Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – June 22, 2023 – Facebook Buy-Sell Group Scam
The Hattiesburg, Mississippi police department recently issued a warning about increased reports of a scam in which scammers appear to share posts on Facebook buy-sell groups about a missing child. Quite often, people on the buy-sell group will share the post in an effort to help find the missing child. Once the post has been shared in large numbers, the scammer then edits the post to share a wide variety of scams instead of the original post dealing with a fictional missing child. In this way, the scammer gets unsuspecting people to help spread a scam to large numbers of people. When they make these posts the scammers often disable comments so that if someone sees the post, they won’t see comments from people who have identified the post as a scam.
Scammers take advantage of Facebook’s algorithms that value the popularity measured by likes and shares which causes the posts to appear on the Facebook pages of more people. Although the original content liked or shared may appear sincere, the scammers who use this technique, which is called “farming,” then are able to change the content of the post to something entirely different from what was originally shared or liked. This is done for purposes of sending advertising or gathering marketing information, but, at its worst, it also can be used to send malware infected content such as keystroke logging malware that can steal personal information from your computer and use it to make you a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
So what should you do?
You may wish to be a bit skeptical before automatically sharing or liking a post. You may wish to even do a little research yourself to find out if the posting is legitimate. A 2007 photo of a seven year old Pennsylvania girl with Stage IV cancer posing in her cheerleading uniform has been used numerous times for Facebook farming. Today that girl is a cancer free young woman whose family is understandably outraged that their daughter’s photograph has been abused by scammers through Facebook farming.
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Scam of the day – June 21, 2023 – Jury Duty Scams Increasing
I have been warning you about the jury duty scam for ten years, but it continues to snare many unwary victims. Recently the Oregon Judicial Department issued a warning about jury duty scams in Oregon in which people were called on the phone by scammers posing as court officials threatening legal action if the targeted victim did not pay a fine by purchasing a gift card and then giving the card numbers over the phone to the scammer. This scam is not limited to Oregon and is being perpetrated around the country. This scam has been used effectively for years by scammers to con people out of their money or make them a victim of identity theft.
The scam starts with a telephone call that you receive purportedly from a law enforcement officer informing you that you have failed to appear for jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. You are told, however, that you can avoid arrest and greater fines by paying a fine through a credit card or, as presently the case in Oregon, by a gift card. Other times they ask for your Social Security number to confirm your identity. Of course, the phone call is a scam. Even if you have missed jury duty, you will never be called by legitimate court officers and shaken down for a payment.
Often the scammers will use a technique called “spoofing” to make the call appear on your Caller ID as if it is coming from a legitimate law enforcement agency or court. In some instances of the scam you are asked to confirm your identity by providing your Social Security number which will then be used to make you a victim of identity theft. Recently the scam has evolved to where people are also being contacted by text messages or emails from scammers posing as a representative of the local court system.
TIPS
Initial contacts from courts regarding jury duty are always in writing through the mail although some systems will permit you to receive future notices through email. Under no circumstances will you receive telephone calls or text messages indicating that you have failed to report for jury duty. No court will demand payment over the phone for failing to appear for jury duty. If you do receive such a call and you think that there is even the possibility that you might have forgotten to report for jury duty, merely call the local clerk of courts in order to get accurate information. Of course anyone calling you and telling you that you can pay your fine to them over the phone using your credit card or a gift card is a scammer.
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Scam of the day – June 20, 2023 – Pirated Movie Streaming Leads to Identity Theft
The Super Mario Brothers Movie has been a huge hit. As of June 3, 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has grossed a worldwide total of $1.83 billion. It is the highest-grossing film of 2023, and became the highest-grossing film based on a video game after just one week of release. While it is still in theaters, since mid May it has also been available to rent on streaming services Amazon Prime and Apple TV for $25. However, there are a number of websites that are offering bootleg versions of the movie for free online. While all of these sites are violating the law, some of them do not actually provide the movie, but instead just steal your money and your identity.
Attempting to stream an illegal version of a movie is not only illegal and unethical, but it could also lead to your being scammed out of money. Many of these scam websites and malicious files require you to take a survey in order to see the free, pirated version of the movie. These surveys may ask for personal information including credit card information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft. In other instances these websites with malicious files will automatically download malware on to your phone or computer.
In the case in 2019 of the bogus websites promising a free pirated version of the “Avengers: Endgame” movie, an online search for websites promising to provide the movie for free took you to one site in particular that appeared to provide the movie, but a few moments after the movie started, it stopped and a pop up appeared requiring you to set up an account. The pop up said that the account was free and that all you needed to do was provide your email address and a password. Once you did this, you were then instructed to provide a credit card number and the CVC security code on the back of the card merely to verify that you were located in a country where the website was licensed to distribute the movie. Unfortunately, the website did not provide the “Avengers:Endgame.” The few minutes of what you initially saw of the movie were just scenes taken from the readily available trailers for the movie. So not only did people falling for this scam not get to see the movie, they ended up providing their credit card information to the scammers in addition to providing a password, which, in too many instances, was the same password the scam victim used for other online services such as online banking. The moral of this story is that trying to view a pirated version of a popular movie or show for free will only put you into a predicament that even the Avengers couldn’t get you out of.
TIPS
The first and foremost tip is not to use illegal streaming services. They are illegal and what they are doing is also unethical. Don’t trust search engine searches to provide you with legitimate websites for streaming services. A prominent position in a Google or other search engine search only means that the websites appearing high were adept at understanding the algorithms used to position websites. Never provide a credit card as a means of verification. It is only a means of payment and as for the justification in the “Avengers: Endgame” scam that the credit card was needed to verify that you are located in a country where the website is licensed to distribute the movie, pirated versions are not licensed anywhere.
Another red flag that indicates that the website offering to provide a movie for free is a scam is the extension used for the video file. Common extensions for video files are avi, mkv and mp4. However, malware loaded files often end in .exe so that if you see that extension on the attached file, you know it is a scam. Finally, as always, you should have unique passwords for all of your online accounts so that in the event that a password on one of your accounts is hacked or otherwise compromised, all of your accounts will not be in jeopardy.
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Scam of the day – June 19, 2023 – FTC Refunding Millions to Victims of Student Loan Debt Relief Scam
I have written often about phony student loan debt relief companies and with good reason. More than forty-two million Americans have student loans with an outstanding balance of more than 1.4 trillion dollars so it is no surprise that scammers are focusing their attention on these students and former students through scams that falsely promise to provide debt relief. In 2019 I told you that the Federal Trade Commission sued Arete Financial Group alleging that Arete charged illegal upfront fees for their services. However, according to the FTC, Arete’s crimes did not end there. In its lawsuit, the FTC alleged that Arete would change their clients’ Federal Student Aid (FSA) login ID, password and contact information with their clients’ loan servicer which effectively eliminated contact between the borrowers and their loan servicers. This enabled Arete, according to the FTC, to place the borrower’s loans into temporary forbearance or deferment status without the borrower even being aware of this. Thus when the borrowers sent their payments to Arete that they were told would be credited toward their loans, the money actually was kept by Arete. Some of Arete’s clients saw their loans become delinquent and their income tax refunds garnished to pay for overdue loan payments. The victims of the scam also lost the money they paid to Arete that was intended to be applied toward their loans.
In 2020 I informed you that Arete and the FTC settled their case and as a part of the settlement would be paying funds to the FTC to distribute to the victims of the scam. Now after three years the FTC is sending 3.3 million dollars of checks to victims of Arete’s scam. For more information about this settlement, go to the first page of the Scamicide.com website and click on the tab in the middle of the page entitled “FTC Refunds.”
TIPS
The old adage still is true. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Many of these student loan debt relief scammers promise quick loan forgiveness, which is unrealistic. In addition, you should never pay any upfront fees for student loan debt relief assistance. Those fees are illegal and are a sure indication that you are being scammed. Also, remember my motto, “trust me, you can’t trust anyone.” Don’t trust scammers merely because they use names that sound like they are affiliated with the government. You also should never share your FSA ID with anyone.
For information you can trust about federal student loan repayment option, go to https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans . There you can learn about loan deferments, forbearance, repayment and loan forgiveness programs and there is never an application fee. If you owe private student loans, contact your loan servicer directly. You can also look into student loan refinancing rather than consolidating the loans. Refinancing student loans can result in a lower interest rate. For more information about student loans go to https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/1028-student-loans Here is a link to a calculator that can help you determine whether you will save more by consolidating or refinancing student loans.https://www.makelemonade.co/calculators/student-loan-consolidation-refinancing-calculator/
Here also is a link to an FTC video that explains student loan scams and what you can do to protect yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TjSI4Q6ztQ
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Scam of the day – June 18, 2023 – Elaborate Impostor Scam Victimizes Nashville Woman
Impostor 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 calling their intended victims on the telephone posing as some governmental agency such as the, FBI, IRS or the Social Security Administration. The scammer then, under a wide variety of pretenses, demands an immediate payment by gift cards, credit card or wired funds. Being asked to pay by gift cards is a definite indication that the call is a scam since no governmental agency requests or accepts payments by gift cards. Alternatively, the scammer demands the victim supply the phony governmental agent with personal information such as your Social Security number which will then be used for identity theft purposes.
In the recent case of Rachel Smith, of Nashville Tennessee, she received a call purportedly from a border patrol officer in El Paso, Texas who told her that they had seized a package that appeared to have been sent by her containing illegal drugs. She was then told that they understood that someone was using her name for illegal purposes, but that in order to protect her money she should withdraw all of the money in her bank account and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM account provided by the purported federal officer. She was then told that she would be getting a call from a DEA officer to arrange for her to pick up a check for her money the next day. The call never came and the money she turned into Bitcoin was gone forever.
TIPS
It is easy to recognize one of these impersonation scams. Neither the FBI, IRS, SSA or any federal agency will initiate communication with you by a phone call and they will never threaten you with arrest for non-payment of a claim. Neither does any government agency accept gift cards or cryptocurrency payments.
As I have often reminded you, 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. The calls being made by scammers in Pittsburgh appear on your Caller ID as if they were being made by the FBI although the call is being made from an entirely different number. Therefore you can never truly trust your Caller ID. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone. Even though your Caller ID may indicate that the call is coming from the FBI, the IRS or some other government agency the call is coming from a scammer.
As for the scam that snared Rachel Smith, no law enforcement officer would ever advise anyone to withdraw their funds and deposit them into a Bitcoin account. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are a favorite of scammers because they are readily transferred anonymously. If Ms. Smith had any thought that the outrageous story she was told was true, she should have called the FBI to inquire about it before doing anything. B.S. Be skeptical
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Scam of the day – June 17, 2023 – Ponzi Scheme and Affinity Fraud is a Bad Combination
WeChat and Weixin are Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment apps developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, they became the world’s largest standalone mobile apps in 2018 with over 1 billion monthly active users. The Federal Trade Commission is warning people about investment scams being perpetrated through WeChat. The scams start with a barrage of social media posts urging people to invest in various household good and electronics promising returns of between 20% and 40% in one to three months. The social media posts showed pictures and told the stories of phony successful investors making huge profits, all of which were lies. The scammers used WeChat groups to lure people into paying triple the price for iPhones, laptops and furniture in exchange for the promise to return the payments plus profits within three months. At first, as is the case with all Ponzi schemes, early “investors” were paid the promised profits, however, as with all Ponzi schemes, there were no profits. The early “investors” were merely paid with the funds paid by later “investors.” Ultimately, the vast majority of investors lose everything.
This scam is also a good example of what is called affinity fraud where people put undeserved trust in someone offering an investment opportunity because that person is “someone like me.” Affinity fraud works because people trust other people who may share a common bond, such as family, religion or, in this case, ethnicity. The list goes on and on. Scammers take advantage of every connection they can make with their victims to gain their trust and then steal their money.
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. Many investment advisers will not be required to register with the SEC, but are required to register with your individual state securities regulators. You can find your state’s agency by going to the website of the North American Securities Administrators Association. You should also check with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for information about the particular investment adviser.
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 they share some connection with you is a very risky choice.
Finally, as with any investment, if it sounds too good to be true, it generally is. This particular scam is a great example of an investment where the huge profits seem unrelated to the investment.
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Scam of the day – June 16, 2023 – Father’s Day Scams
Sunday is Father’s Day which for many people is an opportunity to show our fathers how much we love and appreciate them. For scam artists, it is yet another opportunity to scam people. One of the most common Father’s Day scams involves e-cards which are great, particularly for those of us who forget to send a Father’s Day card until the last minute.
Identity thieves send emails purporting to contain a link to an electronic Father’s Day card, but instead of an electronic greeting card, what they actually are sending is malware that becomes downloaded when the victim clicks on the link. A common type of malware sent by criminals is keystroke logging malware enables an identity thief to steal personal information from the victim’s computer that can be used for purposes of identity theft. In other instances, the malware is ransomware which will encrypt all of your data which the hacker threatens to destroy unless you pay a cryptocurrency ransom.
Another Father’s Day scam that appeared last year involved a message on WhatsApp offering free Heineken beer for Father’s Day in return for taking a quiz. This was a scam and was not related to any promotion or campaign of the real Heineken company. The scammer is merely trying to lure you into clicking on a malware infected link which can lead to identity theft or downloading ransomware. Alternatively, clicking on the link may take you to a website where you are required to enter personal information which is then used to make you a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
Never click on a link in an email or text message until you have independently confirmed that it is legitimate. The risk of downloading malware is too great. Even if your computer or other electronic device is protected with anti-virus and anti-malware security software, the best security software is always at least thirty days behind the latest malware. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone when it comes to clicking on links. Even if the link is contained in a communication that appears to come from a person or company you trust, you should always verify that it is legitimate before clicking on the link. In the case of companies offering free gifts or great deals, you should go to the company’s legitimate website where you can find any real promotion or gift being offered.
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Scam of the day – June 15, 2023 – Protecting Yourself from Malware Infected Apps
Malware downloaded on to your phone, computer or tablet can cause you many problems including making you a victim of identity theft, stealing your bank account or other assets or making you a victim of a wide variety of scams. The two most common ways that malware is downloaded on to your devices is through clicking on malware infected links or downloads contained in emails or text message along with downloading malware infected apps.
As I often advise you, never click on a link or download an attachment to an email or text message unless have absolutely confirmed that the link or attachment is legitimate.
But what about apps.
The first rule in avoiding malware infected apps is to only get your apps from the Google and Apple official app stores. Both of these do their best to weed out malicious apps. Last year Apple reported that it rejected 1.7 million app submissions and Google indicated that it banned 173,000 developer accounts from Google Play. However, catching malicious apps is like a game of whack-a-mole. As soon as you stop one malicious app, another pops up. In the past clever scammers would submit apps without malware that they then would update with malware later after the app had already been vetted by Apple or Google.
TIPS
Along with only getting your apps from the official App Store and Google Play, you should also carefully read reviews of the apps, but even there you need to be a bit skeptical because scammers often will submit phony positive reviews..
Install security software on all of your devices and, most importantly, install security updates as soon as they are available. Also, whenever you download a new app run a security scan to specifically look for malicious code.
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Scam of the day – June 14, 2023 – Another Major Health Care Data Breach.
Here we go again. Health insurance company Harvard Pilgrim recently disclosed that it had suffered a major data breach and ransomware attack affecting more than 2.5 million people. This particular data breach is quite serious because among the records compromised were Social Security numbers and medical histories. Health insurance companies and the health care industry in general are primary targets for hackers.
Last year, there were more than 1,800 reported data breaches and probably many more that were not reported affecting 422 million people. The question is not if you will become a victim of a data breach. The question is when. Meanwhile, a class action has been filed against Harvard Pilgrim for failing to protect the personal data of its customers. I will keep you informed as to progress in this case.
As I have reminded you many times, we are only as safe and secure as the security of the companies, government agencies and websites that have our personal information. Even if you are extremely diligent in protecting your personal information, you can be in danger of identity theft and scams if your personal information falls into the hands of hackers.
So what can you do to protect yourself from these data breaches that will be occurring?
TIPS
One important lesson is to limit the amount of personal information that you provide to companies and websites whenever possible. For example, your doctor doesn’t need your Social Security number for his or her records.
You should make sure that you have a unique password for each of your online accounts so that if one of your passwords is compromised in a data breach, all of your accounts will not be in danger. If your information is compromised in a data breach, you should immediately change the password for that account.
If you have not already done so, set up dual factor authentication for each of you accounts where it is available. This will protect you from having those accounts stolen by someone who may have access to your password.
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
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Scam of the day – June 13, 2023 – New Aol Phishing Scam
Today’s Scam of the day is about a phishing email presently circulating that attempts to lure you into clicking on a link in order to continue using your AOL account. Millions of people still use AOL. One reason for this is that you get greater email privacy when compared to some other email carriers. Due to its popularity, scammers and identity thieves often send out phishing emails that appear to come from AOL, such as the one reproduced below that was sent to me by a Scamicide reader. If you click on the link in the email one of two things can occur and both are bad. Either you will end up providing personal information to an identity thief or you will, merely by clicking on the link, download dangerous malware such as ransomware on to your phone, computer or other device. I have deactivated the link.
Here is the email presently being circulated.
“Dear AOL Member, We recently upgraded our network server. The new AOL version of our software will be available on June 14th, 2023.The new edition contains several changes. Your AOL account needs to be updated to avoid being disconnected
Please click on the link below to update your account now
Update Now
Regards,
© 2023 AOL Communications. All Rights Reserved.”
TIPS
When AOL communicates with its customers about their accounts, they do so by AOL Certified Mail, which will appear as a blue envelope in your inbox and will have an official AOL Mail seal on the border of the email. No official AOL Mail seal appears in the inbox for this phishing email. Also, this email also does not refer to you in the salutation, but merely addresses you as “Dear User.” In addition, the scammer was not very smart because the email that was intended to appear as if it was coming from Aol came from a yahoo.com email address.
Whenever you get an email, you cannot be sure who is really sending it. In the case of this email, the email address of the sender had no relation to AOL and most likely was the email address of someone whose email account was hacked and made a part of a botnet of computers used by cybercriminals to send such communications. Never click on a link unless you are absolutely sure that it is legitimate. If you think the email might be legitimate, the best thing to do is to contact the real company that the email purports to be from at an email address or phone number that you know is accurate in order to find out if the communication was legitimate or not.
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