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  Geebo 8:01 am on June 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: customer service ( 50 ), rental car ( 6 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle   

  Don’t pay for a rental car with Zelle 

  

  By Greg Collier

  With many people planning vacations for the warmer weather, there are a number of scams to look out for. We recently highlighted some of them here. Another scam vacationers may want to be aware of involves rental cars.

  When looking to rent a vehicle, make sure you’re speaking to an actual rental car agency. If you do a web search for a phone number to a rental car agency, you may not be given the results you’re actually looking for. Scammers can and have paid web search companies to have their listings show higher than the actual rental agencies in some search results.

  The listing and possibly the website itself will appear like it belongs to one of the brand name agencies like Budget or Enterprise to name a few. However, when you call the number in the listing, you’ll actually be directed to a scam call center.

  This recently happened to an elderly woman from Texas. Her son came to visit, and she decided to rent a car. She thought she was talking to Budget, but was actually talking to scammers. They gave her a great price, but then the scammers asked for a $400 security deposit to be paid through Zelle. Unfortunately, the victim sent the $400 to the scammers and no car was ever delivered.

  To steer clear of this scam while renting a car, it is advisable to utilize the customer service hotline provided on the rental agency’s official website. Nearly all agencies offer a location finder tool on their website, which guides you to the closest branch in your area and provides their respective contact number.

  And when paying for your rental, legitimate agencies will never ask for payment through apps like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App. Neither will they ask for payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency. If they do, they’re trying to scam you.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bank of America ( 11 ), bank scam ( 70 ), customer service ( 50 ), customer support ( 23 ), impersonation scam ( 144 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle   

  No change in Zelle scam with scammers or banks 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In a few months, it will be two years since we first started posting stories about the Zelle scam. Since it’s been a while since we’ve posted about it last, let’s have a quick refresher.

  Zelle is a personal payment app whose parent company is co-owned by several of the nation’s biggest banks. Some of these banks include, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and US Bank, just to name a few. Often, these big banks will have the Zelle service baked in to that bank’s phone app. Many customers of these banks don’t even realize they have Zelle on their devices.

  Zelle is designed to be used between friends and family, much like Venmo and Cash App. However, also like Venmo and Cash App, Zelle also has its fair share of scammers.

  Another problem with the Zelle scam is the banks that use Zelle are very hesitant to offer refunds to the victims of scams. The banks state since the customer authorized the transaction, even under false pretenses, the transaction is considered legitimate. Some banks have only offered refunds after the victim has taken their story to their local media.

  Here is an example of how the scam works. Recently, a man from North Carolina received a text message asking him if he made a $7500 Zelle transfer to a person he didn’t know. The text appeared to come from his bank, Bank of America. The text message said to reply yes or no to the text message. The man sent a text reply of ‘no’, but it wouldn’t have mattered how he replied, since he was actually texting with scammers.

  After he sent his reply, he received a phone call that looked like it was coming from B of A, complete with the caller ID showing the B of A customer service number. The number was spoofed by the scammers, which is an easy thing for them to do. The scammers were posing as customer service agents from B of A. They gave the man instructions on how to protect his money from the fraudulent transaction, but what they were really doing was walking him through the steps to send money to the scammers. In his case, it was $1500. The man claims when he inquired with B of A, they allegedly told him it was his responsibility.

  Anytime you receive a notification that looks like it came from your bank asking you about a transaction or telling you your account is at risk, do not reply. Instead, call your bank’s customer service department directly to verify if there is an actual problem with your account.

  If you’ve fallen victim to this scam, contact police immediately. While it’s not a guarantee of getting your money back, it does go a long way in helping. Lastly, if your bank is refusing a refund, think about going to your local media with your story, as we have seen some successes after victims have done that.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 11, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bank of America ( 11 ), good samaritan scam ( 2 ), phone scam ( 46 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle   

  Never hand over your phone for candy 

  

  By Greg Collier

  A woman from New York City thought she was being charitable when she handed her phone to a pair of teens who said they were selling candy. Like many of us, the woman said she had no cash on her. Also, the woman didn’t want any candy, but the teens said she could make a donation if she wanted to through payment apps Zelle or Venmo. The woman used Zelle on a regular basis and wanted to make a small donation.

  In order to send someone money on Zelle, you need to know their email address or phone number. The woman asked the teens for a phone number to send the money to, but the teens said they’ll enter the number on the woman’s phone for her. The phone was handed to the teens who entered the phone number on the Zelle app and the woman made a five dollar donation and thought nothing of it. That was until she went to the grocery store and discovered her bank account was empty. Before giving the woman back her phone, the teens sent $1800 from the woman’s account to the phone number they entered.

  There’s another variation of this scam we’ve discussed before. Typically, it involves the scammer claiming they’re in some kind of situation where they need to make a phone call, but their phone is dead. The scammers often claim their car has broken down, but there are other situations they use in this scam. Once the victim hands over the phone to the scammer, the scammer will open up one of the victim’s payment or banking apps and send the victim’s money to another account. The scam has often been called the Good Samaritan scam.

  Getting back to today’s scam, it turns out the whole incident was caught on the security camera footage at the coffee shop where the woman was approached. The victim thought she wouldn’t have any issue getting her money back from her bank since she had proof she was scammed. However, like with most victims who have been scammed through Zelle, Bank of America allegedly refused reimbursement, since to them, it appeared like the victim had authorized the transaction. Also, like many Zelle scam victims, B of A said they would reopen the investigation after the victim took her story to local media.

  To better protect yourself from a scam like this, try to avoid handing your phone over to strangers, and especially don’t hand them the phone while one of your financial apps is open. Please keep in mind that apps like Zelle and Venmo are only supposed to be used between family and friends. If your phone has a fingerprint reader, consider using that to secure your payment apps on your phone, or at least use a PIN.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on April 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bank fraud ( 23 ), bank scam ( 70 ), refund scam ( 7 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle   

  Zelle refunding scam victims, but won’t say which ones 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The Zelle payment app has been popular with scammers for the past year and a half now. If you’re unfamiliar with the app, it’s a personal payment app. It’s supposed to allow you to make payments to friends and family instantly. However, scammers have used it to have their victims direct money to scammers’ bank accounts. Zelle is owned by a group of some of the nation’s leading banks, and in the past, these banks have been hesitant to refund scam victims. Now, Zelle is seemingly saying they’re going to be refusing scam victims, but are being vague about the details.

  But first, let’s look into how Zelle scams work. The most prolific of these scams is the bank impersonation scam. In this fraudulent scheme, the target receives a text message inquiring whether they have recently made a substantial purchase or transfer. The recipient is instructed to reply with a simple yes or no. After the response, scammers follow up with a phone call, pretending to represent the victim’s bank’s fraud department. The fraudsters then urge the victim to safeguard their bank account by either transferring their funds or using Zelle to “pay themselves.” However, what actually happens is that the scammers are guiding the victim through the process of transferring funds to them via Zelle.

  Zelle can also be used in almost any scam where money is involved, such as phony landlords, and scammers who pose as police threatening victims with arrest. A good rule to follow to protect yourself from these scam is to only use it to send money to someone you know personally. Even then, you should make sure that person requested money from you.

  Getting back to the refunds, Zelle’s parent company recently released a statement saying they were going to, “mandate consumer reimbursement for certain types of scams.” But that’s basically all the information they’ve released. Now, it’s understandable that Zelle would want to keep the details quiet to keep scammers from finding out, but once refunds start happening, people are going to know. We believe that Zelle should be more transparent to keep its users and scam victims better informed. To keep the process secret, it seems like Zelle has something to hide.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 3, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 47 ), job scam ( 79 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), venmo ( 28 ), Zelle   

  The Digital Trap: How Technology leaves the Young Vulnerable to Scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  When we discuss older Americans being susceptible to scams, it’s usually because of their unfamiliarity with some modern technology. However, being too familiar with tech can also make someone vulnerable to scams.

  For example, young people, who use payment apps like Cash App and Venmo regularly, could be convinced to use those apps to their own detriment.

  Recently, a college student from Louisiana fell victim to a phony check scam. She thought she was applying for a job as a nanny. The scammers sent the student checks for thousands of dollars, and told her to deposit them in her own bank account. She was then instructed to send out payments for things like appliances and cleaning supplies. These payments were sent out through the Zelle and Venmo apps.

  Afterward, the bank discovered that the checks were fraudulent, but the student had already sent out all the money. In these cases, the banks hold the account holder responsible for the lost money, even if it was lost through deceitful means.

  Statistically, younger people are just as vulnerable to scams as the elderly, if not more so. This is possibly because of their unfamiliarity with traditional banking transactions. This is not intended as a criticism of young people, but rather a reminder that not everything needs to be done digitally.

  As far as this scam goes, never deposit any checks intended for business into your personal account. Real employers will never ask you to do that. Anyone who asks you to deposit a check then asks you to make payments for them is just trying to scam you.

  Lastly, apps like Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App should only be used with friends and family. These apps make it too easy for scammers to cash out and disappear after taking your money. The companies behind the apps are typically helpless to do much after the transaction goes through, or so they say. So, if you do get scammed through these apps, a refund probably isn’t likely. Please keep in mind that while these apps may be popular in your social circles, most legitimate businesses do not accept payments through them.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on January 19, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: business email compromise ( 11 ), check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 47 ), inheritance ( 6 ), mail fraud ( 21 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle   

  Scam Round Up: Fake check scam targets lower income families and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  This week on the round up we’re bringing you two scams that take advantage of the disadvantaged and one that can affect any business and its customers.

  ***

  The business email compromise scam is one of the more insidious scams. While it targets businesses, it’s usually the customers who lose the most. This is when scammers hijack a business’ email client and use it to deceive customers into making payments to the scammers. Typically, we’ve seen this when scammers convince homebuyers to send their closing costs to the scammers.

  More recently, scammers hijacked the email client of a roofing company in Florida. If you’ll recall, many Florida residents are still recovering from Hurricane Ian. The scammers sent emails to customers asking them to send their payments through the Zelle payment app. One customer lost $1800 to the scammers.

  If a business that you’re dealing with that you’re expected to make a large payment to, be wary if you’re suddenly asked to pay in nontraditional means. These can be payment apps like Venmo and Zelle, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency just to name a few. If you receive one of these emails, call the business to verify the payment request.

  ***

  Our next scam is one of the oldest scams out there and predates the internet. Residents in Pennsylvania have reported receiving letters in the mail that are promising them an inheritance. This isn’t just a tired plot device from old TV shows, and victims have fallen for this scam.

  One of two things typically happen with the inheritance scam. The victim is either asked to make some kind of payment to secure the inheritance, or they’re asked for their banking information. Either way, it can be a devastating financial loss for the victims, especially if they’re in desperate financial need.

  If you receive one of these letters, toss it in the trash. The odds that the letter is legitimate are slim. If you still think there’s an outside chance it might be real, check your family lineage first before making any payments.

  ***

  Our last scam is quite an insidious one. Scammers are sending fake checks to families in traditionally low-income areas. Victims are being told that they’re receiving a payment from UNICEF because of their income status.

  As with any fake check scam, the victims are being instructed to deposit the check and are being asked to send a portion of the payment to a third party. Some of the checks have been as much as $9600.

  If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you’ll know that the banks will allow the victims to access that money as a courtesy before the bank discovers the check is fraudulent. Then the victim is responsible for paying the amount of the check back to the bank. Meanwhile, the scammers make off with the amount that the victim sent to the third party.

  If you receive a check in the mail you’re not expecting, dispose of it. Especially if you’re being asked to send a part of it somewhere else. That can only end up as a substantial financial loss.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 12, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: arrest warrant ( 26 ), concert tickets ( 3 ), jury duty scam ( 30 ), puppy scam ( 37 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Taylor Swift ( 3 ), tickets ( 17 ), US Attorney's Office, Zelle   

  Scam Round Up: Taylor Swift ticket scam and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  This week in the Round Up, we’re going over some familiar scams with a slight twist to each of them.

  ***

  As we keep saying, the most common scam out there is probably the arrest warrant scam. Not a day goes by where we don’t see this scam in the headlines from somewhere in the country. Typically, scammers will pose as your local police department when they call a victim. The scammers will then demand money over an arrest warrant that doesn’t actually exist. More often than not, the scammers will tell the victim they’ve missed jury duty. In many jurisdictions, missing jury duty is no longer an arrestable offense, although you can be fined. However, you would receive a notice in the mail and not an officer calling you on the phone.

  Anyway, some scammers have turned up the pressure on their victims by claiming to be from a much higher law enforcement office than your local police department. Some scammers are claiming to be calling from the US Attorney’s Office, demanding their victims pay ‘legal fees’. The caller ID On these calls is spoofed to make it appear like the calls are coming from the US Attorney’s Office.

  Always keep in mind, no law enforcement office will ever call you demanding money. That goes for the smallest police departments in the most rural towns, up to and including the higher echelons of law enforcement like the FBI.

  ***

  There’s actually some good news on the puppy scam front. According to a recent report from the Better Business Bureau, puppy scams are actually on the decline. We’re specifically talking about the scam where victims pay for a puppy they find online, only to find out the puppy doesn’t exist. In many instances of this scam, once the scammer receives the initial payment, they’ll try to get more money from the victim by asking for more money for things like delivery insurance or special transport crates.

  And that’s where the bad news comes in. The reason puppy scams are on the decline is that scammers are taking more money from victims than before.

  If you’re in the market for a puppy, do not send any money to anyone without seeing the puppy in person first. Try to stick to local breeders or your local shelter.

  ***

  There’s no bigger star in today’s music industry than Taylor Swift. Tickets for her latest concert tour went on sale back in November, and quickly sold out. If you’re still looking to snag some tickets to this premium event, be careful where you try to get them from.

  A New Jersey woman thought she was buying tickets from another member of a Facebook group she belonged to. The woman sent $1500 through Zelle, for the tickets. She never received the tickets, and the scammer kept asking her for more money. If scammers can fool someone once, they’ll often try to get more money out of their victims.

  If you’re trying to buy tickets to any event that is in high demand, stick to reputable retailers. Also, never send money through Zelle to someone you don’t know personally.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 28, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: customer service ( 50 ), Early Warning Systems, impersonation scam ( 144 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), US Bank ( 3 ), Zelle   

  Why do Zelle scam victims only get repaid after talking to the media? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  It’s been more than a year now since the Zelle scam started garnering headlines. In that time, it doesn’t seem like Zelle’s parent company has done much in the way of protecting its users. If you’ll recall, Zelle is owned by a company ironically called Early Warning Systems. In turn, EWS is owned by Bank of America, Truist, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. You’d think between these banking heavy hitters, they’d be able to come up with a way to discourage scammers, yet here we are.

  While there are many scams that have plagued Zelle in the past year or so, we’re referring to the one where scammers pose as your bank. In this scam, victims receive a text message that asks them if they’ve made a large purchase or transfer recently. The victim is asked to respond with either a yes or no. Once the victim responds, the text message is followed up with a phone call. Posing as the victim’s bank’s fraud department, the scammers will direct the victim to either move their money or ‘pay themselves’ through Zelle to protect their bank account. What’s really happening is the scammers are walking the victim through the process of sending money to the scammers through Zelle.

  The banks, such as the ones listed above, have not been consumer-friendly when it comes to helping customers who have been scammed. Typically, these banks throw up their hands and say there’s nothing they can do. Instead, they claim since the victim authorized the transfer, even under false pretenses, the bank is under no obligation to refund the victim’s money.

  However, as we have shown, some victims have gotten their money back, but only after going to their local media. That’s exactly what happened to a family from Northern California when they fell victim to the Zelle scam. They were saving money for their daughter, who is disabled and training to be a para-equestrian. Initially, US Bank said there was no fraud, and there was nothing they could do. Then, after sharing their story with a local news station, US Bank mysteriously issued a refund. This begs the question of why do banks seem to only offer refunds when bad PR is involved? Also, what is it going to take for them to put in more safeguards to help prevent these scams?

  Please keep in mind, Zelle is only supposed to be used between friends and family, people you know personally. Any business or stranger that asks you to pay through Zelle could be trying to scam you. Your bank is also never going to ask you to move your money using Zelle.

  If you find yourself becoming a victim to this scam, the first thing you should do is file a police report immediately. While it’s not a guarantee of a refund, it does go a long way in helping. And if you’re not receiving the fair treatment you think you deserve from your bank, don’t be afraid to contact the consumer advocate reporter in your local area.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 14, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bitcoin atm ( 24 ), check scam ( 79 ), fake check ( 47 ), job scam ( 79 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), work from home ( 9 ), Zelle   

  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 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), craigslist ( 129 ), fake check ( 47 ), overpayment scam ( 9 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle   

  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.