will ask for remote access to your computer. They’ll then install malware on the computer and ask for your financial information as their payment. In a recent case in Florida, two suspects were allegedly pulling this scam and having their victims send thousands of dollars to the scammers under the guise of getting rid of a virus on the victim’s computer. They were able to scam $81,000 out of several seniors from across the country before they were caught. If anyone calls you to tell you that you have a virus, it’s always a scam.

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWyWCZVoD4M%5D

  Not all scams against seniors are done over the phone or online. Many scammers are still posing as utility workers. Recently, in San Antonio, Texas a man posed as an AT&T employee. The man went to a senior woman’s home and offered her a deal for TV, internet, and cell service. The woman wrote out a check before finding out that the man did not work for AT&T. The man in question was even wearing an AT&T employee’s shirt. If you ever have any doubts about a utility worker approaching your home always ask to see their worker’s ID. If you’re still unsatisfied you can also call the company’s local office to verify their identity.

  Lastly, both the Federal Trade Commission and the AARP say that the most common scam perpetrated against seniors is the impostor scam. This is when scammers pose as a government agency such as the IRS or Social Security. The scammers will call you on the phone and try to pressure you into making some kind of payment over the phone, often through unusual means like gift cards or wiring the money. Both the FTC and the AARP are expecting scammers to take advantage of the 2020 census as well which we discussed here. If you did owe a government agency money or there was an issue with your Social Security benefits you would receive a letter and not a phone call.

  While you may not be vulnerable to these scams if you know someone who might be please share this post with them.