Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – September 22, 2025 – Farmers Insurance Data Breach Affects 1.1 Million Customers
Data breaches are a common occurrence which is disturbing because they can readily lead to your identity being stolen or you becoming a victim of a scam as the hackers leverage the data they steal to lure you into a scam. Farmers Insurance announced it has suffered a data breach affecting more than 1.1 million of its customers. Similar to recent data breaches at Google, TransUnion, Allianz Life, Workday, Pandora, Cisco, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Qantas,the data was stolen not from Farmers computer networks, but rather from Salesforce, a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) company used by Farmers and many other companies to manage their customer data. The ransomware gang ShinyHunters managed to do this not by hacking Salesforce, but rather by using social engineering to trick TransUnion employees to enable access to the company’s Salesforce account containing its customer data.
Companies must do a better job of protecting themselves from not just technologically sophisticated cyberattacks, but less sophisticated, but equally effective social engineering attacks where the cybercriminals use psychology to manipulate employees to giving them access to important data.
TIPS
Victims of this data breach should freeze their credit if they have not already done so. Actually, 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 all 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
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#farmersdatabreach
Scam of the day – September 21, 2025 – 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.
Imposter scams where the scammers pose as representatives of the Social Security Administration (SSA) are common. A 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.
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#socialsecurityscams
Scam of the day – September 20, 2025 – Gold Bar Scams Getting Worse
The Boston office of the FBI recently issued a warning scams involving people lured under false pretenses to cash in their savings, buy gold bars and deliver the gold to scammers. Earler this year ABC News did a story entitled “Gold Grifters” also exposing these scams. I have been warning people about this scam since I described it in the Scam of the day for May 7 2024 when I told you that Ravinkle Mathon was arraigned in a Maryland court accused of attempting to scam an elderly man out of $200,000 in an elaborate scam that has increased dramatically in the last year. Police say that the scam began with a phone call from Mathon to an elderly man in which Mathon posed as a federal agent telling the targeted victim that his identity had been stolen and that he needed to protect his savings by withdrawing all of his funds, purchasing gold with the funds and then turn the gold over to the alleged scammer for safe keeping. Fortunately, a family member of the targeted victim became aware of the scam and notified police who set up a sting and arrested Mathon when he came to collect the gold..
Scammers posing as government officials also perpetrate this scam by telling their targeted victims that their accounts have been hacked or are in danger of being hacked and that they need to liquidate their assets and purchase gold or some other precious metal in order to protect their assets. The scammers then send a courier to collect the gold, purportedly for safe keeping on behalf of the targeted victim. Once they have the gold, they disappear leaving the victim penniless.
With the value of gold increasing, scammers have increasingly turned to this type of scam which according to the FBI resulted in losses of $126 million in 2024. According to the FBI, many of the perpetrators of this crime are foreigners who have little difficult leaving the country with gold bars.
TIPS
The primary thing to keep in mind in order to avoid this scam is to remember that no government agency or legitimate business will ever request that you purchase gold or other precious metals for any purpose and certainly not to protect them from criminals.
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#goldscams
Scam of the day – September 19, 2025 – Treasury Refund Text Smishing Scam
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last year more scams originated through text messages (smishing) than phone calls and with good reason. Scammers are aware that people are more likely to open and read a text message rather than an email The open rates for text messages are more than 90% while the open rates for emails is less than 30%. In addition, many email providers have filters that are able to identify and filter out phishing emails while the filtering capabilities on text messages is much less. Additionally, people tend to trust text messages more than emails. Text message also may prompt a quick response before the targeted victim can critically consider the legitimacy of the text message. For all of these reasons, we are seeing many more text message based scams nationally, such as the one in which you are told you owe toll road payments.
A new text message scam presently circulating, a copy of which is shown below, tells you that you have a tax refund that you must apply for by providing your online banking information or other personal information within a couple of days or lose the refund. This particular text message appears to come from the Michigan Department of the Treasury, but similar text messages are being sent to people in all 50 states. If you provide the information requested it will lead to identity theft and clicking on the link provided may download dangerous malware.
TIPS
Regardless of how official such a the communication may appear, you should never provide personal information to anyone in response to a telephone call, email or text message because in none of those situations can you be sure that the person contacting you is legitimate. If you do receive a communication from a bank, government agency or any other person or entity that you think might have a legitimate need for personal information from you, you should call the real entity at a telephone number that you know is legitimate in order to ascertain the truth.
In this particular case, no tax authority communicates with taxpayers regarding refunds by text messages and you do not lose any refund if you do not respond within a short period of time.
Unusually long phone numbers of ten or more digits sending such text messages is often an indication of a scam.
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#smishing, #textmessagescam
Scam of the day – September 18, 2025 – Phony Restaurant Delivery Scam
Ordering food online for delivery was somewhat popular prior to the pandemic, but really took off during the pandemic when people wanted restaurant food without having to go to a restaurant. Many restaurants have taken advantage of this interest and set up websites to facilitate ordering food deliveries and companies such as DoorDash and GrubHub also take online orders for food deliveries from multiple restaurants. As could be expected scammers have also gotten into the food delivery business although it would be more accurate to say that they got in the business of taking your online orders for food delivery, but deliver nothing except charges on your credit card.
Scammers create websites for phony delivery services using names such as “Order Hero” and “Order Ventures” or they mimic websites of legitimate restaurants or delivery services and through manipulating algorithms used by search engines to rank websites may appear at the top of a Google Chrome or other search engine search. Some sophisticated scammers have even managed to place their phony delivery sites in so many chat rooms and other places on the Internet that they get picked up as a legitimate site by AI so you can’t trust your query to AI for a legitimate delivery service. Trust me, you can’t trust anyone.
TIPS
When you order online food from either a restaurant or a delivery service it is important to confirm that you are actually ordering from a legitimate restaurant or delivery service. Take the time to confirm the URL before placing your order and don’t trust a search engine search or AI to be reliable merely because a website appears high on your search. An easy way to confirm that you have the correct URL is to call the restaurant or delivery service to make sure that you are using the correct URL.
As I often remind you, don’t use your debit card for anything other than an ATM card. Only use your credit card for your financial transactions because the protection you have from liability for fraudulent charges is much greater when using your credit card than it is when using your debit card.
Scam of the day – September 17, 2025 – Phony Evite Invitation Scam
Evite is a popular online invitation platform that allows users to create, send, and manage digital invitations for events such as parties, weddings, meetings, and other gatherings. It’s widely used because it simplifies the process of inviting guests and tracking RSVPs. Evite is trusted and familiar to many users, making it an effective disguise for phishing scams. Because people often receive Evite invitations from friends or colleagues, they may click links without suspicion—especially if the invitation appears to be for a social or professional event. If you click on links in a scam evite invitation you may end up downloading dangerous keystroke logging malware that can steal sensitive personal data such as passwords or account information from your phone or computer that will result in your becoming a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
While your security software may protect you from some malware, no security software can protect you from the latest versions of malware that exploits zero day defects which means that the malware is exploiting previously undiscovered vulnerabilities. The best option is to confirm any invitation you receive to confirm that it was legitimate.
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#evitephishing, #keytrokeloggingmalware
Scam of the day – September 16, 2025 – New Variation on Sextortion Scam
I have been warning you about sextortion scams for nine years. Generally sextortion scams begin with an email in which you are told that your computer and web cam have been hacked and that the scammers have video of you watching porn online. In the email, the scammer threatens to send the videos to people on his contact list unless you pay a ransom in Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency.
In the most recent version of this scam, people around the country are receiving such sextortion emails with some new twists. First, the email contains a photograph of your home with a threat to contact you at your home, referring to your home’s address if you don’t pay the demanded Bitcoin ransom. Second, the email refers to a type of Spyware called Pegasus that can steal information from you computer without being discovered. In fact, Pegasus spyware does exist, but it is used only by government agencies.
TIPS
Scammers use services such as Google Maps to obtain the photos used in the emails and use AI to gather other personal information used in the email to make it appear more believable, but the truth is that they do not have the videos that they claim to have because if they did, they would show it to you in the email.
In regard to your web cam being hacked, while often this is merely a threat and the scammer has not hacked your web cam, however web cams can be hacked. One thing you can do to protect your webcam from being hacked is to make sure that you change the default password on your webcam when you first install it. Another simple thing I do and you can, as well, is to merely put a post it note over your webcam when it is not in use.
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#sextortion, #spyware
Scam of the day – September 15, 2025 – Credit Card Declined Scam
Creative scammers have come up with a new way to scam you when you shop online. For years, I have warned you about phony retail websites that either appear to be that of legitimate retailers such as Wallmart or are just websites that come up high in a search engine search when you are looking to buy a particular item that offer great prices. Unfortunately, this problem has gotten worse with scammers now able to use AI to create phony retail websites that look entirely legitimate. Also, merely because a website comes up high in a search engine search does not mean that it is legitimate. Scammers either pay for a high position or are sufficiently savvy to create a site that the search engines’ algorithms will pick for a high position in a search.
In the past, the scammers would lure you into providing your credit card or debit card (which you should never use for purchases because the law does not protect you as much from fraudulent use) and then use your card to make purchases or if you provided your debit card, they will then access your bank account. Now, however, the scammer are getting greedy. When you attempt to use your credit card on their phony website you will be told that your card has been declined and so you need to use a second card. Once you do, you have now turned over two credit cards to the scammer to use for fraudulent purchases in your name.
So how do you determine if you are on a legitimate website?
TIPS
Scam of the day – September 14, 2025 – Justice Department Charges Investment Advisor with Operating a Massive Ponzi Scheme
Federal Prosecutors in New York along with the SEC have brought both civil and criminal charges against Paul Regan accusing him of masterminding a massive Ponzi scheme in which he is alleged to have swindled 330 investors out of more than 63 million dollars. Regan sold phony investments in precious metals in Columbia and by Obamacare insurance polices that he told investors were guaranteed to bring annual profits of as much as 14% annually and were fully insured. Prosecutors say that none of this was true. They say that Regan used profits from later investors to pay early investors which is the mark of a Ponzi scheme, paid insurance agents that he hired to sell the phony investments although the insurance agents were not licensed to sell investments and kept the rest of the money to fund his own upscale lifestyle.
TIPS
The lesson here is a simple one. No one should ever invest in anything they do not fully understand nor invest with anyone without doing research on the person offering the investment. In this case it would have been a simple matter to determine that investing in Affordable Care Act policies was impossible and anyone who looked into Regan’s history would have found that he had been barred for life by FINRA and had been fined by Oregon state securities regulators for forging documents including the signature of a client’s dead wife and stealing approximately $140,000 from an elderly client suffering from dementia in 2005 as well as pleading guilty in 2017 to fraud charges in Florida related to the sale of promissory notes that promised guaranteed returns.
FINRA’s Central Registration Depository will tell you if the broker you are considering investing with 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 securities regulators. You can find your state’s agency by going to the website of the North American Securities Administrators
For more information about this case, check out my column in Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveweisman/2025/09/11/prosecutors-bring-charges-over-massive-ponzi-scheme/
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Scam of the day – September 13, 2025 – AI Makes Customer Service Number Scams Worse
Since 2017 I have been warning you about scammers planting phony customer service numbers online and using those numbers to trick their victims into providing personal information or paying them money. Scammers construct phony websites that appear to provide a telephone number for customer service or tech support of many of the companies with which we do business. Often the scammers either purchase an ad to appear at the top of a search engine search or they manipulate the algorithms used by Google and other search engines to make their phony customer service number appear high on a search. Through the use of AI, these phony websites look very believable.
Now scammers are manipulating AI to have their phony customer service numbers appear in Google’s AI Overviews and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. People unfortunately believe that AI is totally trustworthy and call those numbers only to be scammed. AI harvests its information from the Internet and savvy scammers will insert their phony customer service number on online review sites, message boards and numerous websites. The more places the phony numbers appear, the more likely AI will pick them up and suggest them to you when you do an AI search.
TIPS
The best place to look for a telephone number for customer support or tech support is right on your bill or the legitimate website of the company. Even when you do call legitimate tech support or customer service telephone numbers take extra care to make sure that you are dialing correctly and not calling a clever scammer who may have purchased a telephone number that is a digit off of the correct phone number in an attempt to ensnare people who may misdial the number.
Also, remember you can’t trust Alexa or Siri to provide you with the correct number because they only access the information appearing at the top of a search engine search. As I indicated earlier, often those numbers are fake numbers put their by scammers.
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