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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bank of America ( 11 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 58 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), Zelle   

  Teen saving for fishing boat falls for Zelle scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Once again, scammers show they don’t care who their victims are. While we often hear about elderly victims who fall prey to scams, they happen to younger people as well. Some experts have even said that younger generations fall victim to scams just as much as the older ones. Whether it’s a lack of experience, or an unwillingness to come forward, younger adults are losing just as much as their older counterparts. However, when the discussion turns to teenagers, that’s a demographic that scammers are always willing to capitalize on.

  A 14-year-old boy from New Jersey and some of his friends were trying to save money so they could buy a fishing boat together. The teen decided to sell a computer he had on Facebook Marketplace. He listed the computer for $500 and found someone who said they were willing to buy it. The buyer offered to pay the teen through Zelle.

  For those who may be unfamiliar with Zelle, it’s a personal payment app that’s co-owned by a number of the larger banks in the U.S. Zelle is only supposed to be used to send payments to friends and family, but scammers have been using it to cheat their victims out of money.

  In this case, the scammer sent the teen an email that looked like it came from Zelle saying the $500 payment couldn’t be received because of a limit on the teen’s bank account. He was then instructed to send $500 to the buyer that was supposedly going to be returned to the teen. Then the teenager got two more emails that appeared to come from Zelle that requested two more fee payments of $200 and $400. The teen made the payments before realizing he was being scammed.

  The teen’s father called the bank’s fraud department, who were able to prevent the $200 and $400 payments from going through, but the $500 payment was already gone. The bank said that could not get it back. Undaunted, the teen wrote a letter to the CEO of Bank of America, one of Zelle’s co-owners, for assistance. It wasn’t until the teen talked to local media before he was able to get his money back.

  Unfortunately, the teen’s story is more the exception than the rule. In most cases, Zelle scam victims never get their money back. The Zelle service offers little in the way of protection to scam victims, In most cases, the banks say since the victim authorized the payment, even if it was by deception, they couldn’t refund the money.

  Zelle isn’t the only app that scammers use. Venmo and Cash App have also been pretty popular with scammers, but Zelle seems to rule the roost lately when it comes to payment scams. With many of the banks that use Zelle unwilling to help most scam victims, it’s become a favored tool in the scammer’s arsenal. The best way to protect yourself from the Zelle scam is to not pay anyone through Zelle that you don’t know personally. No legitimate company or government agency will ask you to pay through Zelle. If you’re selling items online, it’s in your best interest not to accept Zelle payments. There’s a greater chance you’ll be scammed than actually getting paid.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 19, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 41 ), charity scam ( 32 ), medical expenses ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), sick children, Zelle   

  Are charity drives for sick children a scam? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  With how expensive medical treatment in our country can be, it’s common to see people or families asking online for financial assistance regarding their medical expenses. According to the crowdsourcing platform GoFundMe, the main reason people open a GoFundMe page is to solicit donations for medical expenses. Unfortunately, scammers will pose as someone in need of financial assistance for medical expenses online. With more and more people becoming aware of these online scams, are scammers going back to asking for money on the street? That very well could be.

  According to a report from the Kansas City area, residents there are saying that people are taking to the streets and holding up signs asking for donations for children with severe illnesses. However, these signs have a modern twist. Instead of just taking cash, the signs also have indicators that you can donate money to various personal payment apps such as Zelle and Cash App.

  The reason authorities around Kansas City may think this may be a scam is because a group of scammers in South Carolina used the exact same picture of a sick child that the sign holders in Kansas City are using.

  Everybody wants to help a sick child if we can, and the scammers know this. Scammers are masters of emotional manipulation and will use every dirty trick in the book to separate a victim from their money. They want your heart to override your head when it comes to giving money. They want that immediate emotional reaction to result in an immediate donation. While an immediate donation might make us feel better, it might not be actually helping a sick child.

  As always, people should research before making any kind of chartable donation, so they’ll know the money is being put to good use. If you feel guilty about not making a donation to a sign holder, or if you just want to help, consider donating to an organization that has a good reputation for assisting those in need.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 12, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: activation scam, Amazon ( 103 ), Prime Video, Scams ( 1,224 ), Zelle   

  Amazon and Zelle used to scam veteran 

  

  By Greg Collier

  An Army veteran from Florida recently fell victim to a scam while trying to set up his smart TV. The man was trying to activate Amazon’s Prime Video app on his TV when he received an error message. Typically, this error message states that there is a connectivity issue and refers you to an official Amazon help page for assistance. However, if someone were to take the URL of the Amazon page and use it in a Google search instead of going directly to the Amazon page, you could find a scam site listed at the top of the search results.

  The former soldier found himself on just such a page, where he was asked to enter an access code to authorize his device. In this case, it doesn’t matter what access code is input. Someone could put in any string of numbers and letters and still be taken to the next part of the scam. After the man entered the code, he was taken to a page that asked him to call a customer service number.

  After he called the number, the scammer was able to gain access to the man’s Amazon account and did help him install the Prime Video app to his TV. Scammers do this to try to add legitimacy to their scam. Then, the man was told that his Amazon account had been compromised, and he needed to transfer money out of his bank account using the Zelle app to protect his accounts. Before it was all over, the man had lost $6000 to the scammers. As is typical with Zelle scams, the man’s bank has refused any kind of refund.

  When dealing with online customer service or tech support, always make sure you’re at the correct website. In this instance, make sure you’re at an Amazon.com address and not some address that appears to have no connection to Amazon. Also, no legitimate business will ask you to make any kind of transaction using the Zelle app. Apps like Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App are only supposed to be used between family and friends. This is why these apps don’t offer the same protections you might receive with a credit or debit card.

  Lastly, this scam shows once again that anybody can fall victim to a scam. The victim in this scam even said as much to local media when he told them, “I’m 68 years old. I’m a vet. I thought I knew everything. I thought I was smart when it came to things like that.”

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 11, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: California ( 20 ), Orange County, real estate ( 117 ), rental scam ( 84 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), Zelle, zillow ( 14 )   

  Knock on the door saves family from rental scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We would say that it seems to be the week for rental scams, but unfortunately, they’re an everyday threat to prospective renters. It’s not just renters, either. Homeowners and current tenants are often left having to tell victims of rental scams that the property is not for rent. Meanwhile, the victims are left desperately scrambling to find a place to live after having lost thousands of dollars to scammers.

  The rental scam can take many forms, but at its simplest, scammers copy real estate listings then post a copy somewhere online that the home is for rent. Except, the scammers list themselves as the landlord and collect security or rental deposits before ghosting their victims.

  A couple from Orange County, California, almost feel victim to a rental scam, but decided to investigate when something didn’t feel right. The home they found was listed for rent on Facebook Marketplace. The supposed landlord only communicated by text. They were also asked to pay a $2000 deposit through personal payment app Zelle and were pressured to pay quickly since others were interested in the rental. The couple was also told not to go to the property because it was currently occupied, although the tenants would be out by the end of the week.

  The home was occupied alright, but not by renters, the family that was living there had bought the home, and it was not for rent. The couple interested in the home decided to go to the home anyway, sensing something was fishy. The couple knocked on the door and spoke with the family living there, who told them the home was not for rent. It turned out the scammers had copied the Zillow listing that the family saw when they bought the home.

  The couple was lucky enough to notice the red flags before losing any money. Unfortunately, not all families are this lucky and end up losing what little money they might have. If a landlord only communicates by text, it could mean they’re not in the area and are just interested in taking your money. If they ask for payment through personal payment apps like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App, that’s another good indicator of a potential scam as scammers can block victims on these apps once they receive payment. And if a landlord tells you not to approach the property, there’s a good chance they’re trying to hide something from you.

  As always, due diligence should be done before putting money down on a rental property. A quick Google search of the address can reveal duplicate listings. If the listing you’re looking at has a lower rent price, that’s more than likely the scam listing. If a listing says the house is for sale or off the market, but your listing says it’s for rent, your listing is probably the scam listing.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 3, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bank fraud ( 19 ), bank scam ( 64 ), PNC Bank ( 3 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), US Bank ( 3 ), Zelle   

  How Zelle scammers wear down their victims 

  

  By Greg Collier

  As expected, the Zelle scam is still ongoing. For a brief recap, scammers are calling their victims pretending to be a bank fraud department. The scammers tell their victim that there’s been fraudulent activity on their account. The victim is instructed to move their money through the Zelle app to protect it. But what’s really going on is the scammers are directing the victims to transfer their money to the scammers.

  Just today, we found two reports of bank customers falling for the Zelle scam. However, both of these reports give us a good look into how scammers convince their victims to give up their money.

  A woman from New Jersey is a customer of PNC Bank, one of the banks that co-owns the Zelle app. She received a call from scammers posing as PNC Bank’s fraud department. The caller was said to sound professional and told the woman there had been a $1000 Zelle, transfer to a man in Texas she didn’t know. The caller even knew the woman’s name, address and phone number. She was told to use the Zelle app to perform a $1000 reversal.

  The woman started to think the call was suspicious and started asking for additional identifying information from the caller, such as her date of birth or account number. The caller insisted the call was legitimate and time was running out on stopping the phony transaction. The caller refused when she asked to speak with a supervisor. She even said she was going to call PNC directly, but was told she would just be directed back to the fraud department. Then the caller tried to say there was another $5000 charge that just came through. When she started asking more questions, the caller said PNV would call her back tomorrow and hung up.

  A man from Colorado fell victim to a similar scam when he received a call that appeared to come from U.S. Bank’s fraud department. U.S. Bank is also a co-owner of Zelle. That caller had a large amount of the man’s information, including his name, address, and the last four digits of his bank account. Again, that caller sounded professional, and the man heard computer typing in the background like they were really handling a fraudulent activity on his account. He was also instructed to move his money through Zelle, where he lost $1000. These scammers also tried to get more money out of the man, That’s when he hung up and called U.S. Bank directly to find out he’d been scammed.

  In both cases, neither bank would refund the victims their money, with both claiming they can’t do anything since this wasn’t the result of a banking mistake.

  Please keep in mind that scammers aren’t just some guy calling from a run down basement using a burner phone. Often, they’re run exactly like a legitimate business would be run. Don’t fall for phony professionalism.

  And remember, Zelle is only supposed to be used between friends. It’s not for bill paying or ‘protecting your money’. If you get a call like this, hang up and call your bank directly at the phone number on your debit card or from the bank’s website.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 26, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bank fraud ( 19 ), bank scam ( 64 ), impersonation scam ( 113 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), Zelle   

  The Zelle scam is still around, in case you were wondering 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve been posting about this particular Zelle scam since last October. That probably means the scam has been going on for at least a year. In case you need a reminder or haven’t heard of the Zelle scam, we’ll give you a refresher.

  Zelle is what’s known as a peer to peer payment app. Its closest competitor is Venmo and is supposed to be used in a similar way. Payments are only supposed to go to people you know personally. The most used example for apps like Zelle is splitting a check at a restaurant. Instead of everyone getting a separate check or trying to settle up with cash, you can electronically send your friend your portion of the bill. However, scammers have taken advantage of people through Zelle even if the victim doesn’t normally use the app.

  The most egregious of these scams is a bank impersonation scam. It starts when a potential victim of the scam receives a text message that appears to have come from their bank. The text message typically says something to the effect of, did you make a large purchase or did you transfer a large amount of money through Zelle? The victim is then asked to reply yes or no.

  When a victim replies no, they immediately receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from their bank’s fraud department. The phony customer service rep gives instructions to the victim to use Zelle to protect their account from being hacked. What’s really happening is the scammers are directing the victims to use Zelle to move money from the victim’s account to the scammers’ account.

  Recovery of lost money is often rare and difficult. Zelle offers little in the way of consumer protection when it comes to scams. The big banks that own Zelle say they can’t refund the victim their money since the victim ‘willingly’ moved the money, scam or not.

  Zelle has gotten a bad rap because of this scam over the past year, but it still seems like they’ve done very little in the way of trying to protect their users. With all the negative press, the scam still continues.

  Just recently, a woman from Texas lost $3000 to this scam. In her case, the scammers took $1000 a day for three days from her account through Zelle under the guise of helping her protect her account.

  The best way to prevent yourself from falling for this scam is to ignore the text message. Do not reply to it at all, or you will receive a call from the scammers. Scammers don’t actually know where you bank. They cast a wide net of text messages, hoping to get at least one person to respond. If you still have concerns about your bank account, call them directly at the customer service number on your debit card or your bank’s website.

  If you find yourself having fallen victim to this scam, file a police report. We have seen it reported that doing this will aid in recovering your money, but is not a guarantee.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 21, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: homeless ( 5 ), north carolina ( 15 ), rental scam ( 84 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), veterans ( 8 ), Zelle   

  Homeless vet taken in rental scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve said it many times in the past, scammers don’t care who they take advantage of. They’ll use any situation to steal money from the most vulnerable members of our society. Scammers often fleece the elderly who live alone. They would literally steal from babies if given the chance. So, it should come as no surprise that scammers would not only steal from a man who served our country, but one who has also fallen on hard times.

  A veteran from North Carolina, is currently living in a tent in the woods of Concord, a semi-rural suburb of Charlotte. He served in Iraq and has been trying to find stable housing. Unfortunately, it’s been difficult for him to find housing due to his credit history and a criminal record.

  He thought he had found an ideal place when he found an online listing for a home to rent. The supposed landlord gave the man’s brother the access code to the home, so they could actually tour the home. The man agreed to rent the home and sent the landlord $2,000 through the personal payment app Zelle. The landlord then cut off all communication with the veteran. The property was actually being rented by a rental company.

  Scammers having the access codes to rental homes is nothing new. The scammers get the code by contacting the rental company and taking a tour of the home. The code is then used by the scammers to make the scam appear more legitimate.

  And again, it should come as no surprise that Zelle was also used in the scam. Since Zelle offers little to no protection to its users, it has become a tool of choice for scammers everywhere.

  Rental scammers are constantly looking for people who are desperate for housing. Since housing is one of the most basic of needs, people who are scrambling for shelter may often overlook the warning signs of a scam.

  Again, security codes are not a sign of a legitimate property owner. To better prevent yourself from being scammed, it always pays to research a property first. Just a quick web search of the property’s address can bring up a plethora of information that can help you determine whether a listing is a scam or not. You can also find the true owner of a property by checking with the county’s tax assessor’s office.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 5, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 173 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 58 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), TikTok ( 9 ), Zelle   

  Online seller gets 8 Zelle scammers in an hour 

  

  By Greg Collier

  It was around this time last week, we first brought you the story about a Zelle scam that’s been targeting online sellers. In this scam, the buyer insists on paying with Zelle. The seller then receives an email that claims to be from Zelle. The email claims you need to upgrade to a Zelle business account, which requires the buyer to send an additional $300. The buyer will then send the seller phony screenshots that make it look like the buyer paid the seller’s price along with the $300, The buyer will then demand the back from the seller. However, the buyer hasn’t really paid anything, and the seller would be out $300 if they send the money to the seller.

  Now, we’re getting some more information about this scam. A woman from New York recently shared her story on TikTok after encountering some Zelle scammers. She was attempting to sell a couch on Facebook Marketplace. At least eight different people tried paying the woman through Zelle within an hour after the listing was posted. The scammers were said to have been asking for the seller’s email address to send the payment through Zelle. That’s not how Zelle works, though. More than likely, the scammers wanted to send the email about signing up for a Zelle business account. These emails will have Zelle in the name, but will often come from services like Gmail. Again, this scam isn’t exclusive to Zelle and Marketplace, but they seem to be the most common avenues for this scam.

  The New York woman told her followers that Zelle is not the scam, which is technically true. But as we’ve been chronicling for almost a year, Zelle isn’t exactly standing by their customers when it comes to scams. In the Zelle app, you should receive a warning that says you shouldn’t send money to people you don’t know, but that seems to be the extent of their user protection. Zelle and its associated banks are very reluctant to offer refunds to scam victims. Most scam victims, who do get their money back from Zelle, usually have to go to their local media first. That doesn’t sound like a very consumer-friendly way of helping a scam victim.

  If you’re selling items online, we recommend following these three rules. The first is to only sell locally. The second is to only accept cash. And the third is to meet the buyer at a local police department. While these rules are not guarantees that you won’t be scammed, they do go a long way in preventing scams.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 29, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: real estate ( 117 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), Zelle, zillow ( 14 )   

  Zillow scammers list multi-million dollar homes for just thousands 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In a previous post, we mentioned that even Zillow isn’t immune from rental scammers. In that post, we discussed how a scammer claimed a property on Zillow to run a rental scam. That scammer was charging victims for things like deposits and application fees for a property they didn’t own. So, someone might think that homes for sale on Zillow can’t be scam listings. Well, it depends on the home and the price.

  A scammer, or group of scammers, are claiming multi-million dollar properties on Zillow, and listing them for sale at a fraction of the price. For example, in Jacksonville, Florida, a $2 million home was listed for sale with a price of only $21,000. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a $1.3 million home was listed for sale with a price tag of $17,000. What makes this story so incredible is the reason the scammers claim they’re selling these homes at such a deep discount.

  On both listings, the scammers say, “I’m selling my home inexpensively because, my family own many properties across the country. A few times a year we sell one or a few of our homes to first time buyers for under $50,000. This is done as a tax rite off for us, & to bless a family or individual that needs it, & as being a first time buyer, may not be able to get a home otherwise.”

  Of course, the supposed good Samaritan lists a few caveats before the sale can take place. They insist the buyer be a first-time home buyer who has no representation such as a realtor, bank, investor, or attorney.

  So, we’re sure you’re asking where’s the scam? The listings insisted that any prospective buyer has to put down a $2000 deposit just to take a tour of the home. And how is the deposit supposed to be paid? Through Zelle, of course. As you may know, the peer-to-peer payment app has come under heavy criticism in recent times for being one of the favorite tools of scammers.

  But as they say on TV, that’s not all. Not only are the scammers looking to take $2000 from each victim, but they’re probably looking to steal their identity as well. In addition to the Zelle deposit, the scammers are asking their victims for an electronic signature, an email address, and a photo ID.

  In Zillow’s defense, the false listings were removed once they were brought to Zillow’s attention.

  While stories of wealthy people giving something of great value to a needy family makes for great fiction, they rarely happen in real life. As you may have noticed, the listing, as copied above, is rife with spelling and grammatical errors. This is a sure sign that a real estate listing is a scam.

  And once again, apps like Zelle and the like are only supposed to be used between friends and family. Anyone outside of your circle who is asking for payment through Zelle is almost assuredly a scammer.

  If you are shopping for a new home, the best way to protect yourself from false listings is to check with that county’s tax assessment office. They should have all the information you need to find the true owner and realtor.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 27, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: BBB ( 18 ), Facebook ( 173 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 58 ), overpayment scam ( 9 ), Scams ( 1,224 ), Zelle, Zelle business account ( 2 )   

  Zelle and Marketplace used in scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Two brands that seem to be synonymous with scams are Zelle and Facebook Marketplace. Zelle has been one of the major platforms that scammers use to steal money, while Marketplace inherited all the scams that plague Craigslist. Then it really should come as no surprise, scammers are using both Zelle and Marketplace to try to put one over on online sellers.

  The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning to online sellers regarding scammers posing as buyers while using Zelle. While the BBB focuses mainly on Facebook Marketplace and Zelle, this scam could apply to almost any online marketplace platform, and any personal payment app. However, in the instance the BBB is reporting on, Zelle and Marketplace were used.

  The scam starts when the phony buyer insists on using Zelle. The seller then receives an email that claims to be from Zelle, but isn’t. These email addresses will have the Zelle name somewhere in the address but will be from some other service like Gmail, or an address the scammers registered themselves. The email says that you need to upgrade to a Zelle business account, which requires the buyer to send an additional $300.

  The buyer will then send the seller phony screenshots that make it look like the buyer paid the seller’s price along with the $300 business account fee. The buyer will then demand the $300 they supposedly paid back from the seller. What really has happened is that the buyer hasn’t paid anything and is just looking for the seller to give them the $300. If the seller were to send the buyer $300 through Zelle, they would be out $300.

  If you’re an online seller, you shouldn’t use apps like Zelle to accept payment. These apps are intended to be used between friends and family only. While it may be convenient to accept payments this way, it’s fraught with fraud and could cost you money in the end.