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

September 19, 2020

DISASTER SCAMMERS

Shameless scammers prey on your kindness during disasters. They want to  help themselves to your money.

People have lost their livelihoods from wildfires, hurricanes, civil unrest and a global pandemic that has claimed its own devastating share of deaths and cost

Scammers are competing with legitimate charities, attempting to take advantage of your generosity. So, as you open your heart and wallet to help people and causes, be sure to consider these tips for safe giving:

*Never let anyone rush you into donating. Pressuring you to act right away is something that scammers do.

*Do not assume the charity appeals you see online or on social media are legitimate, even if someone you know sends them to you. If a group sounds legit, know that some scammers use names that sound like real charities, only they are not.

*Before you donate, research the name of the organization or cause. Search their name online, plus the words “scam,” “fraud,” or “complaint.”

*Find out if the charity or fundraiser is registered in your state. Check with your state’s charity regulator to find out. If the charity is not registered it likely is not legitimate.

To find more tips on how to spot and avoid charity scams go to ftc.gov/charity. And if you think you have spotted a fake charity, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

ATTRIBUTION: Federal Trade Commission

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

September 16, 2020

SCAMS PROTECTION TIPS

Courtesy Consumer Financial Protection Board

How can I protect myself and others I care about from fraud and scams?

There are several steps you can take to protect yourself and others.

Criminals and con artists use many scams to target unsuspecting people who have access to money. Consumer scams happen on the phone, through the mail, e-mail, or over the internet. They can occur in person, at home, or at a business.

Here are tips to guard against scams:

*Do not share numbers or passwords for accounts, credit cards, or Social Security.

*Never pay up front for a promised prize. It is a scam if you are told that you must pay fees or taxes to receive a prize or other financial windfall.

*Do not allow yourself to be rushed. After hearing a sales pitch, take time to compare prices. Ask for information in writing and read it carefully. Watch out for deals that are only “good today” and that pressure you to act quickly.

*Avoid high-pressure sales tactics that do not allow you time to read a contract or get legal advice before signing. Also, do not fall for the sales pitch that says you need to pay immediately, for example by wiring the money or sending it by courier.

*Too good to be true? Ask yourself why someone is trying so hard to give you a “great deal”. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

You can enter your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Go to http://www.donotcall.gov  or call (888) 382-1222. If you have been a victim you can file a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov/complaint.

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

September 12, 2020.

FAKE WATCHES SCAM

Crooked watchmakers are making it tougher than ever to spot a fake watch post.

Fake luxury watches from the likes of Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Tag Heuer and Patek Philippe are objects of desire. They are not only stunning pieces of jewelry, some are sound investments.

Most of the fakes target the established Rolex-type luxury upper end of the market. Fakery is taking place at the top of the market and is most costly. Three quarters of those 40 million fake watches produced every year are labeled as Rolex models.

If you are planning to buy a luxury watch, especially a pre-owned model, here is a guide:

*If you can, buy only from an established and reputable dealer. If buying from an individual, insist that the watch, including the movement, is inspected by an expert.

*Check the model online. Does the one you are planning to buy match the detailed description and illustrations of other same-model watches?

*Check documentation. Beware if the watch comes without certification that should include a serial number.

*Check the price. Look at auction reports and other online data. Experts say if the price is more than 20% below the going rate, it is probably a fake.

*Check the “feel.” If there are sharp edges or the watch feels lighter than it should, it is a scam. Look for the hallmark if it is gold.

*Check the tick. Luxury watches are barely audible, reflecting the refined quality of moving parts. A loud tick signals a fake.

*Do not be rushed. Be on your guard if the seller is trying to pressure you for a quick deal — a common tactic used by scammers.

Fake Apple Watches and Fitness Trackers:

Scammers are also busy producing knockoffs of smart watches like Apple’s (though some might say the cost of Apple watches puts them in the luxury bracket too!). They may not have Apple branding but in many other respects they look like the genuine item.

It has been reported Apple’s top selling watches are being cloned in China and sold at knockdown prices of $60 to $80.

Here are GeekModo’s suggested actions you can take if you are buying the genuine item:

*Check the thickness. Counterfeiters struggle to match Apple’s 10.5 mm.

*Check that the digital crown control is at the top right of the device.

*Check the heart sensors on the back — they should be circular, arranged in a diamond pattern.

*Check the functionality. Does the device have all the right apps?

*Check the packaging. Apple is known for the quality of its packaging, which tends to be minimalist and mostly white.

Fake Fitness Monitor:

It is not just in the luxury market where watch counterfeiters are at work. They are turning fake wrist-worn digital electronics into a booming business.

Recently arriving from China are cheap fitness monitors with a dangerous fake element — a phony heart rate monitor. Discovered only during the past few weeks, these devices, which sell for $10 or even $5, basically guess at your heart rate based on how much you are moving.

Fake watch or fitness scams can be reported to US Federal Trade Commission. WWW.FTC.GOV.

ATTRIBUTION: http://www.scambusters.org

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

September 8, 2020

BACK TO SCHOOL SCAM

“Back to school” means a variety of things: traditional in-person classes, all-virtual classes, or hybrid models of the two. Chances are that getting new clothes for first-day-of-school photos is on the to-do list. Young clothing shoppers are being targeted in a new scam. 

Scammers target Gen Z and Millennial customers with names like Depop, Poshmark, ThreadUp, and LetGo.  These apps typically connect buyers and sellers of secondhand merchandise, especially fashion items or in-demand technology accessories like headphones or cell phone cases.

In a typical scam, scammers posing as legit sellers post deeply discounted merchandise (think luxury fashion, the latest sneakers, or in-demand technology like gaming consoles). As shoppers show interest, the scammer urges the user to complete the transaction outside the platform’s built-in payment system.

Scammers often ask buyers to use P2P payment apps like PayPal’s Friends & Family, Zelle, or CashApp or even less secure payment methods like gift cards or wire transfers. Scammers seek victims willing to complete payment this way because it is harder for a transaction to be disputed when it occurs off the selling platform. 

Whether you are a Gen Z’er shopping for the must-have fashion of the fall, or are just looking for a deal, here are tips you can use to spot and avoid these scams:

*Always pay via the platform’s preferred payment methods. If a seller asks you to pay another way, even if it’s to “avoid fees,” chances are that it’s a scam.

*Check the prices on similar merchandise on the app and on other apps. If that Louis Vuitton handbag or Supreme hoodie you’re interested in is listed at a fraction of the cost of similar items elsewhere, there’s a high likelihood it’s a scam. 

*Beware of sellers who do not have any customer reviewers, or who have only positive feedback. If there is no feedback it could point to a scammer who has created multiple accounts and is churning through them as the older ones get banned. Someone who has only positive feedback could be paying accomplices to write bogus reviews. You can look for balanced reviews and see how sellers have handled negative feedback from customers.

If you are scammed, report it promptly to the platform sponsor. While the platform sponsor may not be able to get your money back for you, reporting the scam can help other users avoid falling victim.

You can file a complaint at Fraud.org via a secure online complaint form. We will share your complaint with our network of law enforcement and consumer protection agency partners who can investigate and help put fraudsters behind bars. ATTRIBUTION: www.fraud.org.

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

August 31, 2020

FAKE FREE HELP DURING PANDEMIC

Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

During the pandemic many persons need help. Fraudsters take advantage of that need.

Fraudsters send messages through WhatsApp or Facebook purporting to be from Pepsi, Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, and other big-name brands. These messages all offer money to people who need it — through grants, coupons for food support, or other giveaways. But they’re all fake, and not from those companies at all.

You might receive this kind of message, in English or Spanish, from a friend or contact. The message tells you to click a link to get your money. If you click, you might be directed to take a survey. Or they might ask you to enter your name, address, phone number, or other information. And they might ask you to forward the message to several friends to be eligible to collect.

But what these messages are doing is running a phishing scam to collect your information (and your friends’ info), and possibly putting malware on your phone, tablet, or computer if you click the link. There’s no money to be received, and no help to be had. It could have been a real (and hopeful) friend who forwarded that message to you – but it could have been a scammer who hacked your friend’s account.

So: what do you do if you receive one of these messages?

*Don’t click on any links. That could download malware, expose you to even more scams, or add your phone number to lists sold to still other scammers.

*Delete the messages – and certainly don’t share them.

*Call any friend who shared the message. Did they forward it to you? If not, warn them their account might have been hacked.

If you already clicked or shared, run a security scan on your device to see if malware has been installed.

And then tell the FTC: ftc.gov/complaint.

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SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

August 22, 2020

Free Roof Inspection

Door-to-door scammers tell victims they’re working on another roof in the area and will carry out a full survey of their roof at no cost.

They frequently target older folk and, again, use high pressure tactics, often trying to belittle victims by suggesting they must be crazy to turn down a free offer.

Once on the roof, they damage it and take photos they can then show the victim as evidence that they need work.

The crooks will inflate the price, demand an upfront deposit and, if they do the work at all, it’ll be poor quality.

If you have been a victim of this scam you can notify the local police and report it to the Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov.

ATTRIBUTION: scambusters.org.

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

August 21, 2020

FACEBOOK FRIEND SCAM

Facebook is a terrific tool for staying in touch with old friends, former classmates, family, and community members. Unfortunately, scammers using Facebook’s Messenger service are trying to defraud by posing as long-lost friends. While this scam is not new, the request to take the conversation off Facebook Messenger and on to text message is a new twist.

Anyone who asks you to send money to receive money in return is attempting to swindling you. If you are asked to pay money to collect a prize, grant, stimulus check, or any other type of reward, it is a scam.

A scam begins when a recipient receives a message on Facebook Messenger from someone impersonating a former classmate or an old friend. When the recipient responds, the scammer strikes up a conversation to build trust. Once trust is established, the impersonator offers the recipient information on how to receive a grant, prize, or even government stimulus funds.

When the victim showing interest responds they are urged to pay an up-front fee and/or supply personal information (Social Security number, bank account/credit card information, etc.) to collect the non-existent money. Victims who do send the money are then urged to send even more money.

Here are tips to reduce your risk of falling victim to this scam:

*Don’t immediately assume your Facebook friend is who they claim to be. If you receive a message from someone you have not spoken to in a long time, do not assume that the message is legitimate. The safest course of action is to simply ignore the message.

*Test them. If you do engage in a conversation and become suspicious, you can try to verify the identity of the person messaging you by asking them a question only they would know (i.e., who was our 9th grade English teacher?).

*Beware requests to take conversations off Facebook Messenger. This is a big red flag for fraud.

Copy and paste scams:

Avoid this scam by ignoring any message on Facebook that urges you to “copy and paste” instead of “sharing.” 

 A tell-tale sign of such scams is misspelled or unusual words or phrases in the text of the message.  These messages may seem innocuous and they may make you feel good by helping to spread a message you agree with. However, by copying and pasting a message instead of using the “share” function, you may be helping fraudsters build lists of people to contact later with friend requests or other messages.

If you suspect that you have become a victim, report it immediately. You can file a complaint at http://www.Fraud.org via the secure online complaint form, or http://www.ftc.gov. Your complaint will be shared with a network of law enforcement and consumer protection agency partners who can investigate and help put fraudsters behind bars.

ATTRIBUTION: http://www.fraud.org

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

August 18, 2020

YOU HAVE WON! (NOW PAY US) – SCAM

Who would not like to win a million dollars, a new car, or a vacation home? But if you receive a call from someone saying, “You’ve won,” do not believe it.

Here is how it works. You receive a call from someone who says they are from Publishers Clearing House or some other well-known organization. They say, “Congratulations, you have won a million dollars, a Mercedes-Benz, and seven thousand dollars a week for life!” or some other amazing sounding prizes. Then they ask you to pay upfront a “processing fee,” “taxes,” or “shipping and handling charges,” to claim your prize.

The scammers are trying to push you into a heightened emotional expectation state, to knock you off balance just long enough to steal your money and personal information. The fact is, Publishers Clearing House never notifies winners in advance. And anyone who says, “You’ve won. Now pay us,” is a scammer. Period.

Consider these tips to avoid this scam:

*Legitimate sweepstakes do not make you pay a fee to receive your prize. That includes paying “taxes,” “shipping and handling charges,” or “processing fees.” Also, do not give someone your checking account or credit card number in response to a sweepstakes promotion.

*Do not send money transfers or gift cards or give personal information. Sending money transfers or gift cards (or providing the gift card numbers) is like sending cash. Once the money’s gone, you cannot trace it or get it back. The same goes for sending money by mail or using a money order.

*Do not trust your caller ID. Scammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID. They might use an official-sounding name like Publishers Clearing House or Reader’s Digest.

Scammers do not scam just one person. Tell your friends and family about the scam so they can avoid it. Then report it to the FTC: ftc.gov/complaint.

ATTRIBUTION: US Federal Trade Commission

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

August 15, 2020

CREDIT REPAIR SCAMS

A poor credit history can be a real hindrance for someone trying to recover from financial setbacks and being behind on bills. Scammers exploit that vulnerability with phony promises of a quick credit fix.

Shady companies will claim they can remove bankruptcies, liens and bad loans from your record, or even erase a bad credit history completely. They falsely claim to help you start over with a new credit identity that will make you look like a better risk to lenders.

Scammers will charge you a hefty amount for such dangerous advice.

The fact is that no one can remove bad information from your credit report if it is correct and timely. If a debt, bankruptcy or other item was accurately reported, it stays on your credit record for many years. Negative data can be deleted, however, if it is proven to be incorrect, or in some cases out of date.

Legitimate credit-repair companies can’t legally do anything you couldn’t do yourself for little or no cost at www.Annual Credit Report.com. That includes filing disputes with the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) about negative items, in hopes it will show them to be wrong.

Crooks might also offer you an alternative nine-digit number called a CPN (credit privacy number or credit profile number), or direct you to falsely obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service. Using one of those can get you in legal trouble.

Warning Signs

*A phony credit-repair company says it can get bad debt off your credit record, guarantee a better credit score or give you “a new credit identity.”

*The company tells you to give false information on loan applications.

*The company urges you to dispute information in your credit report that you know is accurate.

*The company tells you not to contact the credit bureaus yourself.

Do’s

*Do regularly check your credit history. You can get one free credit report a year from each of the three major credit bureaus at www.Annual Credit Report.com.

*Do dispute inaccurate information by contacting the credit bureaus directly.

*Do know your rights when it comes to credit repair. The federal Credit Repair Organization Act requires companies to give you a written contract that spells out the services it will perform, what you will pay and how long it will take to get results. Request a written contract and read the “‘fine print” before paying anything.

*Do remember that there is no legitimate quick fix for poor credit. Improving your record takes time and effort. It requires sticking to a personal plan to pay off your debts, says the Federal Trade Commission.

*Do consider contacting a reputable credit counseling organization instead of going to a shady credit-repair firm. Legitimate credit counselors can help you create a plan to manage your debts and develop a budget you can stick to.

Don’ts

*Don’t sign up with a credit-repair company that insists upon payment before it does any work on your case.

*Don’t trust companies that are secretive about their methods or claim they alone can fix your credit problems.

*Don’t follow instructions to lie on a credit or loan application. It’s a crime that could result in fines or a prison term

*Don’t follow advice to apply to the Internal Revenue Service for an EIN to use as a substitute for your Social Security number when you apply for credit. Obtaining an EIN under false pretenses is a crime

For guidance you can call the AARP Hotline 877-908-3360, and report to Federal Trade Commission www.FTC.gov

ATTRIBUTION: AARP

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney in San Mateo County, California.

August 11, 2020

FAKE SAVINGS CLUBS

Courtesy Federal Trade Commission

Imitation is a great form of “scammery.” That is why scammers are imitating a type of informal savings club known as “sou sou” or “susu”. They aim to trick people into joining what amounts to an illegal pyramid scheme.

A real “sou sou” is a rotating savings club with historic roots in West Africa and the Caribbean. It is a savings arrangement among a small group of trusted people – usually family and friends – who regularly pay a fixed amount into a common fund and take turns taking money out. In a real sou sou, you do not earn interest, never get out more than you paid in, and there is no reward for recruiting people to join. This is a way of saving based on the honor system, and it is not without risk from dishonest fellow depositors.

It is not surprising that scammers are pitching FAKE sou sou savings clubs with names like “The Circle Game,” “Blessing Loom,” “Money Board”. These kinds of illegal pyramid schemes are the exact opposite of a real sou sou: They falsely promise you will make more money than you put in. They depend on recruiting new people to keep money flowing into the fund. Like all other pyramids, once they run out of new recruits to bring money into the club, the money dries up, leaving everyone holding the bag waiting for their pay out.

If you see a post or receive a direct message on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media about one of these clubs, be cautious and look for warning signs. If the phony offer has been received by a friend or family member, tell them about this scheme.

And, if you have been contacted to join a fake sou sou, please tell us: http://www.ftc.gov/complaint. Your report can help us protect others from a scam.

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