A Free Public Service

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

March 28, 2022

UKRAINE CHARITY FRAUD

Courtesy ftc.gov–AARP

A Free Public Service

March 28, 2022

Scammers take advantage of others’ misfortunes. When scammers spot a crisis like that in Ukraine they will take advantage to ply their hateful trade.

Many generous people want to support the Ukrainian people. If you’re one of them, use extreme caution!

You may feel pressured by e-mail, text, social media or even in person to act immediately. That is a Red Flag!

Do Research

 Do research first to make sure your donation will go where you want it to go. Research resources include www.give.org; www.charitywatch.org; www.charitynavigator.org; www,ft.gov/charity.

Phony Charity organizations

Check out the organization. Search online for the name of the group, plus words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See if others have had good or bad experiences with the charity.

How will your money be spent?

If someone calls asking you to donate, ask how much of your donation will go to the program or person you want to help. If they can’t provide that information any donation you make would be at risk.

If you’re donating through social media, be sure which organization your donation will go to. Check whether there are fees, and how quickly your money gets to the beneficiary. And if you can’t get answers quickly, consider donating in other ways.

You may be pressured to act quickly, and pay through a payment app, by text, purchasing gift cards and sharing numbers off the backs. That is a Red Flag.

Distressed Friends or Relatives

This long-established scam is perfectly tailored toward the situation in Ukraine now.

The crooks may call using a vague introduction like “It’s me” in hopes the victim will guess the name of someone they know. Then they’ll spin a story about being on a business trip or vacation in Ukraine when they were trapped. They will ask for the money to be sent by one of the wiring services.

If this happens to you, always ask the name of the caller rather than giving them information. Then check on the real location of that person via friends or relatives. If you can’t confirm their whereabouts, it’s almost certainly a scam.

Scammers set up fake websites claiming to be involved in helping Ukrainian victims of the battles.

Social media sites like Facebook are their favorite hunting grounds.

Often, scam charities use realistic sounding names and feature dramatic photos from war zones. They may want you to wire cash or use cybercurrency to donate, both of which are untraceable after the money is sent—and lost.

Or they may ask you to pay by credit card and then use your card details for identity theft, with which they’ll either max out your account or sell it to other crooks.

The best way to avoid Ukraine charity scams is to contribute only to established, reputable charities like the Red Cross. Even then, you need to be sure you’re dealing with the genuine organization by searching online for their website and starting from there.

Watch out too for street and shopping mall collectors with donation buckets or boxes. Unless you know the collector personally, it is next to impossible to know if they’re genuine. 

Other versions of Ukraine scams will likely emerge in the coming weeks. The best policy is that when you see or hear the name “Ukraine,” beware and think carefully before donating.

Learn more at ftc.gov/charity.

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A Free Public Service

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

March 13, 2022

MILITARY SCAMS

Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

Scammers will try to rip off anyone, including military personnel. The FTC’s military dashboard compiles five years’ worth of reports from servicemembers, veterans, and military families. From January 2017 through September 2021, military consumers told the FTC about more than 961,000 reports related to fraud, identity theft, or other consumer issues.

Scammers follow the money — and as a servicemember, you get a steady paycheck from Uncle Sam. After you leave the service, scammers try to trick you out of your hard-earned benefits. Some scammers even try to gain your trust and lower your guard by claiming they are from a military affiliation.

For both servicemembers and veterans, the top two categories of fraud reported in the past five years involved imposter scams. While all kinds of impersonators might target the armed forces, recent reports show that impersonators pretended to be from a government agency or a legitimate business.

But no matter what the story is, if someone contacts you out of the blue, remember:

Don’t give personal information or money to anyone who calls, texts, emails, or direct messages you on social media. Keep your Social Security, bank account, debit and credit card numbers to yourself.

Never make a payment to someone you don’t know, especially by gift card, mobile payment apps, money transfer, or cryptocurrency. Only scammers will demand you pay that way.

Scammers are always changing their tactics, so it’s important to be alert for anything that is looks suspicious. Tell the FTC your story at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or in Spanish at ReporteFraude.ftc.gov.

A Free Public Service

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

March 9, 2022

UKRAINE SCAMS

Courtesy Scambusters—ftc.gov

Experience from past conflicts tells us Ukraine scammers are waiting to snare us, and they won’t necessarily come from Eastern Europe.

When scammers spot a crisis in the world, they are there to take advantage. It’s true millions of generous people want to support the Ukrainian people. If you’re one of them, use extreme caution!

You don’t have to give immediately. Do research first to make sure your donation will go where you want it to go. Your generosity can make a difference any time you give — especially if you take a few minutes to make sure your donation goes where you mean it to. Learn more at ftc.gov/charity.

Phony Charity organizations

Check out the organization. Search online for the name of the group, plus words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See if others have had good or bad experiences with the charity. And see what charity watchdog groups say about that organization.

How will your money be spent?

Ask, for example, how much of your donation will go to the program you want to help? If someone calls to ask you to donate, they should be able to answer those critical questions.

Ask who’s requesting you to donate.  Don’t assume a request to donate is legitimate because a friend posted it on social media. Your friend might not personally know the charity or how it spends money.

If you’re donating through social media, be sure which organization your donation will go to. Check whether there are fees, and how quickly your money gets to the beneficiary. And if you can’t get answers quickly, consider donating in other ways.

Scammers Target Americans

The conflict in Ukraine may seem a long way from your doorstep but you can be sure, in at least one way, your security is likely to be threatened: by scammers!

Here are schemes that will likely target Americans in the coming weeks — even if there are serious moves toward peace in Ukraine.

Distressed Friends or Relatives

This long-established scam is perfectly tailored toward the situation in Ukraine right now.

Victims receive a message by phone, text or email, seemingly from someone they know, who will say they’re trapped in the war zone and urgently need money to escape.

They will ask for the money to be sent by one of the wiring services because that’s  how you might send cash in such a dire situation.

Usually, the crooks will phone, using a vague introduction like “It’s me” in hopes the victim will guess the name of someone they know. Then they’ll spin a story about being on a business trip or vacation in Ukraine when they got trapped.

If this happens to you, always ask the name of the caller rather than giving them clues and then check on the real location of that person via friends or relatives.

If you can’t confirm their whereabouts, it’s almost certainly a scam. If you wire money it will be lost.

War Victim Charities

Scammers set up fake websites claiming to be involved in helping Ukrainian victims of the battles. This is exactly what happened during the conflict in Syria.

Social media sites like Facebook are their favorite hunting grounds.

Often, scam charities use realistic sounding names and feature dramatic photos from war zones. They may want you to wire cash or use cybercurrency to donate, both of which are untraceable after the money is sent.

Or they may ask you to pay by credit card and then use your card details for identity theft, which they’ll either sell or max out.

The best way to avoid Ukraine charity scams is to contribute only to established, reputable charities like the Red Cross. Even then, you need to be sure you’re dealing with the genuine organization by searching online for their website and starting from there.

Watch out too for street and shopping mall collectors with donation buckets or boxes. Unless you know the collector personally, It’s next to impossible to know if they’re genuine.  

Depending on the direction this conflict takes, Ukrainian versions of other well-known scams will likely emerge in the coming weeks. The best policy is that when you see or hear the word “Ukraine,” beware and think carefully before acting.

Learn more at ftc.gov/charity.