Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – February 9, 2022 – Ponzi Schemer Sentenced to 17.5 Years in Prison
Ponzi schemer Perry Santillo, known as “King Perry” was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for his role in a Ponzi scheme he had been involved with since 2007 that stole 115 million dollars from more than a thousand investors, man of whom were elderly. His scam promised large returns from non-existent insurance and real estate ventures. In one instance, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Santillo convinced an 80 year old man with dementia to invest $250,000 in a non-existent real estate fund.
Over the years Ponzi schemes have been used by many scammers to steal billions of dollars from unwitting victims who made the mistake of investing their money with such criminals. Although Charles Ponzi was not the first to use the technique of paying off early investors with the investments of later investors in an effort to make a total sham look as if it is a profitable business, that dishonor should go to Sarah Howe who first used this scheme in the 1870s, it was Ponzi in 1920 who perfected the scam to steal millions of dollars from unwary investors in his scheme through which he told them that he was able to take advantage of fluctuating currency values to purchase international postal reply coupons at a discount and then sell them at face value in the United States. Ponzi promised, and delivered to early investors, a 50% profit on investments within 45 days and a 100% profit within 90 days. Of course, the entire scheme was a total fake, but eager investors blinded by their greed flocked to him to invest. Eventually, as ultimately always happens in a Ponzi scheme, the scam was exposed and Ponzi went to prison. T
The list of criminals still using this prototype of a scam continues to this day including such famous Ponzi scheme criminals as Allen Stanford, Tom Petters, Norman Hsu, Lou Pearlman and, of course, the biggest of them all, Bernie Madoff who swindled people out of more than 50 billion dollars using this time honored scheme.
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.
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 those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide was cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.
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 – February 8, 2022 – Smishing Scams Dramatically Increasing
Although the name may not be as familiar as “phishing” which is the name for emails that lure you into clicking on malware infected links or providing personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft, “smishing” is the name given to text messages that lure you into clicking on links or providing personal information in response to a text message from what appears to be a trusted source, such as a company with which you do business.
Smishing scams are increasing in frequency over the last few months with many smishing text messages appearing to come from Amazon, USPS, Federal Express, Cash App, Netflix and others. Like phishing emails, the purpose of a smishing text message is to either lure you into providing personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or to click on a link in the text message that will download dangerous malware. According to security vendor Proofpoint Security Proofpoint Security smishing text attacks increased 700 percent in 2021 from the previous year. Proofpoint attributes much of this increase to the increase in parcel delivery services that send alerts using text messages.
TIPS
Among the topics of smishing text messages are free prizes, gift cards or coupons, credit card offers, student loan assistance, suspicious activity on an account of yours, or a need to update your payment information with a company with which you do business. As I always say, “trust me, you can’t trust anyone.” You can never be truly sure when you receive a text message seeking personal information such as your credit card number whether or not the email is a scam. The risk of clicking on a link or providing the requested information is just too high. Instead, if you think that the text message might be legitimate, you should contact the company at a telephone number that you know is legitimate and find out whether or not the text message was a scam.
In the case of the email informing you of the need to claim a gift, it is obviously a scam because although the text message includes your name, there is no information about what the gift is or why you are receiving it. Curiosity killed the cat. Don’t let it lead to your being scammed or becoming a victim of identity theft.
As for Netflix which has been used as a hook in many recent smishing scams, the real Netflix will never ask in an email or text message for any of your personal information so anytime you get an email or text message purportedly from Netflix asking for your credit card number, Social Security number or any other personal information, it is a scam. Here is a link to Netflix’s security page for information about staying secure in regard to your Netflix account. https://help.netflix.com/en/node/13243
Here is a link to information about how to filter and block messages on your iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229
Here is a link to information about how to block phones on your Android phone: https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/6325463
Here is a link that provides information about services provided by your cell phone carrier to block calls and text messages: https://fightingrobocalls.ctia.org/#section-05-resources
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.
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 – February 7, 2022 – Equifax Settlement Update
I have been reporting to you about the about the avoidable Equifax data breach in which personal data on more than 147 million people was stolen and legal actions related to the data breach since 2017 when the data breach occurred. The personal information compromised in the data breach included the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of 147 million people putting them in serious danger of identity theft for the rest of their lives. Equifax settled the claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and all but two of the states’ Attorneys General related to the data breach long ago, but the settlement did not become final until just a few days ago.
The initial deadline to file a claim in regard to the settlement was January 22, 2020, however you can still file a claim for expenses you incur between January 23, 2020 and January 22, 2024 related to losses from unauthorized charges to your accounts or fees you paid to professionals such as accountants or lawyers that help you recover from identity theft as well as incidental expenses you incur such as notary fees, or postage. You also can file a claim for the time you personally spent taking actions to recover from identity theft between January 23, 2020 and January 22, 2024. Here is a link to file such a claim. https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/file-a-claim There are a lot of scammers constructing phony websites related to the settlement so it is important to make sure you use the correct website.
Don’t be surprised if you get an email or a snail mail letter from the settlement administrator if you filed a claim requesting free credit monitoring services as a part of the settlement. You will get a free membership in Experian IdentityWorks for four years for free. You can enroll for your free credit monitoring by using this website. https://www.experianidworks.com/equifaxsettlement. At the website you will be prompted to provide the activation code that you received in your email or letter. You also can call 877-251-5822 for assistance.
You will not be called on the phone about the settlement. Anyone doing so is a scammer and you should not provide personal information in response to such a call. If you have questions about the settlement, however, you can call the settlement administrator at 833-759-2982.
TIPS
In addition, to following up on your benefits pursuant to the settlement as indicated above, this is also a good time to remind you that if you haven’t frozen your credit reports at all three of the major credit reporting bureaus, you should do so at this time.
Here are the links to do so.
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
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Scam of the day – February 6, 2022 – Ellen DeGeneres Facebook Scam
For the last month multiple Facebook accounts have posted posts like the one reproduced below with a photo of comedian Ellen De Generes (not Ellen Degeeneress, as the scammers refer to her in the posts) promising to pay $750 to random winners. The scam’s goal is to get people to either provide personal information that will be used to make them victims of identity theft or to click on links that will download dangerous malware such as ransomware or keystroke logging malware that can lead to identity theft.
Posing as a famous person on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is quite simple to do and has proven to be quite lucrative for many scammers who are able to convince unsuspecting victims to rely on the phony accounts. The subject of the most phony celebrity accounts, according to a study by a company called Social Impostor is Brazilian soccer player Neymar with singer/actress Selena Gomez a close second. Social Impostor is a company which works to protect celebrities from misuse of their names on line.
Setting up a social media account is easy to do for a scammer requiring merely a name, a photo and an email address, all of which can be done to make it appear that the account is that of the real celebrity when, in truth it is that of the scammer. Sometimes the scammer will add a middle initial or a slight misspelling of the name of the celebrity to avoid detection as may have been the case with this particular Ellen DeGeneres scam. Despite the efforts of the various social media companies to try to stop this practice, it continues in great numbers. Facebook estimates that there are as many as 60 million phony Facebook accounts including hundreds of its founder Mark Zuckerberg. It tries to remove the accounts when it becomes aware of them, but they spring up soon again.
TIPS
Facebook has a blue verification badge program that helps people know that a celebrity Facebook page is authentic. The blue check verification badge is used by public figures and media organizations to indicate that Facebook has verified the account as legitimate. Many of the Facebook and other social media scams involve, as this one does, getting something for nothing. Whenever you see one of these free giveaways appear in social media remember my motto, “B.S. Be skeptical” and don’t provide any personal information. Certainly don’t give away any credit card information and don’t click on unverified links. You should never trust a social media account of a celebrity or anyone for that matter that promises to give you something for nothing. No celebrity is giving gifts to total strangers, not even Oprah Winfrey, whose generosity is well known and whose name was used to perpetrate these scams, as well. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone.
Never click on links or provide personal information in response to a social media post unless you have absolutely determined that it is legitimate.
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide was cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related 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 – February 5, 2022 – Copy of Your Deed Scam
Today’s Scam of the day is one that I have been warning you about since 2012, but lately there has been a resurgence of this scam as indicated by the number of Scamicide readers who have inquired about this scam after receiving a confusing notice. The scam begins with a call, email or snail mail letter informing you of the importance of having a copy of the deed to your home. Often these scammers will charge you $90 or more to obtain a copy of your deed for you.
Having an actual copy of your deed is not very important once it has been recorded in the local Registry of Deeds, however it is still a good record to keep. However, obtaining a copy of your deed on your own from your local Registry of Deeds is both simple and rarely costs more than a few dollars at the most. The problem with this particular scam is that technically, it may be legal in the sense that they are offering to obtain a copy of your deed for you for a fee and there is nothing illegal about that. However, the emails and letters you receive offering this service are usually confusing and misleading which is why I consider them to be a scam.
In 2018 Ohio actually passed a law requiring specific disclosures to consumers be made when a fee is requested to obtain a copy of a deed on your behalf. The disclosure must include the actual cost charged by the Registry of Deeds for a deed copy as well as prohibiting charging a fee more than four times the cost charged by the Registry of Deeds.
TIP
This is an easy scam to avoid. If you get such a call, email or letter, merely ignore it. If you want a copy of your deed, merely contact your local Registry of Deeds where you can get one for a nominal cost.
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related 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 to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address where it states “Sign up for this blog.”
Scam of the day – February 4, 2022 – Amazon Based Scams Dramatically Increasing
Shopping on Amazon, has been popular for a long time, but particularly during the continuing pandemic shopping on Amazon has increased dramatically and with so many people shopping on Amazon, scammers are using Amazon as the basis for a variety of scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Amazon based scams have increased 500% in the last year I have warned you many times over the years about scammers who send various types of phishing emails which purport to be from Amazon attempting to lure you into either clicking on links which can download malware, such as ransomware or providing personal information that can be used to make you a victim of identity theft.
I recently received an Amazon phishing email that is copied below. The email below is typical of many of those presently circulating. The latest Amazon phishing scam starts with an email that appears to come from Amazon informing you that your order for some expensive items is ready to ship to someone totally unrelated to you and provides a telephone number for you to call if you have not placed the order, which is a strange thing to appear on an order confirmation. Anyone receiving such an email would certainly be concerned that their account has been hacked and easily lured into calling the telephone number provided which is not that of Amazon customer service. The real Amazon customer service number is 1-888-280-4331 If you called the scammers bogus customer service number you would be prompted to provide personal information that would lead to your identity being stolen and your Amazon account being hacked.
This particular phishing email is very sophisticated. The grammar is correct and the logo used appears legitimate, but it is very simple to counterfeit a legitimate appearing logo. Often a telltale sign that the email is a part of a scam is that the email address of the sender has absolutely nothing to do with Amazon. All legitimate Amazon emails end in amazon.com.
Here is a copy of the email presently being circulated.
TIPS
While this is a very legitimate appearing email that uses the Amazon logo and is written with proper grammar and punctuation. Never click on a link in an email or text message or provide personal information unless you have confirmed that the email or text message is legitimate. The telephone number to call if you suspect Amazon related fraud is 866-216-1075 or you can call their customer service number 888-280-4331 Never call the numbers that appears in the phishing emails.
Also, because any of us can be scammed, it is a good idea to use dual factor authentication whenever possible to protect your various accounts so that even if someone actually had your password they would not be able to access your account. In order to set up dual factor authentication for your Amazon account use this link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G3PWZPU52FKN7PW4
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide was cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related 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 – February 3, 2022 – Publishers Clearing House Scams Increasing
Today’s Scam of the day was prompted by a letter I received from Publishers Clearing House informing me that I was on the “final winner selection list” although it didn’t indicate that I am joined on this list by probably half of the country’s population. Publishers Clearing House, the sponsor of some of the most popular legitimate lotteries in the country no longer limits its contests to one or two a year, but has numerous lotteries each month. Recently there has been an increase in reports of scammers calling people on the telephone and telling them that they have won one of the Publishers Clearing House lotteries, but that they have to pay fees or taxes before being able to claim their prize. In addition there are reports of targeted victims receiving phony notifications by regular mail that they have won a Publishers Clearing House lottery, but that again they must pay fees or taxes before being able to receive their prize. The FTC has indicated that last year consumers lost 185 million dollars to sweepstakes and lottery scams.
Last year, a friend and Scamicide reader told me that his parents received a call purportedly from the Publishers Clearing House telling them that they had won 4 million dollars and a Mercedes Benz automobile in the color of their choice. The scammer, posing as a Publishers Clearing House employee swore them to secrecy and specifically told them not to tell their children or anyone else about their win. He also told them that they needed to send $1,000 in cash or Walmart Gift Cards by mail to a woman in New Jersey. Most likely the woman in New Jersey was not even aware of the scam, but either was someone recruited for a work-at-home job in which she would forward mail or was a victim of a romance scam in which the scammer pretending to be romantically involved with her would ask her to send him the envelope with the funds.
It is hard to win any lottery. It is impossible to win one that you have not even entered and yet scam artists have found that it is extremely lucrative to scam people by convincing them that they have won various lotteries. With so many people entered into the Publishers Clearing House lotteries, it is easier for scammers to convince people that they have won.
Most lottery scams involve the victim being told that they need to pay taxes or administrative fees directly to the lottery sponsor; however no legitimate lottery requires you to do so. As with many effective scams, the pitch of the scammer may seem legitimate. Income taxes are due on lottery winnings, but with legitimate lotteries they are either deducted from the lottery winnings before you receive your prize or you are responsible for paying the taxes directly to the IRS. No legitimate lottery collects taxes on behalf of the IRS from lottery winners. Other times, the scammer tell the “winners” that in order to collect their prizes, they need to pay administrative fees. Often, the victims are told to send the fees back to the scammer by prepaid gift cards or Green Dot MoneyPak cards. Prepaid cards are a favorite of scammers because they are the equivalent of sending cash. They are impossible to stop or trace. Again, no legitimate lottery requires you to pay administrative fees in order to claim your prize.
TIPS
Fortunately, there is an easy way to know, when you are contacted by Publishers Clearing House by phone, email or text message informing you that you have won one of its major multi-million dollar prizes, whether you have been contacted by the real Publishers Clearing House. Publishers Clearing House only contacts major prize winners in person or by regular mail. They do not contact winners by phone, email or text message so if you do receive a notification of your winning one of their major multi-million dollar prizes by those means of communication you know it is a scam.
Even if the Caller ID on your phone indicates the call is from Publishers Clearing House, it is very easy for a scammer to use a technique called “spoofing” to make it appear that the call is coming from Publishers Clearing House rather than the scammer who is really making the call. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone. In addition, no winners of the Publishers Clearinghouse sweepstakes are ever required to make a payment of any kind to claim their prize so if you are told that you have won, but are required to make any kind of payment before you can claim your prize, you can be sure that it is a scam. As for other lotteries, remember, you can’t win a lottery you haven’t entered and no legitimate lottery asks you to pay them administrative fees or taxes.
Also, as I often tell you, it is always a red flag that you are involved with a scam when you are asked to pay for anything with gift cards. Gift cards are a favorite method of payment for scammers because they are easy to convert into cash and impossible to trace.
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related 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 – February 2, 2022 – SEC Brings Charges in Certificate of Deposit Scam
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently charged Allen C. Giltman, a former registered investment professional with operating a fraudulent scheme to lure investors into purchasing non-existent certificates of deposit (CDs). The SEC alleges Giltman and others involved in the scheme stole more than 40 million dollars from their mostly elderly victims.
According to the SEC, Giltman placed Internet ads targeting investors searching for CDs with high interest rates. These ads contained links to phony websites which appeared to be those of legitimate financial institutions. The websites claimed that the CDs were insured by FDIC and were a safe investment. Victims of the scam were also lured to call phone numbers found in the websites where they were persuaded to wire money to both domestic and foreign bank accounts to purchase the phony CDs.
TIPS
Websites set up by scammers that appear to be websites of legitimate financial institutions are called “spoofed” websites. B.S. Be skeptical. You should always be particularly skeptical when purchasing CDs from websites found only through Internet searches. These spoofed websites may have URL addresses that appear legitimate and have names that also may appear legitimate.
Some indications that the website is part of a scam include:
Offering interest rates higher than you find at other financial institutions, with no penalties for early withdrawals; Promoting only CDs and no other financial products, such as banking or brokerage accounts, loans, or commercial banking services; Requiring high minimum deposits, often $200,000 or more; and, most significantly, Directing potential investors to wire funds to an account located outside the U.S., or to a U.S.-based account that has a different name than the financial institution claiming to sell the CD;
If the website claims the CDs are FDIC insured, verify the financial institution by using the FDIC’s BankFind tool – https://research.fdic.gov/bankfind/ – or call the FDIC to verify at 877-ASKFDIC (877-275-3342). Make certain the name of the financial institution claiming to provide the CDs is exactly the same and not just similar to a firm verified by the FDIC.
If the website claims the CDs are offered by a credit union, verify the financial institution by using the National Credit Union Administration’s (NCUA) “Research a Credit Union” webpage – https://mapping.ncua.gov/ResearchCreditUnion.aspx – or call the NCUA’s Consumer Assistance Center at 800-755-1030.
If a website provides a name and a CRD number of a broker-dealer or an employee of a broker-dealer, use FINRA’s BrokerCheck to check whether the address provided in FINRA’s BrokerCheck matches the address provided on the website.
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.
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 – February 1, 2022 – Facebook Cloning Still is a Serious Problem
Today’s Scam of the day is one about which I have written in the past, however it continues to pop up frequently as evidenced by a Scamicide reader who recently was targeted by a Facebook cloner. If one of your friends received a Facebook friend request that appeared to come from you, it does not mean that your account was hacked. It does mean however that your account was cloned in the sense that someone has set up a Facebook account or some other social media account in your name or a slight variation of it in order to trick people into trusting messages that they post, to lure them into scams or to trick them into clicking on links containing malware.
This is nothing new. Facebook estimates that there are as many as 60 million phony cloned Facebook accounts including hundreds of its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook tries to remove the cloned accounts when it becomes aware of them, but they consistently spring up again soon thereafter. You also should let your friends know that your account has been cloned and warn them not to accept any new friend requests from you. If you do find that someone has set up a Facebook account in your name, you should contact Facebook as soon as possible in order for Facebook to take action to cancel the phony cloned account. Here is a link you can use to report such a phony or cloned account. https://www.facebook.com/help/306643639690823?helpref=uf_permalink
TIPS
As indicated above, if you do receive a friend request from someone who already is a Facebook friend of yours, you should contact the friend to let them know that their Facebook account has been cloned so they can report it to Facebook and get the phony, cloned account taken down. It is also important to remember that there will be times that you are contacted by what appear to be real friends or acquaintances where the truth is that it really is not them contacting you, but someone posing as them. Never click on links in any email or text message unless you have absolutely confirmed that the communication is legitimate. Never provide personal information in response to any communication as well until you have confirmed that it is legitimate. As I always warn you, trust me, you can’t trust anyone.
This is probably also a good time to remind you about steps you can take to actually make your Facebook account more impervious to actually being hacked. The first thing you should do is make sure you have a strong password. For some advice about choosing a strong password, go to the Search scams tab in http://www.scamicide.com and write in “strong password” which will bring up a number of Scams of the day in which I described how to pick a strong password. You should also enable two factor authentication for your account which will dramatically strengthen the security of your Facebook account. Here is a link with more information about how to install dual factor authentication for your Facebook account. https://m.facebook.com/help/148233965247823?helpref=faq_content You also may want to review your privacy settings on Facebook to make them less vulnerable to hackers. Here is a link with more information about adjusting your privacy settings on Facebook. https://m.facebook.com/help/193677450678703?helpref=hc_fnav&refid=69
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide was cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.
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 where it indicates “Sign up for this blog.”
Scam of the day – January 31, 2022 – Jury Duty Scam Resurfacing
I have been warning you about the jury duty scam for ten years, but it continues to snare many unwary victims. This scam has been used effectively for years by scammers to con people out of their money. 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 or prepaid cash card. 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 now 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.
Recently the Orangeburg, South Carolina Sherriff’s Office issued a warning about a jury duty scam in which people are called by a scammer using the name of a real law enforcement officer demanding a payment for failing to appear for jury duty.
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.
For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.” Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.
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 where it states “Sign up for this blog.”