A Public Service

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

January 27, 2022

CRYPTOCURRENCY SCAM

Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

Cryptocurrency is a digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority.

“Decentralized cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin now provide an outlet for personal wealth that is beyond restriction and confiscation”

There’s a new spin. Scammers asking people to pay with cryptocurrency. It involves an impersonator, a QR code, and a trip to a store (directed by a scammer on the phone) to send your money to them through a cryptocurrency ATM machine.

Here is how It works: Someone calls pretending to be from the government, law enforcement, or a local utility company. Maybe a romantic interest you met online calls to say you’ve won the lottery or a prize. They wind up asking you for money. If you believe the story they tell and you seem willing to engage, they will stay on the phone to direct you to withdraw money from your bank, investment, or retirement accounts. Then they will tell you to go to a store with a cryptocurrency ATM machine (they will stay on the phone the whole time). Once you are there, they’ll direct you to insert your money into the ATM machine and buy cryptocurrency. Here’s where the QR code comes in: They send you a QR code with their address embedded in it. Once you buy the cryptocurrency, they have you scan the code so the money gets transferred to them.  If you do it your money is gone.

Here’s the main thing to know. Nobody from the government, law enforcement, utility company, or prize promoter will ever tell you to pay them with cryptocurrency. If someone does, it’s a scam. Any unexpected tweet, text, email, call, or social media message — particularly from someone you don’t know — asking you to pay them in advance for something with cryptocurrency—it is a scam.

If you spot something like this, tell the FTC right away at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. To learn more about avoiding cryptocurrency scams, visit ftc.gov/cryptocurrency.

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Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

A Free Public Service

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

January 21, 2022

If you have been looking for a COVID-19 test, you probably know that they are in short supply. Unfortunately, scammers love to “help” with shortages. They have created fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits, and they’re still at it with fake COVID-19 testing sites.

These fake sites can be hard to spot. They look real, with legitimate-looking signs, tents, hazmat suits, and realistic-looking tests. The damage these fake testing sites can cause is very real.

Worst of all, they’re not giving people the help they need to stay healthy.

Free Tests:

Certain sites claim to give you ‘free tests’ — but then you’re later billed — and sometimes never receive the test that was promised. Fake sites are taking people’s personal information, including Social Security numbers, credit card information, and other health information — which can be used for identity theft or to run up your credit card bill.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking into testing sites:

Get a referral. Go somewhere you have been referred—by your doctor or state or local health department’s website. Do not trust a random testing site you see around town.

Check the source. Did you hear about a new testing site on a neighborhood social media group or email listserv? That “neighbor” could be a scammer. See if the site is also listed on your state or local health department’s website.

Not sure if a site is legit? Check with your local police or sheriff’s office. If a legitimate testing site has been set up, they should know about it. And, if a fake testing site is operating, they want to know about it.

Think you already went to a fake site? If you shared your credit card information, plan to dispute the charge.

Then tell us 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.

January 17, 2022

LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY SCAMMED

Courtesy US FTC.gov

The LGBTQ+ community is among the latest to be targeted by online dating scammers.

But as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently reported, this is not a traditional “I love you; please send money” romance scam. It’s even meaner.

People who belong to these diverse gender groups are being tricked into sending photos and other details about themselves to the fakers who then blackmail them.

In some cases, the victims have not come “out” to others about their gender preferences; in others, the photos may be explicit or even altered by photo editing software. Either way, they’re ripe for an extortion scam.

The best way to avoid this type of scam — whether you’re LGBTQ+ or not — is to make sure you truly know who you’re talking to on dating sites. If they send you a photo, do a reverse image search to check their identity. (See Is It Genuine? Check That Photo with Reverse Image Search for how to do this.) Likewise, until you’ve confirmed their identity, don’t provide photos or personal details about yourself.

And finally, don’t pay a blackmail demand. The crooks will just keep coming back for more. Tell the police. You can also call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative for help and advice at 844-878-2274.

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A free Public Service

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

January 13, 2022

OBITUARY SCAMS

Aarp/ftc

Why would crooks be scanning newspaper obituaries?

There are at least three reasons

Crooks often seem to strike at the worst possible times and that’s certainly the case when they use newspaper obituaries to target victims. They have at least three ways of relieving bereaved families and their friends of their money and possessions.

First, thieves use the announcements to discover details of funeral arrangements and then burglarize victims and grieving relatives while their homes are empty during the ceremony.

Next, those same obituaries may be used by scammers to collect cash from bereaved spouses.

Usually at these times, bereaved relatives haven’t had time to sort through the financial affairs of the deceased and will often agree to pay, usually by credit card, though in one case, they were asked to supply a signed blank check. Credit card details, of course, can also be used for other identity theft.

Action: Don’t make any payments during this distressing time. If anything seems to be urgent, ask for a copy of the supposed bill and then ask a trusted friend to check it out for you.

A similar sort of trick is used in a third party obituary scam, only this time the crooks obtain lists of mourners and contact them, supposedly on behalf of the bereaved person, requesting a financial donation, sometimes to a phony charity.

Action: Don’t make payments in response to an incoming solicitation from an unknown charity. Make any donations directly to the individual or their nominated charitable cause.

Action: Don’t include your full name or address in obituary announcements. You can ask a neighbor to keep watch on your home for thieves while you are away.

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A Free Public Service

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

January 6, 2022

HEALTH SCAMS

Courtesy US Food and Drug

 “Bogus product! Danger! Health fraud alert!”

You will never see these warnings on health products. But that’s what you ought to be thinking when you see claims like “miracle cure,” “guaranteed results,” or “vaccine alternative.”

Scammers could cause serious injury, or even death.

Health fraud scams have been around for hundreds of years and play on the desire for a quick or miracle cure. The snake-oil salesmen of old have morphed into the deceptive, high-tech marketers of today, preying on people’s desires for easy solutions to difficult health problems—including Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, memory loss, sexual performance, weight loss, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), influenza and other infectious diseases.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a health product is fraudulent if it is deceptively promoted as being effective against a disease or health condition, but not scientifically proven safe and effective for that purpose.

Health fraud scams can also be found in many locations such as convenience stores, gas stations, flea markets and nontraditional stores.  

Tip-Offs:

Here are tip-offs to help you identify and avoid rip-offs:

*One product does it all. Be suspicious of products that claim to cure a wide range of diseases. The agency continues to send warning letters and take enforcement action as appropriate against companies marketing fake cure-all products. These miracle cures don’t exist – they’re bogus – and the only thing these companies are selling is false hope.

*Personal “success” testimonials. Success stories, such as, “It cured my diabetes” or “It immediately stopped my COVID-19 infection,” are easy to make up and are not a substitute for scientific evidence. Reviews found on popular online marketplaces and social media can be fake.

*Quick fixes. Few diseases or conditions can be treated quickly, even with legitimate products. Beware of language such as, “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days,” “protects from viral infections,” or “eliminates skin cancer in days.”

*“All natural” cure or treatment. Don’t be fooled by descriptions like “all-natural cure.” Such phrases are often used in health fraud as an attention-grabber to suggest that a product is safer than conventional treatments. These terms don’t necessarily equate to safety. Some plants found in nature (such as poisonous mushrooms) can be harmful or even kill when consumed. Moreover, the FDA has found numerous products promoted as “all-natural” cures or treatments that contain hidden and dangerously high doses of prescription drug ingredients or other active pharmaceutical ingredients.

*“Miracle cure.” Alarms should go off when you see this claim or others like it such as, “new discovery,” “guaranteed results,” or “secret ingredient.” If a real cure for a serious disease were FDA-approved, it would be widely reported through the media and prescribed by licensed health professionals—not plastered on advertisements in social media and messaging apps, or buried in websites, print ads, and TV infomercials.

*Conspiracy theories. Claims like “This is the cure our government or Big Pharma doesn’t want you to know about” are used to distract consumers from the obvious, common-sense questions about the so-called miracle cure.

Even with these tips, fraudulent health products are not always easy to spot. If consumers are tempted to buy an unproven product or one with questionable claims, they should check with their doctor or other health care professional first.

Submitting Adverse Event Reports to the FDA.

Consumers experiencing adverse reactions to a product should submit voluntary adverse event reports to the FDA using: www.fda.gov., or calling FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone.

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A Free Public Service

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

January 3, 2022

SMISHING SCAMS

SMISHING SCAMS

Courtesy AARP

The word “smishing” comes from combining “SMS” — for ‘short message service’, the technology behind texting. It is scammers practice of stealing personal or financial information through deceptive communications, primarily emails. Basically, it’s ‘phishing’ by another means, namely text messages on mobile devices.

Like phishing emails, smishing texts are social-engineering scams that aim to manipulate people into turning over sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and account passwords or providing access to a business’s computer system. They rely on persuading you that the sender is a familiar or trusted source and that urgent action is needed to secure a benefit, resolve a problem or avert a threat.

For example, you might receive what looks like a text from a company you do business with, such as your bank, a mobile provider, or a tech service like Netflix or PayPal. It claims your account has expired or been locked on some pretext, maybe suspicious activity, and you need to provide personal information or click on a link to reactivate it. If you respond that gives the scammers means to steal your money or identity or to infect your device with malware.

Variations. A scam text might say you’ve won a lottery prize or a gift card, or promise a break on student loan debt. It could look like an alert from a government agency such as Social Security or the IRS, or a message from FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service about a package delivery. It may link to a phony invoice or cancellation notice for a product or service you supposedly bought.

Warning Signs

*A text message requests personal information, such as your Social Security number or an online account password.

*The message asks you to click a link to resolve a problem, win a prize or access a service.

*The message claims to be from a government agency. Government bodies almost never initiate contact with someone by phone or text, according to the FCC.

*The text offers coronavirus-related testing, treatment or financial aid, or requests personal data for contact tracing.

Do’s

*Do contact the company or organization that supposedly sent the text, using a phone number or website you know to be legitimate, if you think it might concern a genuine problem.

*Do forward spam and scam texts to 7726 (SPAM), the spam reporting service run by the mobile industry. This sends the text to your carrier so it can investigate. Cybersecurity company Norton has a guide to the process.

*Do consider using tools that filter or block unwanted messages or unknown senders:

Your mobile device may have built-in spam protection. Check the settings on its messaging app.

*Most major wireless carriers offer call-blocking services.

Some call-blocking apps (see “More Resources” below) also filter out junk texts.

Don’ts

*Don’t provide personal or financial data in response to an unsolicited text or at a website the message links to.

*Don’t click on links in suspicious texts. They could install malware on your device or take you to a site that does the same.

*Don’t reply, even if the message says you can “text STOP” to avoid more messages. That tells the scammer or spammer your number is active and can be sold to other bad actors.

*Don’t assume a text is legitimate because it comes from a familiar phone number or area code. Spammers use caller ID spoofing to make it appear the text is from a trusted or local source.

Have you experienced or know of a scam?

Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360

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