Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – November 26, 2023 – FTC’s Voice Cloning Challenge
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 fourteen years, it continues to victimize people. This scam has also been used against people other than grandparents where the scammers target people telling them that a friend or other family member is experiencing a similar emergency.
But now it is getting worse – far worse.
Through the use of readily available AI voice cloning technology, a scammer can obtain a recording of the grandchild’s voice from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or anywhere else the grandchild might post a video with audio and use that audio to create a call to the grandparent that sounds exactly like that of the grandchild and all it takes is AI voice-generating software and as little as 30 seconds worth of the grandchild’s audio. Recently, Ruth Card of Regina, Saskatchewan was swindled out of 3,000 Canadian dollars by a scammer who used AI voice cloning technology to make a call to Mrs. Card that appeared to come from her grandson, Brandon in which it sounded like Brandon was in jail and needed the money immediately for bail.
TIPS
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.
Now, however, the Federal Trade Commission is appealing to tech savvy people to help solve the problem of voice cloning by initiating the Voice Cloning Challenge by which the FTC is offering a prize of $25,000 to whomever comes up with the best solution to this problem. The FTC will be taking submissions online between January 2nd and January 12th 2024. For more information about the Voice Cloning Challenge use this link https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/contests/ftc-voice-cloning-challenge
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Scam of the day – November 25, 2023 – FTC Sending Refunds to Victims of Tech Support Scam
Tech support scams in which consumers are tricked by scammers into believing there is a problem with their computers that require the expensive services of scammers constitute a major problem. Tech support scams are increasingly common and victimize consumers 60 years or older about five times more often than people between the ages of 20 and 59 according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The most common tech support scams start with popups on your computer that provide notices of security problems that contain telephone numbers for you to call to fix the problem, Whenever you get a pop-up, email, or text message that appears to tell you that you have a security problem with your computer, you should never click on any links contained in the message or call the telephone number provided. If your screen freezes, all you need to do is just turn off your computer and restart it. If you are concerned that you may be experiencing a real security problem you can contact tech support at the real tech companies directly by phone or by email using the phone number and email addresses you find on their respective websites.
If you call the scammers in response to concerns about your security, they often ask for you to enable them to get remote access to your computer to assess the problem. Providing remote access to anyone to your computer can lead to a myriad of problems including identity theft and the downloading of ransomware. Neither AOL, Yahoo, Apple, Microsoft or any of the other tech companies ever ask for remote access to your computer to fix problems.
The FTC is now sending full refunds to victims of a tech support scam perpetrated by NTS IT Care, Inc. pursuant to a 2020 settlement that had been under seal until recently pending a criminal case against the company and and its CEO Jagmeet Singh Virk. The scam of NTS IT Care, Inc. followed the same pattern indicated above starting with a pop-up on their victims’ computers.
TIPS
Often when your computer is frozen and you receive a pop-up ad purporting to tell you that you have a major security problem and warning you that you should not shut down or restart your computer because, they tell you, it would cause serious damage to your computer, the best thing you can do is shut down your computer and restart it.
If you are truly concerned about a security problem, contact tech support at the real tech companies you use at a phone number or email address that you have confirmed is accurate rather than a number or email address from the pop-up.
Never download software or give remote access to your computer to anyone whom you have not contacted.
For more information about this particular refund go to the section on the opening page of Scamicide.com and click on the “FTC Scam Refunds” section.
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Scam of the day – November 24, 2023 – Giving Tuesday Charity Scams
Following the major shopping days referred to as Black Friday and Cyber Monday now comes Giving Tuesday on November 28th. Giving Tuesday was first designated as a special day to focus on helping out people in need through charitable gifts in 2012. This is a time of the year when many people are receptive to solicitations from charities. Unfortunately, not all of those solicitations will be from legitimate charities. Many of those calls, letters and emails will be from scammers posing as charities.
Even if you are on the federal Do-Not-Call List, which I strongly recommend unless you enjoy talking to telemarketers, the law permits charities to contact you by phone. Unfortunately, whenever you receive a telephone call, you can never be sure who is really calling you. Even if your Caller ID indicates that the call you are getting is coming from a charity whose name you recognize, the call actually may be from a scammer using a technique called Spoofing to make it appear that the call is legitimate when it is not. The truth is that the call you receive may or may not be from a legitimate charity or a telemarketer on behalf of a legitimate charity and you have no way of knowing who is really on the other end of the line.
TIPS
When you receive such a call from a telemarketer or someone purporting to represent a charity, if you are interested in the particular charity, the best thing you can do is just to ask them to send you written material. Do not provide your credit card number over the phone to anyone who calls you because you cannot be sure that they are legitimate.
Also, as I have warned you in the past, many phony charities have names that are similar to real charities so it is always a good idea to investigate a charity before you make a charitable contribution. In addition, when you receive a charitable solicitation telephone call from a telemarketer, the telemarketer is generally being paid a commission for the money he or she collects. Thus, your contribution to the charity is diluted by the amount that goes to the telemarketer although as Jerry Seinfeld would say, “not that there is anything wrong with that.”
However, if you really want to make your charitable contribution go farther, you will be better served by first checking out the particular charity at http://www.charitynavigator.org where you can find out not only if the particular charity is legitimate, but also how much of your contribution goes toward administrative costs and how much actually goes toward the charity’s charitable work. Charitynavigator.org will also show you the best address to send your contribution. Then you can make your contribution directly to the charity without any amount being deducted for fund raising expenses.
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Scam of the day – November 23, 2023 – How to Tell if a Website is Legitimate
The pandemic increased the trend toward online purchases of just about everything and even as the pandemic has waned, many of us continue to make large amounts of our consumer purchases online. Scammers, of course, see this as an opportunity to scam people with phony websites that steal your money and provide you with nothing in return. Some of these phony websites are for totally made up companies that you have never heard of, but which are offering tremendous discounts on popular goods while other phony websites are counterfeit websites of legitimate online retailers.
So how do you determine if you are on a legitimate website?
TIPS
Scam of the day – November 22, 2023 – Protecting Yourself When Shopping Online
Every year, the number of people shopping online and the money spent through online shopping grows significantly. And why not? The convenience alone of being able to shop from the comfort and privacy of your home is reason enough for many of us to shop online. But how safe is it? According to the FTC the number one reported fraud is online shopping scams. However, following some basic precautions can go a long way in protecting you from being scammed when shopping online
TIPS
Here is a list of some online shopping tips:
1. Make sure that the computer, laptop, tablet or phone you use is equipped with the anti-virus and anti-malware software and that you have updated the software with the latest security patches.
2. As with shopping at brick and mortar stores, don’t use a debit card for online purchases, as well. In the event of a data breach, the consumer protection laws in regard to fraudulent use of your debit card are not as protective as those that apply when your credit card is fraudulently used.
3. Don’t supply your credit card number unless the address of the website is preceded by the letters “https.” That additional letter “s” indicates that the transmission of your data is encrypted and secure.
4. Don’t leave your credit card number on record with the online retailers you use for the sake of convenience. Doing so only makes you more likely to become a victim of identity theft if the company suffers a data breach (and many of them will).
5. Don’t click on coupons or ads that you may receive by way of an email or text message regardless of how good they appear. They may be loaded with malware that will be downloaded on to your computer, tablet or phone if you click on the link. That malware can steal all of your personal information and lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft. Any legitimate coupon you might receive through an email or a text message will also be available on the website of the company where you want to shop.
6. Limit your online shopping to companies that you know and trust. Merely because a company comes up high on a Google search does not mean that the company is legitimate. Any company offering a price that appears too good to be true, should be particularly suspect. In tomorrow’s Scam of the day I will tell you how to confirm if a retail website is legitimate or a counterfeit website.
7. Use distinct and complex passwords for each online company with which you shop and use dual factor authentication whenever possible.
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Scam of the day – November 21, 2023 – Black Friday Scams
While Thanksgiving is still two days away, many people already have their hearts and minds focused on one of the biggest shopping days of the year – Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season although I have been seeing holiday shopping displays since Halloween. The fact that Black Friday is such a huge shopping day is not lost on scammers who will be as pervasive as ever. Over the next few weeks, I will be focusing the Scams of the day on the many holiday season scams about which we should all be aware.
If you are shopping in a brick and mortar store Friday or any other day throughout the year, you should use a credit card rather than a debit card because of the possibility of skimmers which are small devices being used by criminals working as sales clerks that will capture your credit card number which will then be used to make fraudulent purchases. As for using your credit card rather than your debit card, it is important to remember that while your liability for fraudulent use of your credit card is limited by federal law to no more than $50, your liability for fraudulent use of your debit card which is tied to your bank account is unlimited if you do not promptly discover and report the fraud which is why you should always use your credit card for shopping rather than your debit card.
I will be discussing safe practices for online shopping in a future Scam of the day, but in the last couple of years the problem of what the FBI calls E-skimming has become more serious. E-skimming occurs when criminals infect the websites of numerous retailers in a manner that they are able to capture your credit card or debit card information when you enter it into the website. It is important to note that while your chip card will protect you if you use your chip card to make purchases at a brick and mortar store that has updated its credit card processing equipment to handle chip credit cards, you cannot use your chip for online purchases. However, as I indicated in the previous paragraph, the most you are responsible for if your credit card is used fraudulently is $50 and quite frankly I have never seen a credit card company even charge its customers that amount.
TIPS
For the reasons discussed above, try to use your credit card as a chip card whenever possible and always watch your credit card when it is being processed at a brick and mortar store. Don’t let it out of your sight because that is when you run the risk of a rogue clerk running it through a portable skimmer, which will steal the number of your card. Refrain from using your debit card except as an ATM card. Finally, in regard to the E-skimming threat, you should regularly monitor your credit card statement online rather than waiting for a monthly paper bill to be delivered to you so that if your credit card was compromised and your data stolen, you will be able to discover and report the problem to your credit card issuer quickly and avoid more problems.
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Scam of the day – November 20, 2023 – Thanksgiving Electronic Greeting Card Scam
Thanksgiving is just three days away and I want to wish everyone a happy and scam-free Thanksgiving to everyone.
Electronic greeting cards have become very popular and with good reason. Even if you don’t remember a birthday or delay sending a holiday card until the last minute, you can send an electronic greeting card, often for free, and have it delivered immediately. Many electronic greeting cards are quite creative with videos and music, as well. But, unfortunately, you can always count on scam artists and identity thieves to try to spoil anything and electronic greeting cards are no exception. The scam starts when you get a phony electronic greeting card that requires you to click on a link to read the card. If you click on one of these phony greeting cards, you may end up downloading a keystroke logging malware program that will steal all of the information from your computer and end up with you becoming a victim of identity theft or alternatively you may download dangerous malware such as ransomware.
TIPS
One of the first things to notice when you receive an e greeting card is who is indicated as the person sending the card. If it states that the card is being sent by “a friend” or “an admirer,” you can be pretty sure that it is a phony card. However, even if the card uses the name of someone you know, it still is risky to open the card without confirming with an email or a phone call that your friend actually did send you the card. Remember, even paranoids have enemies. Scammers may pick a common name to use as the sender or may even have researched who your friends and family are.
It is also important to keep your security software including anti-virus software and anti-malware software installed and up to date at all times which can help if you unwittingly download malware. However, it is important to remember that the most up to date security software is always at least thirty days behind the latest strains of malware often referred to as those that exploit “zero day defects.”
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Scam of the day – November 19, 2023 – Check Washing Increasing
What is old is new again. Many people continue to pay their household bills by paper checks rather than electronic banking and even when shopping, some people prefer paying by check instead of using a credit card or cash. While there has been much discussion in the news about data breaches involving credit cards, the problems encountered through check washing are still substantial costing consumers and banks more than a billion dollars each year and the problem is getting worse.
Typically, the scam starts when someone pays a bill with a check, mails the envelope containing the check and then somewhere in transit the check is stolen and washed. Check washing is a process by which someone steals a check you have already written and “washes” or removes the name of the payee, often using simple bleach, and also changes the amount as well as the name of the payee. The criminal then cashes your altered check and steals your money.
It is a very simple thing for identity thieves to steal your check from your mailbox if you put it in an envelope to pay a bill and leave it in your mailbox outside your home for your mail carrier to pick up. Identity thieves also break into USPS mail collection boxes and steal mail with checks as well. Finally, rogue clerks at stores may steal your checks. It is then a simple thing to take ordinary bleach, acetone or other similar liquids to wash clean the name of the person to whom the check is made out as well as the amount of the check and insert the identity thief’s name and a new amount.
TIPS
While businesses can protect themselves from check washing quite readily by using higher technology checks such as those containing three dimensional reflective metallic holograms or checks treated with chemicals that will make the world “void” appear if the check is attempted to be altered, these are costly alternatives for individuals. Fortunately however, you are not powerless and the solution, in fact is quite simple. Instead of writing your checks using a common ball point pen, switch to a gel pen which is a commonly available type of pen whose ink will not vanish under chemical washes. Fountain pens also do not use the type of ink that can be readily washed, but the gel pen is simpler and easier to use (and also less messy).
Another important thing to remember is to cross shred your personal documents including checks that you no longer need and are discarding. Identity thieves go through your trash for their treasure including checks that they can use to make counterfeit checks using your account.
Finally, check your banks statements promptly after receiving them for signs of theft. If you do report checking account fraud more than thirty days after receiving your bank statement, the bank does not have to reimburse you for fraudulent, counterfeit checks. Finally, if you already aren’t doing so, you should consider paying your bills electronically which can be done in an extremely safe manner.
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Scam of the day – November 18, 2023 – Steve’s Testimony on Senior Scams and AI Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging
Two days ago I testified before the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Aging. My testimony related to scams affecting the elderly and, in particular, how Artificial Intelligence is now being used by scammers. Here is a link to the hearing which shows myself and the other witnesses. I testified and then took questions from Senator Bob Casey, the chair of the Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Mark Kelly.
I also want to thank Alison Council, Sameer Chhetri and Dory Finney of the Committee for their tremendous help in arranging my testimony.
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Scam of the day – November 17, 2023 – Lloyds Bank Cryptocurrency Scam Report
Although cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, may seem to be new. I have been writing in Scamicide.com about cryptocurrency scams for nine years. Cryptocurrencies are legitimate, but scammers are increasingly taking advantage of the public’s fascination with cryptocurrencies to take old forms of scams and update them with a cryptocurrency twist. The perception of many in the public that cryptocurrencies offer an easy path to riches coupled with many people violating the cardinal rule of investing by investing in schemes that they do not understand creates a perfect storm for cryptocurrency scams.
Recently Lloyds Bank, a British bank issued a report in which it found that cryptocurrency scams in the UK increased by 23% in 2023 over the comparable period last year and that the average amount of money lost by victims of these scams was more than any other type of scam in the UK. Cryptocurrency scams are a huge problem in the United States and everywhere else as well.
Similar to the United States, the Lloyd Bank report found that most cryptocurrency scams began as posts on social media with Facebook and Instagram being the social media where these scams primarily appeared. Phony advertisements and bogus celebrity endorsements are common elements of many of these social media based scams.
According to the report the two primary cryptocurrency scams are “The Illusion” and “The Takeover.” In “The Illusion” the victim is lured into investing in a phony cryptocurrency platform with the promise of huge returns when the truth is that once the victim invests in the non-existent cryptocurrency, his or her money is gone forever. In “The Takeover” the scammer posing as an investment advisor convinces the victim to set up a legitimate cryptocurrency account and then gives control of the account and the victim’s digital wallet to the scammer who then steals the money.
TIPS
As I have mentioned many times previously, you should never invest in anything that you do not fully understand. You also should not invest in anything without investigating the people offering the investments. In addition, as always, if the investment sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Some of the things to be on the lookout for in regard to cryptocurrency scams are promises of high, guaranteed returns on your investment, false claims of being SEC compliant, allowing you to invest using your credit card and pump and dump scams. For more information about pump and dump scams related to cryptocurrencies, check out the Scam of the day for April 11, 2018.
Also, as a general rule, investing based on social media posts is an invitation to disaster.
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