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Scam of the day – June 10, 2026 – Car Rental Scams
Since 2019, the cost of renting a car on vacation has increased dramatically. However, scammers are more than willing to help you out. They are setting up phony car rental company websites and websites that appear to be those of legitimate car rental companies such as Avis or Hertz.
Scam of the day – June 9, 2026 – Mystery Shopper Scam Continues to Claim Victims
The manner in which the scam generally works is that when you answer an advertisement, or respond to a letter, email or a text message to become a mystery shopper, you are sent a bank check. You deposit the check into your own account and spend some of the money on the goods that you purchase which you are allowed to keep and also are directed to keep some of the balance of the check as payment for your services. You are instructed to return the remaining funds by a wire transfer. Of course, the check that was sent to you is counterfeit and bounces, but the funds wired by the victim of the scam is gone forever from his or her bank account.
Scam of the day – June 8, 2026 – Sirius-XM Phony Invoice Scam
The copied email below, provided by a longtime Scamicide reader, attempts to lure you into clicking on a link in order to renew an expired satellite radio Sirius XM account for free which right away should be a red flag that this is a scam. As always, the purpose of a phishing email is to lure you into clicking on links contained within the email or providing personal information. If you click on links in phishing emails, you end up either downloading malware or providing information used to make you a victim of identity theft.
Scam of the day – June 7, 2026 – Medicare Misdial Scam
Medicare coverage can be confusing. Fortunately, if you have a question regarding your coverage, you can always call the official Medicare phone number of 1-900-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and speak to a Medicare representative who can answer your question. Unfortunately, scammers are aware that on occasion, people will misdial the phone number and scammers take advantage of this by purchasing telephone numbers that are a single digit off of the real phone number and wait to be called by unsuspecting Medicare recipients. The scammers then will ask the person calling for various information supposedly for verification purposes, such as your Medicare number, your Social Security number, your bank account information or your credit card information. Providing this information will lead to identity theft.
Scam of the day – June 6, 2026 – The Danger of Trojan Subscribers
Trojan subscribers are malicious code that cybercriminals add to legitimate apps and then upload them to app stores under a different name. The apps can be for a variety of purposes, such as monitoring blood pressure or scanning documents. When someone downloads one of these infected apps, he or she doesn’t realize that the Trojan subscriber will automatically subscribe to a paid service without the person who downloaded the app being aware of it.
Scam of the day – June 5, 2026 – Vacation Home Rental Scam
Unfortunately, they are also a great way for scam artists to steal money from unwary people looking for a vacation home. The scam usually starts with a listing that looks quite legitimate and there is a good reason for that. The listing is often a real on-line listing that has been copied by the scammer who merely puts in his or her name and contact information. The price is usually very low which attracts a lot of potential renters. The potential renters are sometimes told that the owner is out of the country and that there are many people interested in the property so if the tenant wants to be considered for renting it, the tenant has to wire money to the landlord somewhere outside of the country. As I have warned you many times, wiring money is a scammer’s first choice because it is all but impossible to retrieve once you have found out that you have been scammed. Too often, unwary potential tenants wire the money and never hear anything further from the scam landlord. And as for the money, it is gone forever.
Scam of the day – June 4, 2026 – San Antonio Passes Law Requiring Warnings on Cryptocurrency ATMs.
Now San Antonio, Texas has passed an ordinance requiring a sign be put on all cryptocurrency ATMs in both English and Spanish warning users about common cryptocurrency scams and instructing anyone being pressured to send money to call 911.
Scam of the day – June 3, 2026 – FIFA World Cup Scams Increasing
The FIFA World Cup tournament will be beginning on June 11th. This is the most popular sporting event in the world. With an estimated half of the world’s population eagerly watching the FIFA World Cup tournament it should come as no surprise that this event has spawned numerous scams and identity theft schemes concocted by criminals around the world. The FBI is warning people about scammers setting up phony FIFA websites in order to lure people into paying for tickets or merchandise that they will never receive or provide personal information that will lead to identity theft. Often the scammers will use URLs that at first glance such as http://www.fiffa.com that at first glance may appear to be the legitimate http://www.fifa.com site. Among the many counterfeit websites that the FBI identified is http://www.fifa-online.com and jobs-fifa.com. By using AI the scammers can make the counterfeit websites appear legitimate.
Scam of the day – June 2, 2026 – Avis Data Breach Settlement Update
In August of 2024, the rental car company Avis suffered a data breach in which personal and financial information of 299,000 of its customers was compromised. The compromised information included names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers and credit card information. This information put Avis’ customers in danger of identity theft and other scams. A class action was filed in September of 2024 alleging that Avis was negligent in failing to implement reasonable security measures. and now that lawsuit has been settled with class members eligible to receive up to $5,000 for documented, unreimbursed losses suffered as a result of the data breach. Class members who did not experience out-of-pocket losses will also receive cash payments from the settlement. The amount of the payments will depend upon on the number of class members making claims. The settlement is scheduled for a final approving hearing before a judge who must approve the settlement On July 28, 2026.
Scam of the day – June 1, 2026 – California Sues Over 23andMe Data Breach
In the Scam of the day for October 10, 2023 I informed you of a data breach at the genetic testing company 23andMe that compromised information of 6.9 million of its customers. This week California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced he is suing Chrome Holding, the DNA testing firm that succeeded 23andMe after 23andMe filed for bankruptcy alleging the company was negligent in failing to secure its customers’ sensitive data.
Scam of the day – May 31, 2026 – AI Enhanced Fake Kidnapping Scam Snares Victim
Recently, Deborah Del Mastro of California received a phone call from someone who told her that he had kidnapped her daughter and then to prove that they were holding her daughter, Sarah, they put Sarah on the phone who, in a panic filled voice told her mother, “I love you, mom. I’m so sorry, I’m so scared.” But it wasn’t her daughter, Sarah. The phony kidnappers had cloned Sarah’s voice to make the call appear legitimate. In response to the kidnapper’s demand, Deborah Del Mastro wired $5,400 to Mexico and was told to go to a local grocery store where her daughter would be released. When her daughter didn’t appear, she finally called her daughter’s cell phone and found out that she had been at work the entire time.
Scam of the day – May 30, 2026 – PayPal Friends and Family Payment Scams
PayPal also has another payment option called Friends and Family which is intended to use in situations such as making a gift, splitting a lunch tab or sending money to someone you know very well. It is not intended for commercial purposes. When you use the Goods and Services PayPal option you are charged a small fee, but when you use the Friends and Family option and pay from your PayPal account or your bank account tied to your PayPal account there is no fee. However, when you use the Friends and Family option, you do not get the PayPal Purchase Protection Plan. Scammers will offer something for sale and then ask to be paid by PayPal using the Friends and Family option to save a little money. Many people comply with this request and have few options to get their money back once they have been scammed.
Scam of the day – May 29, 2026 – HR Department Vacation Scam
One new scam involves your getting an email that appears to come from your employer’s HR Department luring you to click on a link to submit your request for vacation time. Clicking on the link can either cause you to download dangerous malware that can lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft or luring you into providing your online credentials at work in order to get access to your company’s computers and data.
Scam of the day – May 28, 2026 – Carnival Cruise Line Data Breach Class Action Filed
Carnival Cruise Line suffered a massive data breach by the ransomware gang ShinyHunters through social engineering on April 18, 2026 that is estimated to have affected 8.7 million records. The data breach is still being investigated, but is reported to have included...
Scam of the day – May 27, 2026 – Missouri Becomes the Latest State to Take on Crypto ATMs
Indiana was the first state to outright ban cryptocurrency ATMs. Tennessee has joined the parade as the second state to ban cryptocurrency ATMs after their legislature unanimously voted to do so. Their ban will take effect July 1st. Tennessee was prompted to do so after its citizens lost $142 million to cryptocurrency scams. Overall, Americans lost $11.3 billion last year to cryptocurrency ATM scams. A number of states have sued the crypto ATM companies with the most recent being Missouri which sued GPD Holdings LLC who do business as CoinFlip for “knowingly facilitating fraudulent transactions and profiting from them with convoluted and excessive fees through cryptocurrency kiosks..”
Scam of the day – May 26, 2026 – Liberty Mutual Data Breach Class Action Filed
When Liberty Mutual refused to pay the demanded ransom promptly, Everest added Liberty Mutual to its dark web site where they threaten to post the information stolen. Now a proposed class action has been filed by two affected customers in Massachusetts claiming Liberty Mutual was negligent in its failure to protect sensitive customer data. I will keep you informed as to progress of the lawsuit.
Scam of the day – May 25, 2026 – Gift Cards Are a Scammers Best Friend
Scammers are big fans of gift cards because they are easy to purchase, easy to send to the scammer and impossible to trace to the scammer. According to the FTC, consumers lost 250 million dollars to gift card scams in 2025. It is not even necessary for the scammer to be in possession of the actual gift card to use it. Sending the gift card numbers or taking a picture on your phone and transmitting it to the scammer is sufficient for the scammer to use the gift card to buy things that can then be sold and converted into cash.
Scam of the day – May 24, 2026 – Fuel Relief Program Scams
When, according to AAA the average price for a gallon of gas in the United States was $4.82 in July of 2022 I told you in a Scam of the day about scammers posing as government agents offering phony fuel assistance. At that time the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned the public about scammers calling, texting and emailing people posing as government representatives of the federal Fuel Relief Program offering assistance. All you needed to do, they told you, was provide some personal and financial information in order to be eligible for the program. Unfortunately, there was no such program then and there is no such program now as we all face high gas prices. Anyone providing their personal or financial information to the scammer will end up becoming a victim of identity theft.
Scam of the day – May 23, 2026 – Is That New Card You Received From Medicare Legitimate?
I always advise people B.S. – Be skeptical, so it is not surprising that many people are indeed skeptical when they receive a snail mail letter from Medicare containing a new Medicare card with a new ID number, but the truth is that Medicare has sent out 1.3 million new cards to people whose Medicare ID numbers were either compromised in a data breach or otherwise susceptible to fraud. The bad news is that scammers are also aware that Medicare is sending out new cards so using AI to create the letters and cards, scammers are also sending out new cards for purposes of identity theft or to swindle their victims out of money.
Scam of the day – May 22, 2026 – Memorial Day Scams
As we honor our veterans on Memorial Day, May 25th it is important to remember that scammers take Memorial Day as just another opportunity to scam veterans and others. In the case of Memorial Day, you can expect to be solicited by scammers by phone (remember legitimate charities can call you by phone even if you have enrolled in the Do Not Call List because charities are exempt from the Do Not Call List), email or letters asking for your money for various veterans causes or charitable ventures tied to Memorial Day.
Scam of the day – May 21, 2026 – Tennessee Becomes Second State to Ban Cryptocurrency ATMs
Earlier this year, Massachusetts became the latest state to sue a crypto ATM operator, in this case Bitcoin Depot for enabling criminals to use their machines to scam people. According to the lawsuit, more than half of the money that went through Bitcoin Depot ATMs between August 2023 and January 2025 was related to scams. Indiana was the first state to outright ban cryptocurrency ATMs. Now Tennessee has joined the parade as the second state to ban cryptocurrency ATMs after their legislature unanimously voted to do so. The ban will take effect July 1st. Tennessee was prompted to do so after its citizens lost $142 million to cryptocurrency scams. Overall, Americans lost $11.3 billion last year to cryptocurrency ATM scams.
Scam of the day – May 20, 2026 – Ohio Woman Loses $500 to Gift Card Scam
Recently a Bellefontaine, Ohio woman received a call that appeared to come from Apple informing her that there was a problem with her iPhone. He then gave her a case number and transferred her call to a scammer posing as a bank representative who told her that illegal content was discovered on her phone. He then transferred her call to a third scammer purportedly an employee of the Federal Trade Commission who told her that in order to resolve this serious matter she need to obtain $500 in Apple gift cards and provide the numbers to the phony FTC employee which she did, thereby losing the $500.
Scam of the day – Mary 19, 2026 – Amazon Prime Day Scams
Scammers, posing as Amazon are sending phishing emails and text messages in which they attempt to lure their victims into either providing account information that will give the scammer access to the victim’s Amazon account or to make a payment under some pretext or click on a link that will download dangerous malware such as keystroke logging malware or ransomware. They do so by representing to the targeted victim that their account has expired or that a recent order needs to be confirmed or some other emergency related to their account.
Scam of the day – May 18, 2026 – At Home Job May be Money Laundering
Laundering money derived from a scam is an essential element of many scams. Scammers can be extremely clever at distancing themselves from their scams in order to avoid detection. The people they enlist either as willing or unknowing participants in the laundering of the proceeds of a scam are called money mules. Scams in which innocent people are lured into being unknowing money mules are numerous. One of the more common of these involves work at home scams where your job is to receive goods, often electronics that have been shipped to you, inspect them and then reship them to an address provided to you by your new employer.
Scam of the day – May 17, 2026 – Student Loan Scams
We are in the midst of the college graduation season and along with their diplomas, many graduates will also be taking with them substantial student loans. I have written often about phony student loan debt relief companies and with good reason. More than thirty-eight million Americans have student loans with an outstanding balance of more than 1.4 trillion dollars so it is no surprise that scammers are focusing their attention on these students and former students through scams that falsely promise to provide debt relief. Now, after a five year pause during the pandemic on penalizing student loan borrowers for not making payments, in January of 2025, the Department of Education instructed loan servicers to start reporting late payers to credit bureaus which is resulting in millions of student loan borrowers having their important credit scores drop dramatically. Government figures indicate that two thirds of student loan borrowers are late or behind in their payments and this presents a dire situation to which scammers can be expected to respond by offering phony debt relief to desperate borrowers.
Scam of the day – May 16, 2026 – Jamaica Lottery Scammer Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison
Earlier this week Jamaican citizen Tajay Singh was sentenced to 54 months in prison for his role in a Jamaica lottery scam that targeted elderly Americans between January 2021 and October 2023 that scammed approximately 30 victims out of more than $4.5 million. Eleven other scammers who participated in this particular lottery scam have also been charged.
Scam of the day – May 15, 2026 – Meta Sued Again Over Scam Advertising
In the Scam of the day for May 1, 2026 I told you that the Consumer Federation of America sued Meta alleging “Meta has adopted policies and practices that it knows allow scam advertisements to proliferate on its platforms while simultaneously profiting off those ads at is users’ expense.” The complaint also accuses Meta of downplaying the scale of fraud on Facebook and Instagram and creating a false impression of safety. No Meta has been sued on similar grounds by the Santa Clara County government. The lawsuit alleges that Meta used a combination of AI and algorithms to specifically target vulnerable users of Facebook and Instagram with scam advertising.
Scam of the day – May 14, 2026 – Michigan Attorney General Warns About Cryptocurrency ATM Scams
Recently, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a warning about scams involving cryptocurrency ATMs saying, “If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from an agency or company who demands you use a Bitcoin ATM to pay a fine or bill, it is most certainly a scam.”
Scam of the day – May 13, 2026 – Canvas Data Breach Update
ShinyHunters is known for using the psychological tactic of social engineering to gain entry to its target companies’ computers rather than hacking into their computers. They then demand a ransom or threaten to disclose all of the information stolen to other criminals to use. In this case, ShinyHunters even did a second data breach to pressure Instructure to pay the demanded ransom, which the company has now confirmed that it has done. In return for the ransom payment, ShinyHunters has indicated that it has returned the stolen data and destroyed their copies of it. ShinyHunters has also promised not to use the data for further extortion. Whether they can be trusted not to do so is an open question. Certainly it would hurt their future ransomware attacks if they are found not to adhere to their bargains. However, in a similar type of data breach in 2024 of PowerSchool, the data from the breach was later used by other cybercriminals after a ransom had been paid.
Scam of the day – May 12, 2026 – Is That Letter From the IRS Real? Maybe.
Recently, however, the IRS sent out over 1.4 million CP53E notices to taxpayers advising them to update their bank account information with the IRS within 30 days for direct deposit of refunds. This notice is being sent out pursuant to an Executive Order regarding transitioning from paper checks to electronic payments and deposits. The problem is that these new notices contain a QR code that takes you to the IRS website. The IRS has not used QR codes in the past and the use of a QR code in this notice is immediately suspicious. Complicating the situation even further is the fact that many people who are not owed refunds have received this letter by error which makes the letter appear even more suspicious.
Scam of the day – May 11, 2026 – Skimmers at Gas Pumps Continue to be a Problem
Skimmers at gas pumps continue to be a major problem. Skimmers are small electronic devices that are easily installed by an identity thief on gas pumps, ATMs and other card reading devices. The skimmer steals all of the information from old style magnetic strip credit card or debit cards which then enables the identity thief to use that information to access the victim’s credit card or bank account when the skimmer is used on a debit card. Each skimmer can hold information on as many as 2,400 cards. In November of 2025, the Department of Justice broke up a multi-state crime ring that installed skimmers inside gas pumps in ten states stealing data from thousands of cards.
Scam of the day – May 10, 2026 – Canadian Grandparent Scammer Sentence to 15 Years in Prison
In the Scam of the day for March 6, 2025 I first told you about twenty-five Canadians who were arrested and charged with operating the grandparent scam through a call center in Canada where they contacted elderly victims in 40 American states between 2021 and 2024 during which time they stole $21 million from their victims. The scammers posed as either the targeted victims’ grandchild or an attorney representing the grandchild asking for money to be paid for bail. The scammers sent couriers posing as bail bondsmen to collect the cash and told the elderly victims that there was a gag order that prevented the victims from discussing the phony charges. This week, Stefano Zanetti one of those indicated and the person coordinated the pick up of the money from the victims in the United States was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Scam of the day – May 9, 2026 – Instructure Data Breach Affects Millions of its Customers
Educational technology company Instructure which developed the hugely popular learning management system Canvas which is used by school districts and universities around the world has confirmed that it suffered a data breach earlier this month in which as many as 275 million records of its users were compromised. The notorious ransomware gang ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the data breach and has publicly shared a list of 8,809 school districts, universities and online education platforms from which they claim to have information. Fortunately, the data breach does not appear at this time to have included passwords, dates of birth or financial information such as credit card data.
Scam of the day – May 8, 2026 – Watch Out for Mothers Day Scams
One common Mother’s Day scam involves a social media post or an email that you get offering Mother’s Day gifts such as flowers, jewelry, shoes or clothing 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.
Scam of the day – May 7, 2026 – FTC Sending Refunds to Victims of Credit Repair Scam
In the Scam of the day for June 9, 2022 I informed you that the FTC sued credit repair scammer, Financial Education Services. The FTC initiated legal action against Financial Education Services and its owners accusing them of scamming their victims out of more than 213 million dollars. Now four years later the case has been settled and the FTC is sending refunds to people who were scammed by them between May of 2019 and May of 2022.
Scam of the day – May 6, 2026 – Business Owner Loses $24,000 to Sophisticated Phone Scam
Recently, bakery owner Susan Limb of Maryland was disturbed when she received what appeared to be a call from her bank informing her that multiple fraudulent withdrawals had been made from her business account and that immediate action needed to be taken in order to stop the theft. Limb noticed that the phone number shown on her Caller ID confirmed that the call was coming from her bank and the caller even told her that she could confirm that this was really the bank calling by going to the bank’s website to confirm that the phone number she was being called from was indeed from the bank which Limb did. Unfortunately, Limb was not aware that through a very simple technique called “spoofing,” a scammer can make their call appear to come from whatever phone number they wish.
Scam of the day – May 5, 2026 – Indiana Attorney General Warns About Mortgage Relief Scams
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita recently issued a warning about scammers posing as mortgage relief service companies contacting people with phony and illegal offers to provide mortgage relief to people having difficulties paying their mortgages. According to the FTC scammers promising mortgage relief services target homeowners behind in their mortgages through false and deceptive telemarketing calls, text messages and online ads in which they promise to obtain mortgage modifications quickly and easily if their targeted victims pay an upfront fee. Often these scammers claim to be affiliated with the federal government.
Scam of the day – May 4, 2026 – New Twist on Phony Lottery Scam
Therefore it was a bit of a surprise to learn about a new form of the lottery scam about which the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection recently issued a warning that involved the victims of the scam being notified by a $10 Priority Mail. The letter itself appears to be from a legitimate lottery informing the targeted victim that he or she had won a million dollar prize as part of a charitable initiative. Interestingly, the letter, which is easy for a scammer to create, requested the recipient to keep it a secret that he or she had won the prize for security or legal reasons
Scam of the day – May 3, 2026 – Fidelity Data Breach Class Action Settlement
In the Scam of the day for October 14, 2024 I first told you about a data breach at Fidelity Investments affecting 77,000 of its customers. The data breach occurred between August 17 and 19th of 2024 but was not disclosed by Fidelity until October 9th. Sensitive personal information including names, Social Security numbers and financial account details of affected customers were compromised in the data breach. Subsequently a class action was filed on behalf of the victims of the data breach alleging negligence on the part of Fidelity in not properly protecting its customers’ sensitive information. The class action has now been settled. According to terms of the settlement, eligible class members can receive up to $5,000 in compensation for actual documented monetary losses. Alternatively, even if a class member had no out of pocket losses, they can receive a cash payment presently estimated to be $100. All victims of the data breach will also receive identity theft protection insurance and credit monitoring, and monitoring for dark web postings related to their account.
Scam of the day – May 2, 2026 – Cryptocurrency Scammer Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison
Robert Dunlap was recently sentenced to 23 years in prison for operating a cryptocurrency scam that stole more than $20 million from close to 1,000 investors. Between 2018 and 2023 Dunlap sold a digital asset he called Meta-1 Coin which he marketed through social media, seminars and an Internet radio show. Dunlap told the investor victims of his scam that the token was secured by $44 billion in gold and a $1 billion art collection featuring works of Picasso, Dali and Van Gogh. He also told investors that the cryptocurrency was guaranteed and capable of generating returns of as much as 224,923% . He told investors that his coin offering was independently audited and provided his victims with phony records and insurance documents to make his scam appear believable. All of it was a lie. There was no gold or art and the website he created for the cryptocurrency, Meta Exchange used automated trading bots to make it appear that the Meta-1 coin was profitable when it was not.
Scam of the day – May 1, 2026 – Meta Sued Again Over Scam Ads
Recently the Consumer Federation of America sued Meta alleging “Meta has adopted policies and practices that it knows allow scam advertisements to proliferate on its platforms while simultaneously profiting off those ads at is users’ expense.” The complaint also accuses Meta of downplaying the scale of fraud on Facebook and Instagram and creating a false impression of safety.
Scam of the day – April 30, 2026 – Virginia Sheriff Warns About Dangers of Check Washing
Recently, the Dinwiddie County Virginia Sheriff’s Office warned the public about a dramatic increase in mail theft from both residential and U.S. Postal Service mailboxes and resulting check washing. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office said, “Beyond the money, they can use bank routing/account numbers for further identity theft, such as creating counterfeit checks or opening new account.”
Scam of the day – April 29, 2026 – ADT Suffers Massive Data Breach (Again)
ADT, the country’s largest home security company in the United States became aware on April 20th that it had suffered a data breach which, according to Have I Been Pwned, a terrific website that tracks data breaches, resulted in person information of 5.5 million people being compromised. According to Have I Been Pwned, the sensitive data included email addresses, names, dates of birth, phone numbers, physical addresses and partial government0-issued IDs. This information can readily lead to identity theft. ADT also acknowledged that in some instances the last four digits of Social Security numbers were also compromised. Some people might mistakenly believe that having only the last four digits of their Social Security number in the possession of scammers does not put them in jeopardy. It most certainly does. The first three digits of your Social Security number relate to where you live and is easily determined; the second two digits are group numbers that until 2011 were based on when you obtained your Social Security number and are even available on the Social Security website for years up till 2011, but even for numbers issued after that date, there are only 99 possibilities so it is not particularly difficult for an identity thief to determine your Social Security number with just the last four digits. Armed with your Social Security number, a criminal can make you a victim of costly identity theft quite readily.
Scam of the day – April 28, 2026 – South Carolina Woman Victimized by Jury Duty Scam
I have been warning you about the jury duty scam for thirteen years, but it continues to snare many unwary victims. Recently Suzzane Wilson lost $18,000 to a jury duty scam that began with a phone call from a scammer posing as a Sheriff’s Deputy telling her that she had missed jury duty and had to pay $13,000 to avoid being arrested. She was instructed to withdraw the money from her bank and not to tell anyone why she was getting the money. She was further instructed to to to a cryptocurrency ATM to send the money to the scammer.
Scam of the day – April 27, 2026 – Target Gift Card Class Action Update
Last summer, I told you that four victims of the impersonator scam In Pennsylvania sued Target alleging that Target failed to use its own security algorithms and real-time tracking software to prevent these scams. The plaintiffs further alleged that Target benefited financially from these scams and did not take proper steps to stop it. Presently the case is still in the early stages of discovery where evidence is gathered by both sides.
Scam of the day – April 26, 2026 – Missing Dog Scam Uses AI
Today people are even more likely to post on social media about missing pets and scammers are using AI to perpetrate missing pet scams more convincingly. Recently in Deltona, Florida, Bill Cosens posted photos of his dog Archer who had been missing for a day on social media. They soon got a call that appeared to come from a local animal control shelter veterinary service telling Cosens that Archer had been hit by a car and needed emergency surgery and that the cost was $2,746 which should be paid by gift cards.. When Bill Cosens and his wife asked to come see Archer they were told there was no time for that, but the phony vet service would send a photo of Archer being prepared for surgery which they promptly received. Fortunately, the Cosens were skeptical, particularly about the vet demanding payment by gift cards which is something only scammers do and they did not fall for the scam although the AI created photo was very convincing.
Scam of the day – April 25, 2026 – Class Actions Filed Against Citizens Bank Over Data Breach
This week two separate lawsuits seeking class action status were filed against Citizens Bank alleging lax security which led to a recent data breach According to the lawsuits the ransomware group Everest claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against Citizens systems that compromised sensitive personal information of as many as millions of Citizens current and former customers. Citizens acknowledges that they suffered a data breach, but assert that their own networks were not breached and that the data breach involved a third party vendor of Citizens affecting a “limited set of information for a small number of customers.” However, the limited set of information included names and checking account numbers which when joined with the bank’s routing number which is publicly available would enable a criminal to create counterfeit checks posing a serious threat to the affected customers.
Scam of the day – April 24, 2026 – Amazon Recall Scam
Whatever is popular with the public is popular with scammers which is why it is not surprising that scammers are sending out text messages that appear to come from Amazon informing their targeted victims that there is a recall of a product that the targeted victim purchased through Amazon Prime. The text message looks legitimate and may even appear to come from a legitimate Amazon telephone number, but it is a simple matter for a scammer to “spoof” a legitimate number to make it appear that the call is originating from Amazon while actually coming from the scammer. The bogus text message informing you of the product recall provides a link that will take you to what appears to be the Amazon website and prompts you to provide your account information and your password. Using AI it is simple for a scammer to create a very legitimate appearing counterfeit Amazon website.
Scam of the day – April 23, 2026 – Comcast Settles Data Breach Class Action
A class action against Comcast alleging negligence in protecting the personal information of its customers was filed shortly after the data breach and the case has now settled with Comcast agreeing to pay $117.5 million. As is common in such settlements, Comcast did not admit liability. Class members can receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses and lost time. Alternatively, class members can choose a cash payment of $50. In addition to the cash payments, Comcast is also offering class members three years of credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, authentication alerts, high-risk transaction monitoring, identity theft insurance and monthly credit score tracking. The deadline for filing a claim is August 14, 2026.
Scam of the day – April 22, 2026 – Cryptocurrency Scams Surging
The recent released FBI annual Internet Crime Report for 2025 highlights that cryptocurrency scams were responsible for half of all cybercrime losses last year with losses topping $11 billion.