A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

December 26, 2021

STUDENT LOAN SCAMS

Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

’Tis the season for student loan scam calls’ (Music).

If you have a federal student loan, likely you already know that the Coronavirus emergency relief program that has paused your payments is ending. Repayments will begin again after January 31, 2022. Scammers know it and are looking for ways to take advantage. They are calling, texting, and e-mailing to try to use any confusion about restarting your student loan payments to steal your money and personal information.

If you receive a call, text, e-mail, or message on social media from someone about your federal student loan, here are certain things to keep in mind:

*Never pay an upfront fee. It’s illegal for companies to charge you before they help you. If you pay up front to reduce or get rid of your student loan debt, you might not get any help — or your money back. Also, remember that there’s nothing a company can do for you that you can’t do yourself for free. And you never have to pay to get help from the US Department of Education.

*Never give out your Federal Student Aid ID, your Social Security number, or other personal information to anyone who contacts you. Scammers posing as student loan servicers can use this information to log into your account, change your contact information, and even divert your payments to them.

*Don’t sign up for quick loan forgiveness. Scammers might say they can get rid of your loans even though they don’t know the details of your situation. Or they might promise a loan forgiveness program — for which most people won’t qualify. They might even say they’ll wipe out your loans by disputing them. But they can’t.

Scammers use fake seals and logos to lure people in. They promise special access to repayment plans, new federal loan consolidations, or loan forgiveness programs. It’s a lie.

If you have federal loans you can go to the Department of Education directly at StudentAid.gov.

If a scammer contacts you, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

December 22, 2021

 TORNADO CHARITY SCAMS

Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

Coping with the aftermath of a devastating series of tornadoes that roared across Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri is not easy

 But when scammers target people just trying to recover, it can be even worse. Here are ways to help avoid common post-disaster scams:

*Be skeptical of anyone promising immediate clean-up and debris removal. Scammers may quote outrageous prices, demand payment up-front, or lack the skills needed.

*Check them out. Before you pay, ask for IDs, licenses, and proof of insurance. Don’t believe any promises that aren’t in writing.

*Never pay by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or in cash. And never make the final payment for work done until the work is finished and you’re satisfied.

*Guard your personal information. Scammers may say they’re a government official and then demand money or your credit card, bank account, or Social Security number.

*Be alert to rental listing scams. Avoid people who tell you to wire money or ask for security deposits or rent before you’ve reviewed and signed a lease.

Know that FEMA doesn’t charge application fees. If someone wants money to help you qualify for FEMA funds, that’s probably a scam.

Suspect a scam? Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

December 6, 2021

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SCAMS

Courtesy Scambusters

Millions of unemployment insurance claimants are being targeted across the US in nationwide phishing schemes. Imposters are believed to have netted as much as $36 billion. There are even how-to-scam unemployment insurance guides shared in anonymous messaging apps.

The scam starts with a text or email message seeming to come from the victim’s state workforce agency (SWA) claiming there’s an error in their claim. This can be corrected, the message claims, by verifying certain personal details.

Victims following a link in the message are taken to a fake SWA page where they’re supposed to reactivate their claim by providing personal details.

It is an identity theft phishing attempt. Once they have your details, the crooks use them to file a benefit claim for themselves.

How do you know it’s a scam?

Government agencies don’t send text messages asking for verification or other confidential information. The messages are sent out at random. If you receive one it is a fake.

Crime Rings at Work

 Scammers who buy stolen personal information from other crooks at just $2 are also filing claims for people who are not entitled to payment.

“States have experienced a surge in fraudulent unemployment claims filed by organized crime rings using stolen identities that were accessed or purchased from past data breaches,” says the US Department of Labor (DOL). “Criminals are using these stolen identities to fraudulently collect benefits across multiple states”.

There are at least three tell-tale signs of this scam:

*Receiving an official message or even an unexpected payment when you haven’t filed a claim.

*You receive an IRS form 1099-G with wrong information about the benefits you’ve received or are expecting. The form may even come from a state where you haven’t filed a claim.

*You have a job but receive a notification from your employer saying it has received a request for information about a claim you’re supposed to have made (but didn’t).

Don’t just ignore any of these messages or keep money to which you’re not entitled. First, keeping the cash might be considered a crime. And second, it means someone has your personal financial details and this could be just one of several frauds that use your ID.

“Unless from a known and verified source, consumers should never click on links in text messages or emails claiming to be from an SWA offering the opportunity to apply for unemployment insurance benefits,” the Justice Department warns.

Instead, anyone needing to apply for unemployment benefits should go to an official SWA website. The US Department of Labor (DOL) has set up a page listing state-by-state phone numbers to report unemployment insurance fraud at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/unemployment-insurance-payment-accuracy/UIFraudReporting.

You can also report any scam messages to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling 866-720-5721 or using the NCDF Web Complaint Form found at: www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud.