A Free Public Service

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

February 13, 2023

EARTHQUAKE SCAMS

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission

The devastation in Turkey and Syria following massive earthquakes is inspiring people to help and donate. It is prompting scammers — like they do after every disaster — to take advantage of your generosity.

Scammers use familiar-sounding names to create fake charities, or ask you to donate in cash, by gift card, or cryptocurrency. Here’s how to guard against the scammers:

Visit ftc.gov/charity before you open up your wallet.

Slow down.

You don’t have to give immediately. Search online for the name of the charity you are interested in supporting, plus words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See if others have had good or bad experiences with the charity.

Check what charity watchdog groups say about the organization. Don’t assume that familiar-sounding names or messages posted on social media are legitimate. Donate to charities you know and trust and with a proven record of dealing with disasters.

How will your money be spent?

Ask how your money will be spent. If someone calls to ask to donate, they should be able to answer how much of your donation will go to the program you want to help, and other critical questions.

Fees and charges.

Look at fees and charges if you’re donating through an online platform or social media. Ask whether your donation will go directly to the charity and if not, how long it will take to get there, and if there are fees.

International disasters might involve requests for donations in multiple languages. Use ftc.gov/languages to help spot scams in other languages, and then report them in English or Spanish at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Srvice

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

February 7, 2023

                                    CROWDFUNDING SCAMS

Attribution: California Attorney General

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or new idea or business by raising money from a large number of people.

It is often done through online platforms, such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, and YouCaring.

Online crowdfunding sites are not always safe from fraud.

“Organizers” will pitch a new product or creative project and submit it to an online platform. Crowdfunding sites can also be used to help people in need, such as raise money to pay for funeral or medical bills.

Tips on Evaluating Crowdfunding Campaigns:

Learn all you can about the organizer before making a contribution. Use Google and LinkedIn to look up the organizer. Does the organizer have the expertise in the area the campaign concerns? Check out their Facebook page. Does it look fake? Are the friends real? Are there real-time comments? Be suspicious of pages that were created right before the campaign started.

Research the Crowdfunding Platforms.

 There are many different crowdfunding platforms and they all have different rules. Some platforms require organizers to have a prototype and only give the organizers money if the campaign reaches its goals and after the campaign is over. Others do not require a prototype and allow organizers to take out money at any time, even if they do not reach their goals. If you want a refund, you have to get it from the organizer. Some platforms also provide refunds in certain situations (that is, when the organizer makes false statements or is charged with a crime).

Do a Reverse Image Search.

Fake campaigns often copy and paste other people’s stories or photos. Doing a reverse image search of the photos used in the campaign, as well as those used on the organizer’s social media pages, can show you if the photos are stolen. Also, be careful if the campaign is posted on multiple sites. Scammers will do this to reach more people. A reverse image search may also show that the supposedly “new” product already exists and is being sold in another country like China through Alibaba.com.

Contact the Organizer and Ask Questions.

Each crowdfunding site allows you to ask the organizer questions through the comments section. If an organizer is answering questions regularly, it is more likely that they are not trying to scam you.

Be Suspicious.

 Beware of campaigns that make you feel sorry for someone, but do not give you any details of how your money will be used. Be extra careful after a major disaster or tragedy because scammers will often try to take advantage of your desire to help victims.

Understand the Purpose of Crowdfunding.

Remember that there is no guarantee that the crowdfunded campaign will be successful. The purpose of crowdfunding is to fund a company or project, not to buy a product. There are risks involved. Similarly, when donating to a worthy cause, contributions are probably not tax deductible unless they are made to a nonprofit organization.

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A free Public Service

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

January 1, 2023

Recent layoffs in industries like the tech sector have scammers fine-tuning their approaches to take advantage. They may advertise jobs online, sometimes setting up fake websites, or look for targets on social media — all to try to steal your money and personal information.

Scammers may go to great lengths to get what they want. Some may conduct fake online job interviews and set up phony onboarding portals where they ask you for Social Security numbers and bank account information to (supposedly) deposit paychecks. Other scammers may ask you to send money for (supposed) equipment needed for remote work — with the promise to reimburse you with your first paycheck. But these are scams.

Whether you’re looking for your first job or seeking a new gig, here’s some advice to help you avoid job scams:

Verify job openings before you apply. Reach out to the company directly using contact information you know to be legit — not an email or phone number you got from the person who contacted you. If you’re not familiar with the company, search its name with the word “scam” or “fraud.” You may find stories from others who have been targeted.

Watch for telltale signs of a possible scam. There’s no sure-fire way to detect a job scam, but there are red flags that should raise your suspicions — for example, email from personal accounts not affiliated with a company, poor spelling and grammar, interviews conducted solely via email or online chat, salaries out of line with industry norms, and requests for account numbers or other personal information.  

Don’t pay for the promise of a job. Honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job. And legitimate placement firms and headhunters typically don’t charge prospective employees. Instead, they’re paid by the company looking for qualified candidates. If you’re asked for money, walk away. You could be dealing with a scam.

The FTC has resources to help you spot potential job scams. If you run across something sketchy during your job search, report it to the FTC.

A Free Public Service

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

January 26, 2023

FACEBOOK MESSENGER, INSTAGRAM SCAMS

Attribution, AARP

Messaging on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to keep up with friends and family. But it can be a method for scammers to defraud you.

Keep up your guard

Although the pitch may vary, always be suspicious when someone you know or think you know asks for something, often with a sense of urgency.

Scammers may impersonate a family member to avoid the appearance of fraud. They may fake a reason to need money, such as being in an accident.

To avoid being tracked, scammers may try to get you to leave Facebook Messenger. They may request that you continue the conversation over email or phone.

Avoiding impostors

You don’t have to delete Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites or unplug your computer to stay safe. Being aware of these scams and other related fraudulent attempts is the first step.

Although the pitch may vary, always be suspicious when someone you know or think you know asks for something, often with a sense of urgency. You may find that swindlers will try to get you to leave Facebook Messenger, to avoid being tracked, and request that you continue the conversation over email or phone.

You don’t have to delete Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites or unplug your computer to stay safe. Being aware of these scams and other related fraudulent attempts is half the battle.

Tips for avoiding online deception:

1. Never accept an invitation from someone you don’t recognize — or, worse, from just “Facebook User” — without a photo.

2. Be suspicious of messages on Facebook Messenger or Instagram, especially when they veer into areas where you are directed to take action or divulge personal information. If you aren’t sure who’s doing the typing, contact your real friend in another fashion (a phone call, email or text message) to confirm he or she sent the information. Chances are good that an unusual message is fake.

3. Block the person who sent you the message, and report the incident to Facebook right away from within Messenger.

4. Use common sense. Never pay for something that you know, or are being told, is free. If you must pay to receive a grant, a gift or anything similar, it’s a scam. Fake lotteries, loans and requests for charitable donations are other pitches you may receive from your “friends.”

5. Watch out for distress schemes or grandparent scams. If you receive a message that appears to be from a relative saying a loved one urgently needs money it is a scam.

6. Be suspicious of attachments, whether they are sent over Facebook Messenger or in an email or text. They may contain malware. Be equally cautious with links to a website. If you accidentally click and land on a page that is supposed to look like Facebook — it may have a similar blue logo and familiar layout — you’ll see that the name of the website in the link at the top of the page is different.

7. Don’t think you can spot scams because of misspellings, awkward phrasing or bad grammar. Some friend requests are from artificial intelligence bots, which can be difficult to detect.

8. Change your password often. Many of us are guilty of not regularly changing passwords or of using the same password for most or all online activity. While it’s less convenient, also enable two-factor authentication. That way, you’ll need not only your password to log in to Facebook or Instagram but also a onetime code sent to your mobile device to confirm that it’s really you.

7. Don’t think you can spot scams because of misspellings, awkward phrasing or bad grammar. Some “friend requests” are from artificial intelligence bots, which can be difficult to detect.

8. You can enable automatic updates so the operating systems on your desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet that are updated whenever software patches to vulnerabilities are released. On a related note, be sure to use software to protect against computer viruses and keep it up to date. 

More information is available at http://www.AARP.ORG. 

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A Free Public Service

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

January 21, 2023

POST DISASTER SCAMS

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission

Powerful storms have battered California. Dozens of tornadoes swept across Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and others.  

Whether you’re getting back on your feet or looking for ways to help people in hard-hit areas, learn how scammers operate — and how to avoid them.

Here are a few ways to spot the scammers who might try to take your money or personal information after a weather emergency:

SPOT SCAMMERS

Scammers might pretend to be safety inspectors, government officials or utility workers who offer immediate help. You should ask for identification to verify who you are dealing with. Do not share information such as your Social Security or account numbers.

 FEMA IMPERSONATORS

 If someone wants money to help you qualify for FEMA funds, it’s a scam. You can download the FEMA Mobile App to get alerts and information. Visit FEMA.gov for more information.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Unlicensed contractors and scammers may appear in recovery zones with promises of quick repairs or clean-up services. If they demand cash payments up front, or refuse to give you copies of their license, insurance, and a contract in writing it is scam.

RENTAL LISTING SCAMS

Home owners with damaged or destroyed homes need a place to live while they rebuild. To get your money, scammers advertise rentals that don’t exist.  They tell you to wire money for security deposits or rent before you’ve seen or signed a lease. It is a scam.

CHARITY SCAMS

 Scammers will often try to profit from the misfortune of others, sometimes using familiar-sounding names or logos. You can check “Donating Wisely and Avoiding Charity Scams” before sending money to the crooks.

Learn more at ftc.gov/WeatherEmergencies and report weather-related scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Service

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

Jauary 19, 203

DEEPFAKE VIDEO SCAMS

 Attribution: scambusters.org

Deepfake is a video of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else. One of the big challenges is to be able to tell deepfake videos from the real thing. This is particularly bad news in a year running up to the US 2024 presidential election.

The technology has been used to trick investors into believing they were watching a company boss making financial statements, or for job interviews.

All the crooks need to do is scour the internet for a genuine video of the person they want to imitate. Artificial intelligence does the rest.

The biggest challenge in spotting a deepfake is our willingness to believe what we see, usually without even thinking about it.

So, the first thing a viewer should do before reposting a video or acting on an instruction from someone on a video call is to slow down. Take time to mentally question what you’re seeing.

One simple defense tactic in a video interview or meeting that has just surfaced is to ask the other person to turn their face sideways by a full 90 degrees. According to AI specialists Metaphysic, the technology is good at doing front-facing shots but struggles with side profiles. This tends to cause distortions to the image.

Another defense tactic is to ask the video subject to wave their hands in front of their face. Artificial intelligence takes a little time to work out what’s happening, resulting in distortion and poor lip synchronization.

It may seem burdensome that you might have to perform these actions, but it’s more comfortable than having to explain how you transferred money to an untraceable account.

Hope lies with Artificial Intelligence itself. Several companies have taken a lead in developing AI software that can analyze videos in much greater detail than the human eye can, detecting inconsistencies that occur in a matter of seconds.

There are still a lot of other things you can do to spot a deepfake. See our earlier report for more tips at https://scambusters.org/deepfake.html.

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A Free Public Service

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

January 13, 2023

ONLINE QUIZ SCAMS

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission

What do the model of your first car, your favorite hobby, and the high school you attended have in common? If you said they’re questions commonly used for online account security and online quizzes, you’re correct. Before you take a quiz, ask yourself: Do I know who’s gathering this information about me — or what they plan to do with it?

 Scammers phish for answers to security question data through quizzes. They use your quiz answers to try to reset your accounts, or steal your bank and other account information.

Personality tests, quick surveys, and other types of online quizzes ask seemingly harmless questions, but the more information you share, the more you risk it being misused. Scammers could do a lot of damage with just a few answers that give away your personal information.

One major way to protect your personal information — in addition to maintaining strong passwords and using multi-factor authentication — is to steer clear of online quizzes…or just don’t answer them truthfully.

If you suspect that an online quiz is a phishing scam, tell a friend. Then, 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.

TEXT MESSAGE SCAMS

Attribution:  US Federal Trade Commission

Have you ever gotten a text message from an unknown sender? It could be a scammer trying to steal your personal and financial information.

Scammers send fake text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information — things like your password, account number, or Social Security number. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers.

Scammers often try to get you to click on links in text messages by falsely promising you something. They also send fake messages that say they have information about your account or a transaction.

Other messages might install harmful malware on your phone that steals your personal or financial information without you realizing it.

If you think a message might be real, you can contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real. Not the information in the text message.

There are ways to filter unwanted text messages or stop them before they reach you. Your wireless provider might have a tool or service that lets you block calls and text messages.

A Free Public Service

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

December 29, 2022.

SOLAR PANEL SCAMS

Attribution: http://www.scambusters.org

With rising energy costs and falling prices of equipment, who wouldn’t see the appeal of solar panels on their home? But ignorance and hasty decisions can lead would-be buyers into falling victim to lies, misleading information, and other scams.

A common trick is to get you to fill in a form “to see if you qualify.” Scammers use these forms to steal information about you.

Tapping energy directly from sunlight is a fantastic renewable energy source.

But there are crooks taking advantage of this opportunity.

 Con artists take advantage of the fact that most of us know little about solar technology, such as how it works, how much it costs, and how much a householder might save. But scammers use red flag exaggerations and lies such as:

*The system will be free.

*There are no upfront costs, or they’ll be refunded.

*Misleading information about federal and state financial assistance and tax credits.

*Wild claims about the savings you’ll make and the amount of time it’ll take to recoup your investment.

*Time is tight. Scammers will suggest a special deal or aid program is about to expire so you must act now.

*High-pressure sales tactics aimed at getting you to sign up.

*Claims they’ve installed their systems on neighboring homes.

*Suggesting their system is the only one allowed by law or qualifying for financial incentives.

*Fake statistics suggesting a huge rise in utility prices is on the way.

*Imposters claiming to be from your state or utility provider or working in partnership with them.

*Crooks may also offer a bid price without even doing an inspection, offer you a price that’s too good to be true, and promise they can arrange special low-cost financing. All red flags.

LEASING

In addition to buying a solar panel system, you may also be able to lease one. A scammer is unlikely to tell you how this works and mislead you into thinking you are being offered a good deal.

More information about Solar Panel Scams is available on http://www.scambusters.org.

Attribution Federal Trade Commission

A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an iactive attorney in San Mateo County, Califoria.

Decmber 17, 2022

We’ve all been there. During the holidays you order something online and anxiously await its arrival. But then your package doesn’t come when the seller said it would. And worse, you hear nothing. Your happy anticipation is turning to anger and frustration. So now what?

If you didn’t get your stuff:

• First, contact the seller. Most businesses will work with you to resolve the problem and keep you as a customer.
• If that doesn’t work, you still didn’t get your order and the charge shows up on your credit card statement, dispute the charge.
• If you paid by debit card, contact your debit card company (often your bank or credit union). Ask if they can help you. This sample letter for disputing debit card charges can help.

Sometimes, you can head problems off by doing some research before buying from an unfamiliar online store.

• Check out the company or product. Search online for the name plus words like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” See what other people say about it. And read the seller’s description of the product carefully. If they offer name-brand goods at steeply discounted prices, they might be fakes.
• Pay by credit card. You’ll get protections under federal law, so you don’t have to pay for things you ordered but didn’t get.

A word on timing, as the holidays approach: online sellers have to ship when they (or their ads) say they will. (The law says so.) If they don’t ship then, they have to tell you (and give you a chance to cancel and get a full refund). If they don’t give a shipping date, they have 30 days to ship from the date of your order.

If you suspect a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.