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  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 29, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: Job scam wants your Facebook login and more 

    Scam Round Up: Job scam wants your Facebook login and more

    By Greg Collier

    If you’re thinking of sending money to relatives as a gift this holiday season, you may want to reconsider writing a check. Once again, scammers are stealing mail from mailboxes in hopes of finding a handwritten check. In a process called check washing, scammers can soak the check in chemicals that will remove the ink from a handwritten check. The scammers will then write the check for any amount they please before cashing it.

    To better protect yourself from this scam, mail any checks you may be sending inside the post office itself. This goes a long way in preventing the mail from being stolen. There are also special pens you can purchase that are resistant to the check washing chemicals.

    ***

    The Federal Trade Commission has issued an alert warning taxpayers about a refund scam. According to the FTC, scammers have been sending out text messages claiming you’re eligible for a ‘tax rebate’or some other kind of payment from the IRS. As with most text messaging scams, the messages contain a link for the recipient to click on to get their supposed refund. Clicking on the link could have devastating consequences as it could either ask you for personal or financial information, leading to identity theft, or it could inject malware into your phone.

    Just keep in mind that the IRS is never going to initiate contact with a taxpayer through text messages. If there is any kind of issue concerning your federal taxes, you will receive a notice in the mail before anything else.

    ***

    A woman from Missouri was almost scammed out of her Facebook account while applying for a job online. A friend of a friend had posted a job ad on his Facebook page. While interviewing for the job, she was told that she was being interviewed by the company’s founder and CEO. All the interviews took place through messaging apps like Messenger and Google Chat. The phony CEO asked the woman for a copy of her driver’s license and Social Security card, which may not seem unusual. However, she was also asked for her Facebook login information. Thankfully, she realized this was a scam and cut off contact with the scammer.

    While there have been stories in the past about employers asking for employees’ Facebook logins, those are rare exceptions and not the norm. This seems like the scammers wanted her personal information to hijack her Facebook account and use it for additional scams. Having her personal information might allow them to claim that they are the actual owners of the Facebook account. The acquaintance’s account was more than likely hijacked by the scammers.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Work from home scammers have thought of everything 

    By Greg Collier

    We never like to give scammers any credit, but sometimes they’re pretty clever and their scams ingenious. A profitable scam requires a massive investment of time and has to be planned out meticulously. Plans have to be made for almost any situation, in case something with the scam goes off-script somewhere along the way. That’s part of what makes scams so frustrating. Scammers could probably be successful in legitimate fields if they put their minds to it. Instead, we get stories like this where victims lose thousands of dollars.

    A woman from the Kansas City area recently graduated from college. Since she didn’t own a vehicle, she wanted to find a job where she could work from home. She accepted a job offer that she thought was a legitimate company. What was actually going in is that the scammers were posing as this company. She even did her due diligence by researching the company.

    The problems started, as most work from home scams do, when she received a check from her phony employer. They asked her to deposit the check into her bank account, then use Zelle to send money to an office supply company for her work equipment. Surprisingly, Zelle blocked the transaction.

    The scammers didn’t even hesitate. They then instructed her to go to a local Bitcoin ATM to send $4500 to the office supply company, which she did.

    As you might expect, the check turned out to be a fake, and now the woman is responsible for the $5000 check she deposited into her account.

    No matter how legitimate the company may seem, no real employer is going to ask you to deposit a check into your bank account and then have you use it for business expenses. Real companies just don’t work that way. They also won’t have you pay vendors using apps like Zelle, nor Bitcoin ATMs. Real employers have vendors that they’ll pay themselves to furnish any equipment that may be needed for a legitimate work from home job.

    Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to rip you off.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 26, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Anatomy of a job scam 

    By Greg Collier

    When we discuss the reshipping or repackaging scam, we often have to give generic descriptions of it. For example, the reshipping is a job scam that sounds like a real work from home job, but doesn’t actually exist in the workforce. Scammers will often post a work at home position online, that’s supposed to pay really well. The job entails receiving goods at the employee’s home, who inspects the good for damages. The employee is then supposed to ship the goods to a third party.

    As previously stated, this is not a real job. This is a way for scammers to send goods bought with stolen credit cards to a location that can’t be easily traced. More often than not, the employee/victim of the scam is often caught off guard when police show up at their home.

    However, thanks to the Better Business Bureau of Connecticut, we have the specifics of how one scam ring allegedly operated. A company that went by multiple names kept claiming they were based in Connecticut, while offering positions of a ‘shipping and packaging specialist’ or a ‘picker packer specialist’. This company offered $2400 a month for these phony positions. Employees were even required to log in to a company dashboard to report their hours. Victims didn’t even know they were being scammed until it came time to get paid, and the companies would just disappear.

    This scam can hurt its victims in a number of ways. The first way is that the victims are making plans for the money they think they’re going to be paid, such as paying their bills or rent. When that money doesn’t come, victims could now even be more in debt. Secondly, the scammers probably had their victims fill out legitimate looking applications and tax forms. Scammers could now easily steal the identity of their victims. Lastly, and most importantly, this scam could actually land a victim in jail. If a victim of the scam knowingly falsifies shipping documents under the instruction of the scammers to get around US customs, they could face jail time.

    If you think you may be a victim in a reshipping scam, there are steps you can take. If you’ve already received items, don’t mail them. Instead, contact the USPS Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Work from home job is just an identity theft scam 

    By Greg Collier

    More and more employers are offering work from home positions to new recruits. However, scammers have been offering work from home positions longer than employers and know how to convince their victims the job is for real. Work from home scams go back to the days when envelope stuffing positions were offered in the back of magazines. So, it should really come as no surprise when scammers and con artists continue to find victims for their schemes.

    The work from home scam we’re about to discuss may be familiar to our readers, and it’s the reshipping or repackaging scam. In this scam, the scammers typically approach someone who is looking for a job. If they’re looking for a work from home job, it’s even better for the scammers. The scammers will claim that they found the victim’s resume online and that the victim would be perfect for the position.

    That position is one where the victim is expected to receive packages at their home, inspect them for damages, then ship them to a third party. The packages the victims receive are usually items that were paid for with stolen credit cards. Then the victim unknowingly is shipping them to another scammer who will sell the items for a profit.

    However, there is a secondary outcome to the reshipping scam. The scammers have the victims fill out official-looking paperwork as if the victim is really applying for a job. This includes not only the victim’s Social Security number but can include their banking information as well under the guise of having direct deposit set up.

    A victim from Oklahoma worked one of these scam positions for a month. When she asked the phony employer about payment, the scammers cut off all communication with her. Here, this person thought they would be paid, but instead are now behind on their bills thanks to the scammers.

    The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to know that the reshipping position is not a real job offered by real companies. This kind of job offer only comes from scammers. Be wary of any employment offer that seems to be going too fast from the time of contact to the time of hire. Also, be wary of any position where the employer only communicates with you through some kind of messaging app. These are used instead of more traditional communications, so the scammers can remain virtually anonymous.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: Phony Law Firm Scam and more 

    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.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    College students still vulnerable to job scams 

    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.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Job and check scam targets college students 

    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.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: Scam targeting service members and more 

    Scam Round Up: Scam targeting service members and more

    By Greg Collier

    This week, in the Scam Round Up, we’re bringing you a warning about a scam you’ve probably heard of and two scams you might not have.

    ***

    Our first scam is one of the more common scams. It’s so common, it even predates the internet. The Pennsylvania State Troopers have issued an alert about the secret shopper scam. Some of the larger retail chains employ secret shoppers to evaluate the customer service in their stores. However, it’s not as common a job as scammers would have you think.

    A woman from the Keystone State lost close to $3000 to the scam. She thought she had been hired by Walmart as a secret shopper. She was sent a check and told to deposit it in her bank account before going out and buying gift cards from Walmart. Once she did, she gave the card numbers to the scammers, who she thought were her employer. The check she deposited was a fake, and the scammers made off with the value of the gift cards.

    If any job asks you to deposit a check into your own account that is supposed to be used for business purposes, the odds are the check is a fake.

    ***

    Do you follow any celebrities on social media? If you do, you may want to watch out for any offers they might make. Recently, a number of celebrities have had their social media accounts hijacked or impersonated. The fraudulent accounts claimed that the celebrities were selling PlayStations at retail price, with the proceeds going to charity. By the time some of the celebrities were able to regain access to their accounts, some victims had already sent money to the scammers.

    Sometimes, celebrities, especially online personalities, will have giveaways, but rarely will they sell anything through social media. If you see one of these posts, be very skeptical, and remember that if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

    ***

    Our last scam is one that is specifically targeting members of our nation’s military. Members of the Illinois National Guard have been receiving phone calls by someone claiming to be a first sergeant. The caller tells the service member that they’re owed back pay. The caller then asks for the amounts of the service member’s last three paychecks. Then the service member is asked to pay a fee of almost $300 in order to receive the back pay.

    According to reports, if a service member is owed back pay, they’ll be notified by their chain of command and not a random phone call.

    ***

    While these scams may not be happening right now in your area, you’re now hopefully prepared if they do.

     

  • Geebo 8:09 am on July 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Job scam victim almost ends up in jail 

    Job scam victim almost ends up in jail

    By Greg Collier

    We always warn our readers that there is one scam that could land a victim in jail if they’re not careful. That scam is the reshipping or repackaging scam. In the reshipping scam, scammers will advertise this as a work from home position where the victim’s job is to inspect packages they receive. Typically, the items sent to victims are either stolen or have been purchased using stolen credit card information. The scammers pose as a shipping company or known retailer. The victim is then instructed to send the contents of the packages to a third party. The third party is usually someone overseas. These positions are often advertised online with such titles as ‘shipping coordinator’, ‘warehouse distribution coordinator, or ‘local hub inspector’.

    A man from Florida recently found out how perilous being a victim of this job scam can be. He thought he was working in a quality control position while sending out the packages he received with new shipping labels. Unbeknownst to him, an iPad the man had shipped off had been reported stolen. Investigators were able to track it to a UPS drop-off box. By reviewing security camera footage, police approached the man at the same drop-off box and placed him in handcuffs. After the man explained the situation to police, he was informed of the scam by a police investigator familiar with such scams.

    Receiving stolen goods under false pretenses won’t necessarily land a victim in jail. However, there is a step that some victims have taken that have landed them in legal trouble. If a victim knowingly falsifies shipping documents under the instruction of the scammers to get around US customs, they could face jail time. This is regardless of whether the victim knows it’s a scam or not.

    The best way a jobseeker can protect themselves from a shipping scams is to not accept the position in the first place. No legitimate company sends products to an employee’s home for reshipping. Scammers are only too happy to have a stolen item traced back to the victim’s home address rather than wherever the scammer is located. By accepting this phony job position, victims are acting as an unwitting middleman in a stolen goods ring.

    If you think you may be a victim in a reshipping scam, there are steps you can take. If you’ve already received items, don’t mail them. Instead, contact the USPS Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
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    Scam Round Up: Door to door prescription scam and more 

    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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