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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 16, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: customer service ( 50 ), San Diego ( 5 ), Scams, shut off scam ( 17 ), utility scam ( 31 )   

  Power company CEO almost falls for shut-off scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The holiday season is probably one of the worst times to be preyed upon by shut-off scammers. Not only is most of the country starting to experience much colder weather, but many of us have a lot on our minds. These are two situations shut-off scammers are hoping to find their victims in.

  In case you’re not familiar with the shut-off scam, this is when scammers call you posing as your local power company. The scammers will say that you’re behind in your bills, and your power will be shut off in 15 minutes. They’re hoping you’ll panic and make a payment to them, usually through some untraceable means like gift cards or cryptocurrency.

  Recently, in San Diego, shut-off scammers unknowingly called the CEO of the local gas and electric company. Posing as representatives of the CEO’s company, they told the CEO there was an issue with his bill, and that his service was in danger of being terminated. The CEO told the phony customer service rep his bill is normally deducted from his bank account.

  According to the CEO, the scammers were ready for that response. They told him this was a problem they were running into and plenty of other customers were saying the same thing. The scammer may have tipped their hand when they told the CEO they could go into his bank account and help him correct the situation. The CEO hung up on the caller and called the actual customer service department of his company, who told him it was a scam. He was even taken aback over how much information the scammers had about not only him, but other members of his family as well.

  We often say that anybody can fall for a scam, regardless of socioeconomic status or education level. Here we had a successful CEO who almost got taken by scammers posing as his own employees.

  But getting back to the scam itself, utility companies don’t threaten customers with termination of service by only giving them a 15-minute warning. If, for some reason, you were to be behind in your account, you would receive a written warning in the mail notifying you of the termination date. Typically, the utilities will give you enough time to try to make some kind of payment arrangement.

  If you receive a call like this that threatens to turn off your service, hang up and call the number to the utility company listed on your bill. This will allow you to not only check the status of your account, but will also warn them about the scam.

   

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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: missing child ( 4 ), Scams, social media ( 79 ), Wyoming   

  Missing teen scam hijacks social media 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Nothing gets shared on social media faster than the report of a missing child. Posts like that elicit such a visceral reaction in us that we’ll share the post without verifying it. This is precisely what scammers are hoping for when they post phony reports of missing children on social media. As we tend to point out, scammers will use any type of tragedy, real or imagined, to fleece their victims.

  In Wyoming, it’s been reported that scammers are posting the picture of a teenage boy who allegedly went missing after not returning home from school. The name of the boy changes, but the pictures largely stay the same. These posts are being posted by several different people, with some of them claiming to be the boy’s mother. The scammers are said to have been making these posts in community and neighborhood groups, and pages dedicated to other missing children.

  So, you’re probably wondering what the scammers can possibly gain by creating a fictitious missing child. The missing child post is just an avenue to get the post shared as widely as possible. Once the original post is shared enough times, the scammers will change the post to whatever their latest scam is. In the Wyoming case, the posts were changed to posts for a banking scam.

  So, of course, we always want to help when a child has been reported missing, and we still can. But before you share that post, you might want to make sure it’s from a credible source. For example, if the post comes from a local news station, a police station, or an established organization like The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), it’s probably a legitimate post.

  You may also want to check the age of the post. If you share a post that is years old and the child has been found, repeated posts could make things more difficult not only for police but the child’s family as well.

  Lastly, you could be sharing a false post that is designed to hurt someone.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bitcoin atm ( 25 ), check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 48 ), job scam ( 80 ), Scams, work from home ( 10 ), Zelle ( 66 )   

  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.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 11, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: kidnapping ( 10 ), Santa Fe, Scams, schools ( 4 ), social media ( 79 ), virtual kidnapping ( 45 )   

  Child kidnapping scam spreads across country 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Last month, we discussed a scam that was targeting the families of public school children in the city of Boston. In this scam, the scammers would call the parents of school children and tell the parents that their child had been kidnapped. The children were even referred to by name in these phone calls, making the scam seem legitimate as possible.

  This is known as the virtual kidnapping scam. The reason it’s called virtual is that the scammers really haven’t kidnapped anybody. They’re just hoping they can convince their target that the kidnapping is real. Previously, scammers have claimed to have kidnapped parents, spouses, or adult children, but now they’ve branched out into claiming to have kidnapped school kids.

  What started out recently in Boston, has started to spread to other parts of the country. For example, a mother from Rhode Island received a call saying that her son had been abducted from a local drug store. She was told that her son had been taken by drug dealers from the store’s parking lot. Ransom was demanded from the women for the safe return of her child. Thankfully, local police were able to find her son was still at school, unaware of anything that had happened.

  Granted, Rhode Island isn’t that far from Boston, so some may think that the scam is localized. However, there have now been reports of the scam taking place in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not exactly the Boston suburbs. In the case of Santa Fe, the scammers are particularly targeting the parents of children who attend Catholic schools in the area. As in the Boston scams, the actual names of the school children are being used in the scam.

  The thought of their child being abducted is the greatest fear of most parents. A phone call like this could put them in a state of panic they’ve never known before, so it’s easy to understand why they would think the kidnapping was real.

  The best way for parents to protect themselves from this scam is to know about the scam in the first place, so they know how to react if it happens. If you get a call like this, the first thing you should do is to try to contact the police on another line. You may want to also consider discussing this scam with your children and establishing a code word that only you and your children would know.

  It’s believed that the scammers get information about the children from public posts on social media. While we’re all proud of our children and want to share their accomplishments, you may want to limit social media activity about your kids to close friends and family, and make sure the posts can’t be reshared. And as always, consider having a discussion with your children about what information is and isn’t ok to share on social media.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 10, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Christmas shopping ( 22 ), counterfeit goods ( 12 ), must have toys ( 2 ), online shopping ( 34 ), Scams   

  Don’t get scammed shopping for the must-have toys 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We didn’t want to start talking about Christmas shopping yet, either. But if you want to get one of the must-have toys of the season for your kids or your grandkids, you probably want to get a jump on things now. Plus, it’s better to be aware of how the scams work now before it’s too late into the holiday season.

  Scammers love to take advantage of items that are in high demand. If they’re not scalping the item for an exorbitant mark-up, they’re selling knock-offs, or not selling anything at all.

  When items are in high demand, scammers will set up websites that look like they’re a legitimate marketplace where you can buy these items. They’ll often advertise the items at below-market value to entice customers to their website, typically on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest is where you’ll usually find these ads.

  If you go to one of these websites thinking you’re getting a deal on these toys, you’ll be mistaken. What typically happens is either the scammers will send you a cheap imitation of the toy you’re looking for, or they’ll take your money and disappear.

  There are ways to protect yourself from these Grinches. Try to stick to reputable and known retailers. If you think you’ve found a deal from an unknown retailer, do a Google search on the name of the retailer along with the words ‘scam’, ‘complaints’, and ‘reviews’. This should give you a good indication if the retailer is legitimate.

  You should also do a whois search on the retailer’s domain name. This should let you know when the website was created and where it’s located. You’ll probably want to avoid any retailers from overseas.

  Even if you’re using a reputable retailer’s website, be on the lookout for third-party sellers. On the item’s listing, it should tell you who the item is being sold by. Again, do a Google search on the company to check for complaints.

  Lastly, always use a credit card when buying online if you can. Credit cards offer more protection than other forms of payment that can be used online, and it will be easier to dispute a transaction if you’ve been scammed.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), craigslist ( 129 ), fake check ( 48 ), overpayment scam ( 9 ), Scams, Zelle ( 66 )   

  Coffee table on Craigslist leads to con artist 

  

  By Greg Collier

  One of the oldest scams when it comes to selling items online is the overpayment scam. Traditionally, a victim would advertise an item for sale on a platform like Craigslist. They would be approached by a prospective buyer who wanted to pay by check. When the seller received the check, it would be more than the amount they asked for. The buyer would say they made a mistake and would ask the seller to deposit the check and return the overage.

  This is also a version of the fake check scam. The check is always fake, and after the seller deposits it and sends money back to the buyer, the bank finds out the check is fraudulent. This leaves the seller on the hook to their bank for the full amount of the phony check.

  Since those times, many online sellers caught on to the fake check scam. That didn’t mean that the overpayment scam went away. It’s still around, but now has a more digital aspect to it.

  For example, a woman in Pennsylvania listed a coffee table for sale on Craigslist. The table was listed for $300. A man who claimed he wanted to buy the table sent a cashier’s check for $1550. She was told to deposit the check and keep $300 for herself and give the remaining $1250 to the movers when they come to pick it up.

  Just as an aside, there’s a similar scam where the ‘movers’ are in on the scam and just take the money. However, today’s scam does something different.

  After a few days, the buyer said that the movers couldn’t make it, and he changed his mind about buying the table. The buyer then asked for $1450 back from the seller, and wanted it sent to him through Zelle, which the seller did. The same day the seller sent the buyer the money, the seller’s bank discovered the check was a fake.

  For once, police were able to track down and arrest the scammer, although that’s the exception and not the rule. There was no report whether the seller got her money back or not. Since she used Zelle, there’s a good chance she didn’t, even with the scammer being arrested.

  If you sell items online, some of the old rules are still true. The first one is not to accept checks. Or, at least tell the buyer that there will be a delay in shipping until the check is verified as genuine. If you receive payment for more than the amount you’re asking for, it’s a scam. The buyer didn’t make a mistake, and there are no movers.

  While it may be convenient to accept payments through platforms like Zelle, Venmo and Cash App, they can also be manipulated.

  Your best bet is to only sell locally and only take cash.

  Lastly, we always recommend meeting the other person at a local police department. Many police departments now have areas designed for such exchanges. While it won’t guarantee you won’t be scammed, it goes a long way as a deterrent to scammers.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 8, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bank fraud ( 23 ), Chime ( 2 ), customer service ( 50 ), online banking, Scams   

  Online-only banks vulnerable to familiar scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Online-only banks can be a boon to many. They give those who are underserved by traditional banks a place to safely keep their money. They can be a great tool for those in lower-income households, or those in rural areas who don’t live close enough to a traditional bank. Unfortunately, these banks and more importantly their customers, are still vulnerable to a scam that’s been mostly affecting traditional bank customers.

  Chime is an online-only bank that many people use. They offer lower fees than traditional banks, and customers’ money is still insured by the FDIC. Recently, a Chime customer received a phone call from someone claiming to be a Chime representative. They told her that there was possible fraudulent activity on her account. She was then given instructions on how to protect her money from being stolen from her account. In actuality, the representative was a scammer who was directing her money to a scammer’s account. The scammer ended up taking $1400 of the customer’s money, her entire paycheck.

  If this sounds a lot like the Zelle scam, you’d be correct in thinking so. While Chime does not use Zelle, it does have its own platform for sending money to friends and family. This can be exploited in the same way that Zelle has been in the past year or so.

  In this instance, Chime seems to act more like a traditional bank, as they refused to refund the victim her money. Many of the banks that use Zelle have refused refunds to victims, stating that since the victim initiated the transaction, even under false pretenses, they’re not eligible for refunds.

  Whether the bank is traditional or not, if someone calls you and tells you that you need to move your money to another account to protect it, they’re scamming you. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and call your bank at their customer service number listed on their website, or your debit card.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist ( 129 ), real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams, squatters ( 2 )   

  Family locked out of own home in rental scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  A family from Fresno, California, moved to Tennessee earlier this year. While they were living in Tennessee, they were trying to sell their house in California. Even in our always connected world, that must be difficult to do from two time zones away. That’s also what made it easy for scammers to take advantage of an empty home whose owners were thousands of miles away.

  People moved into the California house just a few months after the family moved to Tennessee. The family still has relatives in the Fresno-area who sent pictures of a U-Haul in the driveway, and the for sale sign had been removed. The relatives were provided the access code to one of the electronic locks, but when they got to the house, the keypad had been removed. To make matters worse, all the locks had been changed as well.

  Police were called to the house, but the people who moved in showed police a rental lease agreement. They also claimed that they found the property listed on craigslist, and paid $3000 in cash to move in. The police were unable to do anything at the time.

  The family contacted a local news station in Fresno who looked into the lease agreement and the signature on the lease didn’t match the signature on the home’s deed. This allowed the news station to contact police, who were then able to have the people vacate the house in 48 hours. But the problems didn’t end there.

  The first thing the family had to deal with was the belongings the people left behind. Under California law, the family had to keep the items for two weeks, then they had to pay to have the items taken away. The house had also been vandalized when the people living there allegedly broke the appliances and plumbing. Unfortunately, their homeowner’s insurance wouldn’t cover the damages because the hose had been left vacant for than 60 days.

  If you’re moving to a new area while still trying to sell your home, don’t rely on the realtor to keep the home safe. We’ve seen too many instances where scammers have fooled realtors into giving them access to the home. Instead, consider investing in a security solution where you can monitor the home remotely. While it might be an additional cost, it can prevent you from having to pay even more in the long run.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on November 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 42 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 62 ), puppy scam ( 37 ), Scams   

  Family terrorized because of puppy scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  A family in Virginia has found out the hard way that scammers don’t care who their scams affect. The scammers are using the address of an elderly woman who lives with her daughter in a puppy scam. Ads are being posted online, promising Yorkie puppies for $200. Yorkie puppies typically range in price from $800 to $1500 from reputable breeders. If you want one that came from champion stock, you could be looking at a $10,000 price tag.

  The scammers would collect the $200 from their victims using Cash App, and would then send them the address of this poor woman in Virginia for them to pick up a puppy. To make the scam seem more legitimate, the scammers even had a copy of the woman’s driver’s license that they would show their victims.

  This is not new in the puppy scam world. Typically, when a victim shows up to a home and finds out they’ve been scammed, they’re heartbroken, but they leave realizing the homeowner is a victim in this too. Unfortunately, in this instance, the family has had some people become belligerent, and have threatened the woman when they find out there are no puppies there.

  It seems that the reason the scammers have a copy of the woman’s driver’s license is because she fell for a scam previously. She was asked to upload her driver’s license to verify her identity in a Cash App giveaway scam.

  Every time the fake Facebook account advertising the puppies gets taken down, a new one pops up, resulting in more people going to the woman’s home.

  Unfortunately, there’s not much the family can do at this point outside of posting a sign in front of their home that there are no puppies there.

  However, you can avoid falling victim to a scam like this by being protective of your personal information. Your identity could be easily stolen if you were to upload it online. If a stranger asks you to upload your license for whatever reason, there is a good chance that you’re being scammed.

  As far as buying puppies go, avoid places like Marketplace and craigslist. This is where puppy scammers flourish. Here at Geebo.com, we stopped accepting pet listings to not only help our users avoid scams like this, but to help cut down on abuses like puppy mills.

  If you’re looking to add a puppy to your family, do your research and don’t act on impulse. Always use a local breeder, so you can visit the puppies before making a purchase. And as always, we strongly recommend adopting a puppy from your local shelter. Shelter dogs are only there through no fault of their own and can be obtained at little to no cost.

   
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  Geebo 8:03 am on November 3, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook Messenger ( 4 ), imposter scam ( 3 ), impostor scam ( 15 ), Messenger ( 4 ), Scams   

  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.