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  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 6, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: borrowed phone, , paypal, , ,   

    Father charged with using young son in phone scam 

    Father charged with using young son in phone scam

    By Greg Collier

    In a world where acts of kindness are meant to be cherished, there are those who exploit such generosity for their own selfish gains. The recent case of one alleged scammer from Florissant, Missouri, sheds light on a disturbing trend where a father allegedly used his young son as a pawn in a scheme to scam unsuspecting individuals out of their hard-earned money.

    According to the Florissant Police Department’s probable cause statement, the incidents unfolded in late August and late September. Victims recounted encounters where a young person, later identified as the scammer’s son, approached them under the guise of needing to use their phones to call his father. After seemingly innocuous interactions, victims later discovered unauthorized transactions in their PayPal, CashApp, or Venmo accounts, with funds transferred to the scammers online payment accounts.

    This manipulative scheme didn’t just prey on the goodwill of strangers; it exacted a significant financial toll. The total reported losses amounted to a staggering $5,870 across four incidents, leaving victims not only emotionally distraught but also facing financial hardship due to the deceitful actions of the scammer.

    This case underscores the erosion of trust within communities and the vulnerability of individuals who extend a helping hand in good faith. The exploitation of a young child to facilitate such deceit adds another layer of reprehensibility to an already egregious offense.

    If you’re still keen on lending your phone to those in need while safeguarding your financial security, there are steps you can take. Popular apps like Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal offer security features such as PIN or fingerprint authentication, ensuring that only the phone’s owner can access them. By enabling these measures, you can continue assisting others with phone calls without putting your finances at risk.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , paypal, ,   

    Elderly victim loses $100K in PayPal scam 

    By Greg Collier

    An elderly man, from the Boston area, recently lost close to $100,000 to scammers who were posing as PayPal. PayPal is the oldest and possibly the most reliable online payment service. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not without its scammers.

    The scammers called the man and told him that $100 had accidentally been deposited into his bank account. The man was walked through directions on his computer by the scammers, which granted them remote access.

    Then, the man was shown what appeared to be a $100,000 deposit into this bank account. The scammers claimed that it was actually $100K accidentally deposited into his account and not just $100. Typically, at this point in the scam, the scammer will claim that they’ll lose their job if the victim doesn’t help them out by sending the accidental payment back.

    It’s unknown if that’s what happened in this instance, but the scammers convinced the man to send two cashier’s checks for $49,800 each. They even ordered the man to tell the bank the money was for a new car if they asked. Unfortunately, the bank did not question the large amount being withdrawn by an elderly customer.

    Even if a PayPal employee, or any similar company’s worker, were to make a mistake this large, it is never the customer’s responsibility to pay that money back themselves. If an error was made on PayPal’s part, it would be their responsibility to fix it. If the employee claims they’ll lose their job over the error, that’s not your problem. Also, please keep in mind, if the payment was made electronically, it can be reversed electronically by the company itself. If you’re ever instructed to ‘move’ your money for any reason by someone you don’t know, it’s more than likely a scam.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , paypal, , ,   

    Elaborate rental scam leaves more families homeless 

    Elaborate rental scam leaves more families homeless

    By Greg Collier

    Rental scams seem to be grabbing plenty of headlines lately. There hasn’t been an increase in rental scams. Rental scams are one of the more common scams going today and has been for a while. We think the headlines are escalating because increasingly more families are becoming homeless because of the scam.

    For example, two families moved from out of state to Aurora, Colorado. The first family is from Las Vegas and saw an and for a four bedroom home for rent on Craigslist. This family tried to do all of their due diligence. They asked the landlord for proof of ownership, which they provided. The father of the family even drove from Las Vegas to Aurora to meet with a realtor who showed him the home. The man agreed to rent the home and arranged to make the deposit.

    The realtor asked for payment through Cash App, which the man almost recognized as a red flag. However, the Las Vegas man insisted on paying through PayPal instead. Once the realtor received the payment, he gave the family the code to enter the home. So, they packed up all their belongings and moved from Las Vegas into the Aurora home.

    They were living in the home for three days when another family showed up looking to move in. This family had moved from Arkansas to Colorado. When the two families compared their stories, they both realized they had been scammed. Everyone from the landlord to the realtor were scammers.

    It wasn’t too long before the property management company showed up. As property management companies are wont to do, they gave the first family 10 days to vacate the premises or be evicted. The second family didn’t even have that luxury. Now, both families are facing homelessness.

    So, how did the scammers gain access to the home in the first place? Once again, the property management company was probably using a lockbox which contained the keys. Too many realtors never change the code on the lockboxes, leaving them vulnerable to scammers. All a scammer has to do is contact the legitimate realtor and ask for a tour. Since many realtors allow guideless tours, they’ll give the lockbox code to any potential customer, including scammers. Once the scammer has the lockbox code, they’ll use it repeatedly to show the home to their victims.

    As always, the best way to protect yourself against rental scammers is to do as much research about the property as possible. Don’t ask the landlord for proof of ownership, instead contact the county’s tax assessor’s office to find out who the real owner is. Do a Google search on the property’s address to see if there are multiple listings with different rental rates. If there are, the lower priced one is almost guaranteed to be a scam listing. Lastly, never use payment apps like PayPal or Cash App for your deposit. These apps are vulnerable to a number of scams themselves.

    If you want to help the two families taken in by this scam, you can donate to their GoFundMe accounts here and here.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 25, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , paypal, ,   

    Job scam hits college student hard 

    By Greg Collier

    When we think of scam victims, we tend to think of the elderly. However, a very close second to the elderly are college-aged adults. While the former has a wealth of life experience, they may not be savvy with modern tech. Meanwhile, the latter typically tend to have little life experience to draw on to help protect hem from scams. It may even be that since they were raised with the technology, that could make them even more susceptible to scams.

    For example, a college student from Florida was looking to supplement his income while taking classes. He received an email from someone who was using an email address issued by his college. If you’re not a student or faculty member of said school, then it is almost impossible to get access to one of the school’s email addresses.

    The job was said to pay $500 a week and would have the student helping out foster homes and orphanages in the area. The employer sent the student a check for $4500. The student was instructed to print out the check before making a mobile deposit of the check. He was told to keep $500 for himself, while sending the rest of the money to other employees of the company through PayPal and Zelle.

    It wasn’t too long before the student’s bank contacted him to let him know the check was a fake. The student texted his supposed boss, who sent him another check and told him to deposit that one too. That check was recognized by the bank as also being fake and denied the deposit. The bank even informed the student that he would be responsible for the overages in his account.

    If you know someone in your family who is about to head off to college or has just started college, please let them know about this scam. Let them know that no legitimate employer will ever ask them to use their own bank account for business purposes. Even in today’s marketplace with non-traditional employers, they will never ask you to deposit anything in your bank account to pay someone else. If they do, they’re not a legitimate employer.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 8, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , paypal,   

    BBB warns holiday shoppers about PayPal scam 

    By Greg Collier

    PayPal is a great payment option when doing your holiday shopping online. You can put just the right amount of money into your PayPal account for the item you’re looking to buy and not worry about being overdrawn on your account. However, that’s not the only worry you should have when using PayPal. The Better Business Bureau has recently issued a warning about a scam that may not be new, but has picked up in activity during the holiday season.

    This particular scam happens when you go to a retailer’s website that you may not be familiar with. You may have seen an ad on social media for the perfect Christmas gift. You may have seen an ad for a hard to get item at an unbelievable price. Even better, the retailer accepts PayPal for payment. The retailer sends you your delivery, but when you open the package, it’s not what you ordered. In fact, it’s some cheap trinket that may not even cost a dollar. The problem with this scam is that PayPal allows the scam to continue in many instances. The scammers have figured out that as long as something is delivered, in most cases, PayPal will side with the seller in a dispute, essentially giving the scammer your cash.

    If you’re using a new retailer for the first time, look for reviews online. Also, do a web search using the retailer’s name and the words ‘scam’ or ‘complaint’. This should be a good indicator to see if the retailer is legitimate or not. You can also do what’s called a ‘whois’ search on the retailer’s web address. This kind of search often gives you an indicator of where the retailer is located. While it’s not a guarantee you’ll avoid a scam, it will let you know if a retailer is from overseas, which is best to avoid.

    If you do end up being scammed through PayPal by an illegitimate retailer and PayPal sides with the seller, you can always file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau themselves. Again, while not a guarantee of getting your money back, PayPal has responded favorably to BBB complaints in the past.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 29, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: paypal, , , , twitter bots, ,   

    Twitter bots are scamming PayPal and Venmo users 

    Twitter bots are scamming PayPal and Venmo users

    By Greg Collier

    We didn’t intend to write three stories in a row about payment app scams, yet here we are. Apps like PayPal and Venmo have become so common, it’s almost expected for scammers to try and weasel their way into our electronic wallets. We have documented quite a number of scams that involve not only PayPal and Venmo, but Cash App, Zelle, and other platforms as well. Those scams usually involve some kind of fraudulent transaction, but it seems at least one group of scammers have stepped up their game when it comes to finding new targets.

    Scammers have recently set up bots to look for any mention of the names PayPal or Venmo. For example, if someone were to ask another person on Twitter if they had a PayPal, so they could pay them for an item or support a content creator for example, the bot picks up on that mention. What happens next borders on evil genius territory.

    The bot will then make an almost duplicate Twitter account of the person being asked if they have PayPal. They’ll block the account they’ve cloned, then respond to the person who asked about their PayPal account with a link that goes to the scammers account. So the person who is supposed to be receiving the money doesn’t even see the fake account responding to the person who asked them about their PayPal account. In a normal Twitter conversation, it would go something like this.

    Person 1: Hey, I like your content. Do you have a PayPal?

    Impersonated Account: I sure do. (With attached link to scammer’s PayPal)

    Meanwhile, Person 2 never sees the impersonated account respond, and loses out on a sale or support.

    If you feel the need to discuss someone’s PayPal or Venmo account with them on social media, make sure to do it through private messages and not in a way where everyone can see it. Also, if you’re someone who solicits donations for their work through PayPal, it’s best not to list your PayPal details in your public profile as bots could be targeting you.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 28, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , paypal, ,   

    PayPal scam targets the elderly 

    PayPal scam targets the elderly

    By Greg Collier

    Yesterday, we talked about Venmo has been used in various scams, but today is all about Venmo’s big brother, PayPal. For those who may not know, Venmo is owned by PayPal. Anyway, PayPal is also no stranger to scams. Scammers have been fleecing PayPal users before Venmo was even a thing. Historically, PayPal was used as a scamming tool by shady eBay sellers. This was around the time when eBay owned PayPal, but has since spun off the payment app. We’re not saying that PayPal is responsible for the scams, but since PayPal has become so common in internet commerce, it has become a major avenue of scammers.

    A report out of Southern California says that there is a PayPal scam going around targeting elderly users of the platform. Most PayPal users get an email every time they make a purchase using PayPal. PayPal users will be most familiar with the email that comes with the PayPal logo that tells you where you made the purchase and how much the purchase was. A 67-year-old woman from San Diego received one of these emails, but it was for a purchase she didn’t make that was for an exorbitant amount. Legitimate PayPal emails also contain PayPal’s customer service number. This scam email also contained a phone number, but it went to a scam call center instead of PayPal.

    The phony customer service representative asked to log into the woman’s account in order to reverse the charge. The woman was also asked for banking information, since PayPal accounts are required to be linked to a bank account. Thankfully, the woman caught on that this was a scam and did not give up any of her information.

    If you are a PayPal user, and you receive an email that claims you were billed for a purchase you didn’t make, the first thing you should do is log into your account. Then check the transactions to see if the fraudulent purchase is there or not. If it’s not there, you can delete the email and forget about it. If a fraudulent transaction is there, call the customer service number listed on PayPal’s website or the back of your PayPal debit card. Whatever you do, don’t Google for the phone number, as that could lead you to a fraudulent call center. Also, avoid using any phone numbers contained in emails, as they could also direct you to a group of scammers as well.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 6, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , paypal, ,   

    How scammers use the post office to steal from you 

    By Greg Collier

    The US Post Office does a lot to try to prevent their system from being used for fraudulent purposes. The United States Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of the USPS, and they do a lot to investigate and prevent mail fraud. Unfortunately, with the way the mail system in the US has become automated, scammers have taken advantage of the modern conveniences of the postal system. Here is just one of the ways scammers use the post office to separate you from your money.

    In Idaho, a man ordered some gardening supplies from a random website. The man used PayPal to pay for the items that only amounted to around $45. A week went by and the man did not receive the items he ordered. He tried contacting the seller but received no response. He then tried filing a complaint with PayPal. At first, his request was denied because the seller provided PayPal with a USPS tracking number showing that the item was delivered. The supposed delivery was sent close to the man’s address. Typically, in postal scams like this, the victim will be sent an empty box or be sent an item that’s well below the value of the item they ordered. The man was eventually able to get a refund from PayPal, but it took him a month to do so. Again, that’s more the exception than the rule.

    When ordering online from a small or unfamiliar business online, your best bet is to use a credit card instead of a payment app like PayPal. While there are advantages to using services like PayPal, they do not offer the same protections that a credit card does. And again, when making a purchase from an unfamiliar website, do some research first to see if the website has any fraud complaints against it before making any purchases. While this purchase may have been a negligible amount, if enough people fall for the scam the small amounts can add up quickly.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 14, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , paypal, phone takeover, ,   

    Scammers stopping cell service can steal your money 

    Scammers stopping cell service can steal your money

    By Greg Collier

    We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s still hard to imagine life these days without your smartphone. It’s been one of those necessities that you don’t leave the house without. If you’re anything like us, we’re sure you’re checking for your keys, identification, and phone before you go out the front door. Now, imagine that you’re out running errands or what have you, and all of a sudden, your phone no longer has any service. No calls, no apps, no texts or anything. If this were to happen to you, it would be more of a problem than not being able to contact anyone. It could have disastrous results for your finances too.

    Recently, in Memphis, Tennessee, two alleged scammers were arrested for reportedly stealing close to $500,000 from AT&T customers. The pair would call into AT&T call centers posing as AT&T employees. They would then be able to get access to customer accounts. With the customer account information, they would call AT&T back and switch the customer’s service to another cellular provider. The scammers then had access to the various apps that the customer may have used. The scammers are then said to have taken money out of apps like PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App.

    While this scam is far from new, we’ve never seen it used on such a grand scale before. Even though AT&T was singled out in this post, it has happened to other providers, again, just not on this scale. This scam usually doesn’t target as many individuals as this one has. Unfortunately, the onus on protecting you from this scam is on the cellular providers. On top of this, customer service representatives for some providers are often under-trained and are asked to handle multiple customers at the same time. This can lead to a lot of fraud slipping through the cracks.

    In some instances, you can set up a PIN or password with your provider that will identify yourself in case someone tries to take over your account. Other than that, the only thing we can recommend is getting in touch with your cellular provider as soon as your service goes out.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 5, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , paypal, , , ,   

    Two PayPal scams you should be aware of 

    Two PayPal scams you should be aware of

    PayPal is probably one of the most trusted online payment systems today. There aren’t many online retailers that don’t accept PayPal as a payment option. PayPal also allows those who are underrepresented by banks to not only shop online but to also have a debit card that the consumer can use like any bank debit card. However, this post isn’t meant to be free publicity for PayPal. While PayPal does offer many protections to their users, it can still be used in various scams as we’re about to take a look at now.

    Security experts are warning about a new series of text messages going around that are designed to steal your PayPal login information. The text messages claim that there has been fraudulent activity on your PayPal account and that your account is now limited. That would mean that you would be restricted in the use of your own PayPal account. The text then directs you to click on a link to verify your account. If you click on the link, you’ll be taken to a phony PayPal page that resembles the genuine article. If you enter your login information on this phony page, your information has just been stolen. Since many PayPal accounts are linked to bank accounts, your bank account could be in jeopardy as well. If you feel like you’ve clicked on one of these links and given them your information you should immediately change your PayPal password.

    The other scam is more hands on so to speak. A woman in Georgia was selling a cell phone on Facebook Marketplace. She met a buyer at a local restaurant. The man agreed to buy the phone using PayPal. The buyer showed the woman a fake email that looked like he had just paid her through PayPal. However, the woman wasn’t seeing the payment in her account. The man then made it appear as if he was calling PayPal himself and told the woman that the payment would be in her account in a couple of hours. As you can expect, the payment never showed up. PayPal doesn’t work like this as payments are almost instantaneous. Once you make or receive a payment you should be notified by PayPal right away. If you’re not notified you shouldn’t take a stranger’s word for it that you’ve been paid.

     

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