Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – February 4, 2026 – Grandparent Scam Warning: New AI Tactics and Job Scams Turning Victims Into “Money Mules”
I am sure by now all of you are familiar with the grandparent scam where a grandparent receives a telephone call from someone purporting to be their grandchild who has gotten into some trouble, most commonly a traffic accident, legal trouble or medical problems in a far away place. The caller pleads for the grandparent to send money immediately to help resolve the problem. However the caller also begs the grandparent not to tell mom and dad. One would think that no one would be gullible enough to fall for this scam, but don’t be so hard on the victims of this scam. Scam artists have a knowledge of psychology of which Freud would have been envious and are able to use that knowledge to persuade their victims to send money right away. While this scam has been going on for approximately sixteen years, it continues to victimize people and has gotten worse and more convincing through the use of AI and voice cloning by scammers to make calls sound exactly like the grandchild’s voice.
Recently two elderly women in Vancouver Canada became victims of the grandparent scam after receiving calls from a man claiming to be the grandchild’s attorney informing the scam victims that the grandchild was in jail and needed $7,200 to cover court costs. Things got interesting after that because the scammed grandparents were told that a courier would come to their homes and pick up the money. The courier who picked up the money in both instances was not a knowing participant in the scam, but had accepted an unsolicited job offer he had not applied for to pick up funds on behalf of his employer. After doing so twice from the elderly scam victims he became suspicious and went to police out of a concern that what he was involved with was illegal. Fortunately, he still had the money from the final pickup and turned it over to police who are not filing charges against him.
TIPS
In regard to the grandparent scam, scammers often use the nicknames of the grandchildren when speaking to their intended victims. Sometimes they get this information from social media while in other instances they get this information from reading obituaries which may contain the names of grandchildren so merely because the correct name is used in the call is no reason to believe the call. Don’t respond immediately to such a call without calling the real grandchild on his or her cell phone or call the parents and confirm the whereabouts of the grandchild. If a medical problem is the ruse used, you can call the real hospital. If legal problems are the hook you can call the real police. You can also test the caller with a question that could be answered only by the real grandchild, but make sure that it really is a question that only the real grandchild could answer and not just anyone who might read the real grandchild’ s social media postings. Prudent families can also come up with a code word to use in an emergency which a scammer will never know.
As for the job scam that turned an innocent person into a “money mule,” you should always be skeptical when you are contacted about a job for which you did not apply and a job for an unidentified employer picking up cash from people, particularly elderly people is always a scam.
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Scam of the day – February 3, 2026 – Beware the Geek Squad Renewal Scam: How Fake Invoices Steal Your Identity
According to the FTC the company most impersonated by scammers with phishing emails containing fake bills or fake renewals is Geek Squad. Geek Squad is a subsidiary of big box store chain Best Buy and it offers excellent tech support for electronic devices including televisions and computers. Scammers have been sending phishing emails that appear to be Geek Squad invoices. Reproduced below is one of those imposter phishing emails presently circulating. It looked like a legitimate email from Geek Squad, although the grammar was not particularly good which is one of many indications that it was a scam. These types of phishing emails are intended to lure you into contacting the scammers where you will be prompted to provide information that will lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft. This email is intended to get you to respond by calling the phone number contained in the email to dispute the bill. If you do call the number you will be prompted to provide personal information that would be used to make you a victim of identity theft.
Here is the email that is presently circulating:
Payment Processed to GEEK~SQUAD
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your order.
Please review your payment amount below, we have attached a PDF detailing your order invoice and terms of your subscription.
Contact Support +1 802 209 0705 Reach out to us anytime. We’ll be happy to help you.
——Product Details: ——
GEEK~SQUAD® Network Security – Auto Renewal 3 Years subscription
Invoice Number: GT-261994
Invoice Date: 06/10/2022
Payment Method: Online
Amount: 339.99 USD
We have charged you 339.99 USD for the next 3 Years subscription. We tried to contact you on your registered Phone number, Deduction of amount will appear on your bank account within 48 hours.
If you have any Question or Wish to cancel the Renewal, Please connect us on +1 802 209 0705
Sincerely,
© 2022 GEEK~SQUAD – All Rights Reserved
+1 802 209 0705
You’re receiving this email because you signed up for a GEEK~SQUAD account.
TIPS
Never click on links or download attachments in emails or text messages unless you have absolutely confirmed that they are legitimate and don’t call companies at telephone numbers that appear in the email such as this one. Instead, if the email appears to come from a legitimate company, you can call them at a telephone number you confirm is legitimate. In the case of Geek Squad their customer service number is actually 800-433-5778. The phone number in the email is not that of the Geek Squad and the area code is that of Hawaii. Never call the number that appears in these types of emails.
An indication that this is not legitimate and is a phishing email is the fact that nowhere in the email does your name appear.
This particular phishing email didn’t even carry the logo of Geek Squad although even it did, it would not be an indication that it is legitimate as it is quite simple to counterfeit a legitimate logo to give the email the appearance of legitimacy.
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Scam of the day – February 2, 2026 – Formjacking: The Hidden Cyber Threat Stealing Millions From Consumers Each Month
Formjacking may be one of the most effective cybercriminal tactics that you have, most likely, never heard of. According to the security company Symantec, approximately 4,800 websites of small, medium and large businesses are targeted by this type of attack each month at a cost to consumers of millions of dollars. Formjacking occurs when cybercriminals manage to install malicious JavaScript code into the website of the targeted companies. This malware enables the cybercriminals to steal the credit and debit card information provided by customers when they do business with these legitimate companies. Much of the formjacking attacks against major companies, such as Ticketmaster, British Airways and contact lens company VisionDirect have been attributed to a cybercriminal group referred to as Magecart. Often the malicious code is inserted into third party services that then infect the true target. In the case of the attack on Ticketmaster, Magecart was able to go through a third-party chatbot which unsuspectingly loaded the malicious code into the web browsers of visitors to Ticketmaster’s website. Instances of formjacking have increased dramatically in recent years. Fortunately, security companies can provide security software to counteract formjacking, however, unfortunately, many companies fail to install such software and are quite vulnerable to a formjacking attack. Making things worse, there is nothing that we as consumers can do to determine whether a website we are providing our credit or debit card is infected with formjacking malware.
TIPS
The key to protecting yourself from formjacking is, as I always advise, to never use your debit card for any retail purchases. If your credit card is used for fraudulent purposes you cannot be assessed more than $50 for such use and most credit card companies charge consumers nothing if their card is used fraudulently. However, the potential liability of a person whose debit card has been compromised can reach his or her entire bank account tied to the card if the card owner does not report the crime promptly and even if the card owner does report the theft promptly, the debit card owner’s access to his or her own bank account is frozen while the bank investigates the crime. Consumers should refrain from using their debit cards for anything other than an ATM card. Use a credit card for all of your card purchases to achieve greater consumer protection. In addition, you should regularly monitor your bank account tied to your debit card in order to discover as soon as possible if fraudulent use of your debit card has occurred so that you can report it to the bank and limit your liability. You also should regularly monitor your credit card account, preferably online in order to promptly recognize if your credit card’s security has been breached.
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Scam of the day – February 1, 2026 – ShinyHunters Data Breach: What the Panera Bread Hack Reveals About Rising Identity Theft Risks
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. Recently the English speaking hacking group ShinyHunters successfully stole personal information including customer names, email addresses, phone numbers home addresses and account details for 14 million customers of Panera Bread. In the last year ShinyHunters hacked Google, Farmers Insurance, Allianz Life, Workday, Pandora, Cisco, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Qantas. In the case of Panera Bread, the hackers got access to a Panera Bread database through social engineering in which they posed as an IT worker and lured Panera Bread employees into providing access credentials.
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. Now there are two lawsuits related to the data breach filed against TransUnion seeking class action status. Both lawsuits allege negligence and failure to properly protect their data. I will keep you informed as to the status of both of those cases.
TIPS
While personal information of the kind compromised in this data breach does not pose the immediate threat of a compromised Social Security number, it does enable a cybercriminal to create more specifically targeted spear phishing attacks that appear legitimate.
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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Scam of the day – January 31, 2026 – Beware the New Coinbase Phishing Email Scam: How to Spot and Avoid It
Phishing emails, by which scammers and identity thieves attempt to lure you into either clicking on links contained within the email which will download malware or providing personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft, are nothing new. They are a staple of identity thieves and scammers and with good reason because they work. As always, they lure you by making it appear that there is an emergency that requires your immediate attention or else dire consequences will occur.
Coinbase is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States with millions of people buying, selling and storing various cryptocurrencies with them therefore it is not surprising that scammers and identity thieves are posing as Coinbase in phishing emails in which they claim emergency issues, or account updates require your immediate attention. The emails, such as the one copied below lure you into clicking on a link purportedly to take you to the Coinbase website where you will be prompted to log in, however, if you do you will provide your username and password to a scammer who will then empty your account. The bogus Coinbase website, now often created through AI looks quite legitimate, but it can’t be trusted. In other versions of the Coinbase phishing email scam you will be prompted to scam a QR code or call a phone number or even provide remote access to your computer. All of these will lead to you account being stolen.
Copied below is a phishing email presently being sent to unsuspecting people that appears to come from Coinbase. It is interesting to note that nowhere does the name of the recipient of the email appear nor any reference to a specific account. Another telltale sign that this is a phishing email is that the email address of the sender was one that has nothing to do with Coinbase.
Here is the email. I have removed the link where you are asked to verify information. If you had hovered your mouse over the link, you would have seen that it would not direct you to a site that had anything to do with Coinbase.
| V͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏m͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n | |
| D͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏h͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏m͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏g͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏w͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏g͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏h͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏U͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏S͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏,͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏C͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏b͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏q͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏v͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏h͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏.͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏P͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏v͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏h͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏m͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏q͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏v͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏.͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏Y͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏w͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏b͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏b͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏v͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏m͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏h͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏C͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏b͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏A͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏. | |
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| I͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏v͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏f͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏C͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏b͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏,͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏w͏͏͏͏͏͏͏i͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏b͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏l͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏y͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏d͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏s͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏r͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏p͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏h͏͏͏͏͏͏͏e͏͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏a͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏c͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏o͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏u͏͏͏͏͏͏n͏͏͏͏͏͏t͏͏͏͏͏. | |
TIPS
Legitimate emails from a company with which you do business would include either your account number or at least the last four digits of your account and include your name rather than just your email address. This email had neither.
The easiest way to avoid this Coinbase phishing email is to never click on a link in an email to go to the Coinbase website. Rather, if you have any concerns that a communication may be legitimate, merely go to the Coinbase website from your browser by typing in the address that you know is correct. It is also important to utilize dual factor authentication so that even if someone managed to steal your password, they would not be able to get access to your account.
It is also important to note that Coinbase will never ask you to call them or request remote access to your computer.
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 – January 30, 2026 – AI‑Driven Celebrity Impersonation Scams Surge: How Fake Reese Witherspoon Accounts Target Fans
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.
Recently 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.
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.
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 – January 29, 2026 – How Bitcoin ATM Scams Exploded in Three Years—FTC Issues Major Warning
A report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) indicates a 1,000 % increase in money lost to scammers through Bitcoin ATMs in the last three years with consumers reporting losses of more than $65 million in just the first six months of 2024. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency ATMs look just like traditional ATMs, but instead of distributing cash, they take cash in exchange for cryptocurrency and enable the transfer of the deposited cash turned into Bitcoin into crypto wallets. Due to the anonymity and immediacy of the Bitcoin transfers done through a Bitcoin ATM, it is a favorite method of payment for scammers.
Most of the scams using Bitcoin ATMs involve imposter scams where the scammer poses as either a law enforcement officer, government official or someone providing tech support for a non-existent problem. What all of these imposter scams have in common is that they scare the targeted victim with a story about an emergency that requires them to take cash from their bank account and use a QR code provided by the scammer to deposit the money into the account of the scammer at a Bitcoin ATM under the guise of protecting the funds. According to the FTC, people over 60 years old were more than three times more likely to report losing money to a Bitcoin ATM scam with an average loss of $10,000.
Recently in Westlake , Ohio a convenience store clerk noticed an elderly woman depositing thousands of dollars in cash into a cryptocurrency ATM and called the police to come in and stop her. Eventually, the responding officer was able to convince her that she was being scammed, but not before she had deposited and lost $5,500. Typical of such scams, she was responding to a scammer posing as her bank’s fraud department who told her to deposit the money into the cryptocurrency ATM to protect it.
TIPS
Protecting yourself from these imposter scams starts with recognizing that you can never be sure who is actually contacting you when you are contacted by phone, email or text message so you should never click on a link, download an attachment or provide personal information in response to any of those communications unless you have absolutely confirmed that the communication was legitimate. Further there is no circumstance where you will be asked by anyone legitimate to withdraw funds from your bank, deposit them into a Bitcoin ATM and transfer the funds to them. Only scammers make those requests.
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Scam of the day – January 28, 2026 – Smishing Scams on the Rise: How Fake Bank Text Messages Steal Your Money
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last year more scams originated through text messages than phone calls and text message scams in which the scammers pose as your bank were the most common text message scam. Phony text messaging, called smishing, which purport to be from your bank is a scam about which I have been warning you for years, but is a scam that has dramatically increased recently. Recently scammers have been posing as TD Bank and sending text messages indicating that a major charge has been made to your account and providing you with a link to click on to dispute the charge. If you click on the link you will be taken to a website that appears to be a legitimate website of TD Bank which prompts you to provide your user name and password. Unfortunately, if you do so you will be providing the scammer with full access to your bank account. Here is a copy of the text message being sent.
![DailyMail.com obtained one of the messages that reads: 'TD Alert. There's a pending charge of $1,298.99 on your account, ignore if you initiated, if not follow [link]'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/03/07/19/95962651-14474399-image-a-38_1741376145511.jpg)
Phony text messages like this can be particularly problematic if you have signed up to receive text message alerts from your bank. Whenever you receive a text message you can never be sure who is really sending it to you, so you should never call a telephone number indicated in the text message, provide information or click on links in such text messages which may either download ransomware malware on to your phone or keystroke logging malware that can lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft.
The best course of action when you receive such a text message, if you have a concern that it may be legitimate, is to merely independently contact your bank to determine whether or not the text message was a scam, but be careful that you do not misdial the telephone number of your bank as some scammers purchase phone numbers similar to those of legitimate banks and credit card companies hoping that they will receive calls from unwary consumers who may have merely misdialed the telephone number of their bank or credit card company.
TIPS
Regardless of how official such a text message 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.
Banks do not call, text or email their customers asking for personal information. You should always be skeptical of anyone asking for such information. Of course, if you receive a text message that appears to come from a bank at which you do not have an account, you can be confident it is a scam. If the text message provides for you to respond to stop future texts, don’t do it. Sending such a message to a scammer merely alerts them to the fact that yours is an active phone number.
Another step you should take to prevent your account from being taken over even if someone manages to get your user name and password is to set up dual factor authentication on your bank account.
Finally, although today’s Scam of the day focuses on phony bank text messages, it is a good idea to sign up to receive text alerts from your bank which can be customized for your own particular needs.
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Scam of the day – January 27, 2026 – Beware the Fake Apple Special Investigations Unit Scam: How to Protect Yourself
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 – January 26, 2026 – How to Stop Robocalls: Effective Apps and Tips to Block Scammers
Over the years I have written numerous times about the problems presented by robocalls and with good reason. Automated robocalls which, for commercial purposes, are illegal, are the number one consumer complaint reported by the public to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at a cost to consumers of billions of dollars each year. Robocalls are used by scammers to perpetrate a wide variety of scams. The ease by which illegal robocalls may be made by computers using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) accounts for much of the problem. Most of the robocalls received in the United States originate overseas. Last year the number of robocalls exceeded 52 billion calls according to the Robocall Index from YouMail, a robocall protection app that tracks call data.
TIPS
There also are a number of options we all have for preventing robocalls including a number of apps that for free or a small fee will reduce and, in some instances prevent, robocalls.
Samsung’s SmartCall informs you if the call you are receiving is from a known robocaller. This feature is available with newer Samsung Galaxy phones. Here is a link to information about SmartCall and instructions as to how to activate this app. https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/apps/smart-call/#:~:text=The%20Smart%20Call%20function%20lets,Suspected%20to%20be%20spam
Google also has a spam blocker that will warn you when you are receiving a robocall and your screen will turn red. Here is a link to information about the app and how to install it.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.dialer&hl=en
AT&T also offers free apps to block robocalls on iPhones and Android phones. Here is a link to information about these apps.
https://www.att.com/features/security-apps.html?partner=LinkShare&siteId=TnL5HPStwNw-yrUS1uDw9WGvN._xt67yew&source=ECay0000000CEL00O
Verizon’s CallerName ID is a free service for iPhones and Android phones that will alert you to suspected robocallers. Here is a link to Verizon’s app.
https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/caller-name-id/
T-Mobile offers a free scam blocker of known robocallers for Android phones which you can activate by merely dialing #662#
Sprint offers a paid service to protect your iPhone or Android phone from robocalls. For more information, use this link
https://www.sprint.com/en/landings/scamprotection.html
Finally, you can just choose to ignore any calls that come from numbers you do not recognize. This is a good option. If they are legitimate calls, they will leave a message and you can call them back.
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