Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – April 11, 2026 – Iran War Charity Scams
Scammers are always taking advantage of what is going on in the news to use it as a hook for scams and the war in Iran is no exception. A number of Iran war scams have begun to proliferate and as with many scams, they use emotional appeals to lure people into being scammed.
Scammers are contacting people by phone, text messages, emails and through social media posing as charities and seeking donations to help injured American soldiers, Iranian civilians or refugees. Often the emotional pleas for donations are accompanied by shocking photographs or videos created by AI In many instances the scammers request payments by cryptocurrencies, gift cards or wired funds.
Scam of the day – April 10, 2026 – Investment Scams Are Surging
Investment scams have always been with us, but according to the Federal Trade Commission, they accounted for $8,648,617,756 of losses last year which was double the amount of the previous year and almost triple the amount of the next highest category of scams
Many of these investment scams are promoted on social media, emails and unsolicited phone calls. Often the investment scams are operated as pump and dump schemes. Pump and dump scams have been with us for hundreds of years, however recently they have evolved to keep pace with today’s technology. A Pump and dump scheme is most often done with low priced stocks referred to as “penny stocks.” The scammers buy low priced stocks and then artificially inflate the price of the stocks by using text messages, faxes, Internet chat rooms and other means of communication posing as people with inside information that indicates that a stock is about to rise. This prompts victims of the scam to buy the stock and temporarily inflate the value of the stock. Meanwhile, the scammers sell their stock when the stock price gets bumped up and are long gone when the stock deflates and reverts back to its true value.
And, of course cryptocurrency scams are rampant as people too often invest without knowing what they are investing in or with whom they are investing.
TIPS
Before investing with anyone, you should investigate the person offering to sell you the investment with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Central Registration Depository. This will tell you if the broker is licensed and if there have been disciplinary procedures against him or her. You can also check with your own state’s securities regulation office for similar information. Many investment advisers will not be required to register with the SEC, but are required to register with your individual state’s securities regulators. You can find your state’s agency by going to the website of the North American Securities Administrators Association. https://www.nasaa.org/investor-education/how-to-check-your-broker-or-investment-adviser/ Many investment advisers will not be required to register with the SEC, but are required to register with your individual state securities regulators. You should also check with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for information about the particular investment adviser. https://brokercheck.finra.org/
It is also important to remember that you should never invest in something that you do not completely understand. This was a mistake that many of Bernie Madoff’s victims made. You also may want to check out the SEC’s investor education website at www.investor.gov. Scammers can be very convincing and it may sound like there is a great opportunity for someone to make some money, but you must be careful that the person making money is not the scam artist taking yours. Additionally, investing with someone merely because you trust them because you have heard them on the radio or television is dangerous. Having the same person advise the investment and control the investment is a common thread among Ponzi schemers because it enables them to falsify documents to make the investment look profitable. Generally, for additional security it is desirable to have a separate broker-dealer act as custodian for investments chosen by an investment adviser.
For detailed information about cryptocurrency scams and how to avoid them check out this link from the FTC https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-cryptocurrency-and-scams#scams
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
Scam of the day – April 9, 2026 – Social Security Administration Warns About Increase in Social Security Imposter Scams
Imposter scams have long been among the most lucrative for scammers. While there are many variations of this scam, the most common variations have involved scammers emailing their victims posing as a popular company with which we all do business or calling their intended victims on the telephone posing as some governmental agency such as the IRS or the Social Security Administration. The scammer then, under a wide variety of pretenses, demands an immediate payment or personal information that can lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft. According to recent FBI statistics, Americans lost almost $800 million to government imposter scams last year.
Recently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued a warning about a dramatic increase in scammers posing as SSA employees in emails that falsely claim to provide access to the recipient’s Social Security Statement. Clicking on links in the email often lead to identity theft.
Imposter scams where the scammers pose as representatives of the Social Security Administration (SSA) are common. Another recent version involves an email that you get informing you that there has been a problem with your Social Security account and that in order to correct the problem, you need to download security update software. However, if you download the software you will end up downloading malware that enables the scammer to steal all of the information from your computer or phone including credit card information and banking information and passwords. Scammers are also sending emails threatening suspension of Social Security benefit payments due to the targeted victim’s name and Social Security number being used in money laundering and drug trafficking.
Other popular scams come in the form of phone calls, emails or text messages purportedly from the SSA requiring you to provide your Social Security number and banking information in order to receive additional Social Security payments
TIPS
As I have often reminded you, whenever you are contacted by phone call, email or a text message you can never be sure who is actually contacting you. B.S. Be skeptical. Through the simple technique of “spoofing” it is very easy for a scammer to manipulate your Caller ID to make a call coming to you appear legitimate when it is not. Therefore you can never truly trust your Caller ID. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone. Email addresses can also be made to appear legitimate as can text messages when they are actually coming from a scammer.
Never click on a link, download an attachment, provide personal information or make a payment in response to an email, text message or phone call unless you have absolutely confirmed that the communication is legitimate.
The real Social Security Administration will never ask for your personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth or banking information. If you do get a communication asking for personal information and you think it may be legitimate merely contact your local Social Security office or call them at 1-800-772-1213.
The Social Security Administration also does not contact people by email, text messages or phone calls and does not suspend benefit payments.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address on the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”
Scam of the day – April 8, 2026 – Melania Trump Nigerian Email Scam
Today’s Scam of the day is another version of the Nigerian email scam that continues to plague the online community. In the most common versions of this scam circulating on the Internet today, you are promised great sums of money if you assist a Nigerian or someone elsewhere in his effort to transfer money out of his country. While we refer to this type of scam as the Nigerian Email Scam, as indicated in the email below, not all versions of this scam have a connection to Nigeria as indicated in the email copied below.
Common variations of the scam include the movement of embezzled funds by corrupt officials, a dying man who wants to make charitable gifts, a minor bank official trying to move the money of deceased foreigners out of his bank without the government taking it or, as in this case, funds derived from a non-existent United Nations program. As illustrated by the email copied below, the Nigerian Email Scam often has nothing to do with Nigeria, but merely is a scam where you are promised a large amount of free money based on a ridiculous premise.
In most variations of this scam, although you are told initially that you do not need to contribute anything financially to the endeavor, you soon learn that it is necessary for you to contribute increasingly large amounts of money for various reasons, such as fees, bribes, insurance or taxes before you can get anything. Of course, the victim ends up paying money to the scammer, but never receives anything in return.
Here is a copy of the email presently circulating. I have deleted the email address used to send the email and the email address of the recipient. While the email purports to be sent from First Lady Melania Trump, the email address of the sender has no relation to her.
From: Melania Trump <*******1456@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, April 3, 2026 3:42 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: From Mrs. Melania Trump The First Lady Of The United States,
The White House Washington, D.C., United States
I am Mrs. Melania Trump The First Lady Of The United States, The Wife Of President Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States of America, want to bring to your attention that prior to the Presidential Executive Order to the United Nations Compensation Unit and Emergency Relief Coordinator, it has come to my knowledge that your name appears among those who have not yet received their compensation fund payment.
The United Nations, in collaboration with the World Bank, has agreed to compensate each eligible individual with $51,000,000.00 USD. This fund, valued at US$51,000,000, will be delivered to you via a Bank draft check or Bank ATM Card through the payer bank. And my husband the President assigned me to carry out the Executive Order to ensure you receive your Bank draft check or Bank ATM Card.
To proceed smoothly with the process, please reconfirm the following information at your earliest convenience:
Your full name:
Home address:
Cell phone number:
Occupation:
Age:
Your prompt response will be highly appreciated to facilitate the release of your compensation.
This email has been authorized and signed by the President and the White House Executive Association.
Get back to me at this Email: ****5369429@gmail.com
Warm regards
Mrs. Melania Trump
First lady of United States of America
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address in the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”
Scam of the day – April 7, 2026 – Bank Imposter Debit Card Scam
For years identity thieves and scammers would use skimmers installed at ATMs and on card processing equipment such as at gas pumps (where this is still a problem) and at retail checkouts to steal the debit or credit card information from the magnetic strip on the card and then use it to access the victim’s account. The development of the chip credit card where a computer chip is contained on the card which provides a new number each time the card is used dramatically reduced the amount of credit and debit card theft with the exception of online purchases where the chip cannot be used (well, nobody’s perfect). Now however, clever criminals have come up with a new way to access your bank account through your debit card.
The scam starts when you get a phone call that appears to come from your bank informing you that there has been fraudulent activity on your debit card. Using a technique called “spoofing” the scammers are able to manipulate your Caller ID so that it indicates that your bank is calling you. The scammer then goes on to tell you that you need to cut up your card, but keep the chip from the card to be picked up by a bank employee. The phony bank employee then shows up to pick up the chip and using social engineering lures the victim into providing his or her PIN.
Once the scammer has your PIN and the chip, he or she can create a debit card and go to any ATM and empty your bank account.
TIPS
Whenever you get a phone call, you can never be sure who is actually calling you. If you get a call that purports to be from your bank informing you of some problem, you should hang up and call your bank at a telephone number that you know is accurate to determine if the call was a scam. You also can go online to your bank account to determine that no fraudulent access had occurred.
In addition, no bank will ever ask you to give them back the chip on your credit card or ask for your PIN.
B.S. Be skeptical!
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
Scam of the day – April 6, 2026 – Jamaica Lottery Scammer Sentenced to Prison
I have been reporting to you since 2012 about the infamous Jamaican lottery scam through which many Americans, mostly elderly, have been scammed out of money after being told that they have won the non-existent Jamaican lottery. The scam begins when the victim receives a telephone call informing them that they have won this non-existent lottery that they never entered and are then pressured to pay “fees” and “taxes” before their winnings can be sent to them. This scam has been going on since the 1990s.
Recently, Tavoy Frarquharson was sentenced to up to 40 months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Between 2020 and 2024 Farquharson contacted his victims by phone and mail informing them that they had won the phony lottery. Many of his victims lost their entire life savings.
TIPS
As I have often told you, it is difficult to win a lottery you have entered. It is impossible to win one that you have not even entered. You should always be skeptical about being told that you have won a lottery you never entered. It is also important to note that it is illegal to play foreign lotteries except when you are actually present in the other country.
While it is true that income taxes are owed on lottery winnings, legitimate lotteries never collect tax money from winners. They either deduct the taxes from the winnings or leave it up to the winners to pay their taxes directly to the IRS. You also should never pay a fee to collect a legal lottery prize.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address where it indicates “Sign up for this blog.”
Scam of the day – April 5, 2026 – Nike Data Breach Class Action Filed
A Nike data breach that occurred around January 21, 2026 has resulted in a lawsuit being filed by Maria Gomez of California who is seeking class action status to represent all of the victims of the data breach. The lawsuit claims that while Nike became aware of the data breach around January 21st, it did not notify its affected customers until February 25, 2026. The lawsuit alleges the stolen data included names, email addresses, billing addresses, phone numbers and credit and debit card information. Nike claims that complete card details were not compromised.
The lawsuit alleges that Nike was negligent in not taking reasonable steps to protect the data of its customers and is seeking at least $5 million as well as free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for victims of the data breach as well as a court order requiring Nike to enhance its data security.
TIPS
This data breach is a good example of why you should never leave your credit card on file with any company, but rather provide it anew each time you shop. And while your liability for fraudulent use of your credit card is limited by law to no more than $50, when you use your debit card, you are making a direct withdrawal from the bank account tied to your card. If your debit card security is breached such as in a data breach your liability is five hundred dollars if you do not report the fraudulent use within two business days after learning of the breach and if you are not regularly monitoring your bank statements and do not report the fraudulent use for more than sixty days after your bank statement with the fraudulent charges is sent to you, your liability is unlimited. This is why you should only use your debit card at ATMs and not for direct shopping.
The first thing data breach victims should do is freeze their credit if they have not already done so. Freezing your credit is actually something everyone should do. It is free and easy to do. In addition, it protects you from someone using your identity to obtain loans or make large purchases even if they have your Social Security number. If you have not already done so, put a credit freeze on your credit reports at each of the major credit reporting agencies. Here are links to each of them with instructions about how to get a credit freeze:
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
Scam of the day – April 4, 2026 – AAA Emergency Roadside Kit Text Message Scam
Scammers are sending out massive numbers of smishing (the term for phishing by text) text messages that contain language such as “Congratulations! As a valued AAA member, you qualify for a FREE emergency roadside kit. Click to claim.” If you click on the link provided in the email it will take you to a phony, but legitimate appearing AAA website, most likely created by AI, where you will be prompted to provide personal information that, if provided, will lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft. Making the matter worse, in some versions of this scam you will also be asked to provide credit card information to cover shipping or a handling charge or even for verification purposes. And to make matters even more worse, merely clicking on the link in the text message may download malware that can steal information from your phone including passwords to sensitive accounts.
The scam is very effective for a number of reasons. Through a simple technique called “spoofing” the scammer is able to make the phone number of the sender of the text message appear to be that of AAA. In addition, with more than 60 million AAA members in the United States, scammers can send these text messages out through bulk texting platforms that enable them to send millions of these phony text messages easily. Often the messages carry the familiar AAA logo, but it is a simple matter to use a counterfeit logo to make the text message appear legitimate.
TIPS
AAA does not send unsolicited text messages offering free gifts, does not ask members to click on links to claim prizes and never requests sensitive personal information from members by text message or email. As I always remind you, “trust me you, can’t trust anyone” so if you do receive an email asking for a payment, asking you to click on a link, asking you to download an attachment or asking you to provide personal information, you should not take any of those actions until you have absolutely confirmed the communication was legitimate. In this case, you can call AAA at the phone number that appears on your AAA membership card or go directly to the real AAA.com website to confirm that the text message was a scam.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
Scam of the day – April 3, 2026 – Virtual Kidnapping Scams Increasing
I have been warning you about phony kidnapping scams, also known as virtual kidnapping, for fourteen years and according to the FBI, the scam is increasing in frequency. Generally, the scam starts with a telephone call informing the person answering the phone that a child or other relative has been kidnapped and if the person receiving the call does not respond by wiring money right away, the relative will be killed. As with so many scams, we are often our own worst enemy and this scam is no exception. In many instances, the scammers gather personal information about the intended scam victims from information that the intended victims or members of their families post on social media. Armed with personal information gathered from social media, a scammer can describe the supposed kidnapped victim or provide personal information that would make it appear that indeed they actually do have the person in their custody.
This scam has evolved to be even more convincing through the use of AI voice cloning technology to clone the voice of the person the scammers say they have kidnapped. They get the audio through social media posts to make the call from the kidnapper appear to be more believable. With voice cloning becoming so easy to do, even technologically unsophisticated scammers are able to utilize it to make their scam seem legitimate. In addition, the FBI has just issued a warning about scammers sending deepfake videos or photos of the person they claim to have kidnapped to prove that they actually are holding the victim. Often the scammers will send the photos or videos using timed message features that limit the time that the family targeted in the scam can actually view the photos or videos because upon close inspection they can be determined to be fake.
TIPS
Always be skeptical if you receive such a call. Never wire money to anyone for anything unless you are totally convinced that what you are doing is legitimate because unlike paying for something with a credit card, once your wired funds have been sent, they are impossible to get back. Talk to the alleged kidnapper as long as possible, thereby giving someone else with you the time to call or text the alleged kidnap victim on his or her phone. If the purported kidnapping victim is a young child, call the school to confirm that he or she is safe. You also could ask the kidnapper to describe your relative as well as provide information, such as his or her birth date, which could be found on a driver’s license, however, it is important to remember that much of this kind of information may be available through social media or elsewhere on the Internet.
Parents should also check the privacy settings of the social media of their children and consider limiting the availability of their children’s posts.
Remember, even if the call appears to come from your family member’s phone, it is a simple matter for a scammer to “spoof” the number to manipulate your Caller ID to make it appear as if the call was coming from the phone of your family member.
Finally, even paranoids have enemies. A good protective measure for everyone to take to protect themselves from virtual kidnappings is to have a secret password to use in the event of an emergency that can be used to determine if a family member truly is in trouble.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
Scam of the day – April 2, 2026 – Veterans Savings Program Scam
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is warning veterans about a scam targeting veterans not just in North Carolina, but around the country. The scam is presently being circulated through postcards or letters, but is also being done through phone calls including automated robocalls as well as emails and text messages in which the scammer poses as a an agent of the VA, Social Security, CHAMPVA or TRICARE offering enrollment in what the scammer calls the Veterans Savings Program. The scammers claim that through the program the veterans can receive monthly payments of $200 or more, free or discounted dental insurance coverage and special savings benefits unavailable to the general public. The veteran is prompted to call a provided number to enroll.
Veterans who call the provided number are asked to provide their Social Security number, bank account information and other personal information in order to enroll in the program. However, there is no Veterans Savings Program. It is a total scam and while the written communications from the scammers appear legitimate containing official appearing logos, anyone providing the requested information will soon end up a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
As I often say, trust me, you can’t trust anyone. Not only is there no Veterans Savings Program, but government agencies do not initiate contact with veterans by unsolicited phone calls and they do not request personal information by phone, text or mail. Whenever you get any communication by snail mail, email, phone call, or text message, you can never be sure who is actually contacting you. Your Caller ID can be manipulated through a technique called “spoofing” to make it appear as if the call is coming from the VA or some other legitimate government agency although the call is actually coming from a scammer’s phone or computer.
Whenever you are asked to make a payment or provide personal information in response to any communication you should confirm the legitimacy of the communication before responding. In this case, a call to the real VA will confirm that it is a scam. If you need to know what benefits you may be eligible for as a veteran you can go to va.gov.
Veterans are very much targeted for scams and fall prey to them even more than the general population so veterans should always be on guard.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address on the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”