Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – June 26, 2026 – Porn in the Cloud Scam
People are reporting receiving calls that purport to be from Apple’s Special Investigations Unit telling them that illegal child pornography has been discovered on their cloud account. The phony investigator is sympathetic when you inform them that you never stored child pornography on the cloud or anywhere else. He tells you that most likely the child pornography was somehow planted by a hacker on your computer and it is being backed up in the cloud. In order to remedy the problem, the phony Apple investigator tells you he needs remote access to your computer in order to locate and remove the child pornography from your computer. The cost of this service can be as high as thousands of dollars which the phony investigator requests be paid through Amazon gift cards. This scam presents a double whammy. Victims of the scam not only pay the scammer for services they don’t need, but by providing remote access to their computers, they enable the scammer to install a wide variety of malware that can lead to identity theft and further scams.
TIPS
Even if your Caller ID indicates that the call is coming from Apple, your Caller ID can be manipulated easily through a technique called “spoofing” by which the scammer can make your Caller ID read whatever he or she wants it to read. One way you can be sure if you receive such a call that it is a scam is that neither Apple nor any other tech company is going to call to inform you that there is child pornography on your computer. Also, Apple does not have a Special Investigations Unit. Additionally, legitimate tech companies do not accept Amazon gift cards or any other form of gift card as payment for their services. As for enabling someone to have remote access to your computer, you should never do so unless you have absolutely confirmed that the remote access is legitimately warranted and the person to whom you are giving the remote access is also legitimate.
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Scam of the day – June 25, 2026 – Synthetic Identity Theft Worsens
Although I have been writing about synthetic identity theft for many years, many people are not familiar with the term “synthetic Identity theft.” Synthetic identity theft poses a significant threat to many people particularly children. Synthetic identity theft occurs when a criminal takes information from a variety of sources to create a new identity to take out loans, purchase goods and services, or fraudulently obtain credit cards. Synthetic identity thieves combine real and fake information to form a new fictional person. They may use your Social Security number and combine it with the name, address and phone number of someone else. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that synthetic identity theft is the fastest growing type of identity theft. Children are the most common victims of synthetic identity theft and it is often many years before the problem is discovered.
The problem of synthetic identity theft has gotten worse in recent years. Credit Reporting Bureau TransUnion reported that synthetic identity theft has become the fastest growing form of fraud since 2024 and LexisNexis found that synthetic identity theft increased 800% in 2025. Much of the blame for the increase in synthetic identity theft can be attributed to AI which has made it easier for identity thieves to create legitimate appearing personal documents, and create deepfake identification images that pass standard verification checks. Complicating the situation further is the vast amount of personal data harvested from data breaches.
Commonly with synthetic identity theft, criminals who set up a synthetic identity build the credit score of the synthetic identity by having people using credit cards obtained in the name of the synthetic identity and make regular payments until the credit score of the new synthetic identity is high enough for the ultimate payoff, which is referred to as the “bust out.” In the bust out phase, the identity thief uses the new synthetic identity to either make large purchases or take out big loans that are never paid back. Some synthetic identity thieves will take years to build the synthetic identity theft credit score by making payments on cell phone accounts, car loans and more.
TIPS
Some telltale signs of synthetic identity theft include being contacted about an account that you never opened or a debt that you didn’t incur. Also, look for aliases listed on your credit report that you do not use. A dramatic lowering of your credit score coupled with a lack of negative information on your primary credit reports are further indications of synthetic identity theft. The reason that your primary credit report will not show negative information due to synthetic identity theft is because when a criminal uses your Social Security number, but doesn’t use your name, the negative information caused by their actions does not appear on your regular credit report. Instead, the information is added to a sub-file of your credit report which will, however, cause your credit score to drop tremendously.
If you do find out that you have become a victim of synthetic identity theft, notify each of the three credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of the crime and ask them to investigate and remove the false information from your sub-files.
Children are prime targets and particularly vulnerable to synthetic identity theft. In 2025 as many as 2 million children in the USA were victims of identity theft, much of it synthetic identity theft. Parents also should, as much as possible, try to limit the places that have their child’s Social Security number and become familiar with the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act which helps you protect the privacy of your child’s school records and enables you to opt out of information sharing by the school with third parties.
You also should freeze the credit reports of your children. Until 2018 there was no national law that allowed the credit reports of children to be frozen, but in the wake of the major Equifax data breach, Congress passed laws that now permit children’s credit reports to be frozen and unfrozen for free.
Here are the links to information about how to freeze your child’s credit reports at each of the three major credit reporting agencies.
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/identity-theft/freezing-your-childs-credit-report-faq/
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Scam of the day – June 24, 2026 – The Danger of Social Media Quizzes
Quizzes on Facebook and other social media are very popular, but they can be exploited by identity thieves. A good example of this was the “10 Concerts, but there is one act that I haven’t seen live. Which is it?” Facebook quiz. While this may appear harmless, the information you provide may tell more about you than is safe to make public. It may provide information about your approximate age and preferences in music which can then be used by a scammer to send you a spear phishing email tailored to appeal to your particular interests that you may trust and click on a link contained in the email that contains either keystroke logging malware that can be used to steal your identity or ransomware.
Quizzes that ask about your favorite place to live or favorite movie characters may seem like simple fun, but may have been posted by an identity thief seeking to gather information the identity thief can use to make you a victim of identity theft. In addition, providing this type of personal information can help an identity thief determine your passwords or the answers to security questions that would enable the identity thief to change your passwords. Particularly problematic is when a pop up appears when you start the quiz requiring you to agree to allow a third-party application access to your Facebook profile. If you agree to this, you are permitting the quiz poster to gain access to your Facebook profile information, your location and much more. Additionally, clicking on some quizzes may install malware on your phone or computer
TIPS
We all tend to put too much personal information on social media that can be exploited by scammers and identity thieves to our detriment. My advice is to avoid the problem entirely and not play these online games. However, if you, as many people do, find these quizzes and games to be fun to play, you may want to just adjust your privacy setting to “friends only” so that you limit who gets to see your answers. While you are at it, you also may want to check out your Facebook profile and remove personal information such as your phone number or home address.
Be particularly aware not to provide information that can answer common security questions, such as your mother’s maiden name, the name of your first pet, your childhood street address, your favorite food or the name of the elementary school you attended. A good practice when it comes to security questions is to use a nonsensical answer when you provide an answer when setting up your security question. Thus, the answer to the security question as to the name of your first pet can be “Grapefruit.” This is so silly you will remember it and no hacker will ever be able to guess it from social media posts or quiz answers.
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Scam of the day – June 23, 2026 – Phantom Debt Collection Scams
Receiving a telephone call from a debt collector is not a pleasant experience. Being hounded by someone attempting to collect a debt you do not owe constitutes fraud. In recent years the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against a number of these phantom debt collection agencies. These scammers used false claims and threats to compel people to pay debts which were largely either non-existent or which the defendants had no authority to collect. They also violated federal law by illegally failing to provide proper notices and disclaimers also required by federal law.
TIPS
Subject to strict federal laws, legitimate debt collectors are permitted to call debtors, however, the law prohibits them from threatening imprisonment for the failure to pay a debt and attempting to collect a debt that the debt collector knows is bogus. The law also prohibits debt collectors from communicating information about a debt to the consumer’s employer although they can contact the employer merely to obtain contact information about the employee
It can be difficult to know when someone calls attempting to collect a debt if indeed they are legitimate or not, so the best course of action if you receive such a call is to not discuss the debt with the person calling, but instead demand that they send you a written “validation notice” by regular mail which describes the debt they allege you owe and includes a listing of your rights under the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Never give personal information over the phone to anyone who calls you attempting to collect a debt. You can never be sure who they are. If you receive the validation notice and it appears to be legitimate, you may be better off contacting your creditor directly because the person who called you may not be representing the creditor, but may merely have information about the debt.
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Scam of the day – June 22, 2026 – Amazon Refund Scam
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.
The most recent Amazon phishing scam involves an email or a text message that appears to come from Amazon telling you that a product you recently bought has failed a routine quality inspection and therefore it is being recalled. You are further told that you do not have to even return the item and that you are eligible for a full refund. In order to claim your refund, you are instructed to click on a link in the email or text message which takes you to a phony Amazon login or refund page that asks for you Amazon credentials, payment information and personal details. Of course, there is no refund and if you supply the information you will enable the scammer to take over your Amazon account as well as make you a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
This is a very legitimate appearing email and text message that uses the Amazon logo, but it is a simple matter for a scammer to counterfeit the logo.. 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 for Amazon customer service number 888-280-4331 Never call telephone numbers that appear in 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. You can establish dual factor authentication on your Amazon account by signing into your account and following the instructions there.
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Scam of the day – June 21, 2026 – Telephone Call From No One Scam
We have all experienced telephone calls where you pick up the phone and there is no one on the other end of the line. This is a scam, but how does it work and how are you harmed? With computers that can be programmed to make massive amounts of telephone calls, scammers will often first test their lists of telephone numbers by making these calls to determine which telephone numbers are valid numbers for them to call back later with automated robocalls by which they will attempt to either sell you something worthless or gather information from you that can be used to make you a victim of identity theft.
In another version of this scam, people with Caller ID are often tempted into calling back the number to see who called them, thinking that the call was legitimate. Instead, unwittingly they make an expensive premium service call to an adult entertainment service that charges as much as $20 for the first minute or information services such as weather updates that have hefty charges. Many of these calls originate in the Caribbean Islands from area codes such as 268, 284,809, 473,876 or 649.
TIPS
It often is a good idea not to answer the phone if you have Caller ID and you do not recognize the number calling you. If it is legitimate, they will generally leave a message. In any event, if you do answer the phone and there is no one on the other end of the line, do not call the number back. The chances of your getting assessed charges for a premium phone call are too great.
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Scam of the day – June 20, 2026 – Celebrity Deepfake Scams
For years I have told you about scammers posing as various popular celebrities in ads and on social media luring people into making payments for worthless products. Scammers also pose as celebrities on social media through which they contact fans of the impersonated celebrity and scam them through romance scams and a variety of other scams. Unfortunately, with the increased of Artificial Intelligence these phony ads and scams have become both more believable looking and more frequent as the deepfake and other AI technology becomes readily available to less technologically savvy scammers.
Earlier this year Reese Witherspoon posted an Instagram story and TikTok video warning fans about scammers posing as her on both of those platforms, contacting unwary fans who think they are having a real relationship with her that just leads to their being scammed. Despite efforts of Instagram and TikTok to take down phony Reese Witherspoon accounts there are presently dozens of such accounts including @reesewitherspoon private. Making the problem worse, these phony accounts will actually post actual videos of Reese Witherspoon to make the accounts appear legitimate and make fans who are likely to engage when they are contacted through the account by the scammer posing as Witherspoon.
More recently, scammers are using Deepfake videos of Oprah Winfrey to sell keto gummies for weight loss. Oprah has for years warned her fans about scammers using her likeness to sell phony wight loss products. the No Fakes Act, a bipartisan bill has been filed in Congress to give people greater power to take action against anyone who uses their AI generated likeness without permission.
TIPS
As for any celebrity endorsement, you should not take it at face value. Confirm on the celebrity’s website to see if they really do endorse a particular product. As for celebrity based romance scam, it is important to recognize that celebrities aren’t reaching out online to people they have never met to start romantic relationships. Any DM you get from a celebrity asking for money, donations, help with a private matter, inviting you to join a secret fan club, or do anything with cryptocurrencies is a scam. Any message that indicates they need help with a legal issue, are stuck while traveling, want to reward you if you cover a small fee, or need gift cards is also a scam.
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Scam of the day – June 19, 2026 – Phony Restaurant Delivery Service 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 took 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 – June 18, 2026 – 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 common Father’s Day scam involves an email or text message that you get offering Father’s Day gifts at tremendously discounted prices. All you need to do is to click on a link to order online. The problem is that many of these offers are indeed scams. If you click on the link, one of two things can happen and both are bad. Sometimes the link will take you to an order form where you provide your credit card information, but never get anything in return. Instead, your credit card information is used to make you a victim of identity theft. Even worse is the other possibility which is by clicking on the link, you will unwittingly download a keystroke logging malware program that will steal all of the personal information stored on your computer and use that information to make you a victim of identity theft.
Be careful when making online purchases. Merely because a website offering great prices may be highly listed on Google or other search engines does not mean that it is legitimate. All it means is that the scammers know how to manipulate the positioning of their website in a Google search. Other times the scammers will merely pay for an advertisement for their website to appear at the top of a search engine search.
TIPS
Never click on a link to open an electronic greeting card unless the e card specifically indicates who sent the card. Phony e cards will not indicate the name of the sender. Even if the sender is someone you recognize, you should independently confirm with that person that they indeed sent you an e card before clicking on the link. Don’t depend upon your security software to protect your phone, computer or tablet because even the most up to date security software will always be behind the latest zero day defect malware.
It is always dangerous to buy anything online from any store or company with which you are not familiar. Check out the company with your state’s Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission or just do a Google search to see if the company is legitimate. Even then, you are better off going directly to the company’s website rather than dealing with a company through an email that may just be a forgery of an email from a legitimate company. As always, if the offer you receive sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
You also can use the Google Safe Browsing Tool to see if a particular website you are considering for a Father’s Day purchase is legitimate. https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search
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 17, 2026 – Evolution of the Brushing Scam
I first told you about “brushing” in August of 2020 after many people in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom reported receiving unordered packages of seeds sent from China. A wide variety of conspiracy theories quickly surfaced to explain what was happening, but the truth was that it was an example of a scam called “brushing.” Brushing was the name given to using false orders for products to boost the prominence of an online vendor.
Vendors pay brushers to make large orders of their product and ship them to strangers to make the sales appear to be legitimate. The brushers follow up on these purchases by posting glowing reviews of the vendor’s product. This combination of increased sales volume and positive reviews will, in turn, result in the increased prominence of the vendor in online marketplaces and result in increased sales. Brushing is illegal in the United States and China, however, it is quite commonly used by Chinese companies.
Now we are seeing a resurgence of this scam, but in a more threatening manner. While in the original brushing scam, people receiving the unordered items did not suffer any financial harm, now scammers are sending unordered goods, most often through Amazon, to people with a QR code and instructions to scan the QR code in order to see who sent the goods. If you scan the QR code either you will be taken to a phony, but legitimate appearing website where you will be prompted to provide personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or, even worse, merely by scanning the QR code you may download malware that will steal personal information from your phone that can lead to identity theft.
TIPS
If you get unordered goods with instructions to scan a QR code, report the package to Amazon using the form found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G33XVXQPUV79Z2ZC Do not scan the QR code, As with the initial instances of the brushing scam, you are legally entitled to keep any unordered goods sent to you.
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