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Tell your Grams about these Scams

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Do we really get wiser with old age, or just more vulnerable to all the scammers out there? Here are the top scams directed towards senior citizens.
9D
IRS
The phone rings; it’s from the IRS, claiming you owe money.

  • Caller ID says IRS (spoof technology).
  • Caller says if you don’t pay within 24 hours, you’re going to jail.
  • Caller wants your bank account information and routing number, or wants you to wire what you owe.
  • Or, caller says IRS owes you, but to get the refund, you must pay a processing fee within 24 hours.
  • The IRS never calls people for back taxes; it sends a certified letter.
  • Refunds are sent via snail mail without the IRS ever notifying you.

Reverse Mortgages

  • There’s no monthly payment, but whatever balance and interest has accumulated by the time the borrower sells, it must be paid back. If the borrower dies before this, family members must pay it.
  • Misleading ads make it seem this loan is affiliated with the government.
  • You CAN lose your home.
  • If you run out of equity before you sell or die, you’ll need to repay the loan. If you can’t, it’s foreclosure time.

Sob Story

  • The caller identifies self as a grandchild, great niece, etc.
  • Or, the caller says he’s your grandchild’s doctor, lawyer, etc.
  • The caller is in trouble and wants you to wire them money ASAP.
  • They may know details of the person they’re impersonating and you as well, because they’ve visited that person’s Facebook page—and yours.
  • If you ask if you can call back, the caller won’t accept this.
  • Asking additional questions about the “accident” or “burglary” won’t get you answers.

Obituaries and Funeral Homes

  • The caller says that the deceased owes a debt.
  • Or, the caller says he provides funeral services.
  • The victim is a spouse usually.
  • A funeral home that you’re already working with may also try to scam you by talking you into the most expensive casket, memorial plaques, etc.

Phony Pharma

  • Caller or e-mail sender claims to be from the government or authorized by such, to fill your drug prescription at a cheap price.
  • You must act now because the great deal is for a limited time.
  • If you DO receive something, it’s probably vitamins in a prescription bottle.
  • The crook may know details about you from reading your Facebook page.
  • A similar scam exists for Medicare.

Solutions

  • Use a mobile phone as much as possible; scammers usually call landline numbers.
  • Never answer the phone if the number is unfamiliar or says IRS.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Beware of these 10 Nasty Scams

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Let’s look at the top 10 scams (random order).

9DCharity

  • A fraudster claims to represent a charitable organization.
  • Such scams can operate ring-style, such as one out in Colorado some years ago in which women wearing crisp white dresses that resembled the dresses nurses used to wear, and also wearing white caps (like a nurse), solicited motorists for money by walking around at stoplights holding out tin cans that had a label on them like “Help Fight Drugs.” Many people were fooled by the white outfits and labeled cans.
  • Check out the legitimacy of the organization at bbb.org or charitynavigator.org.

E-mail

  • You receive an e-mail that seems to be from a legitimate company, like your bank, the IRS, UPS, etc. In the message is a link that you click. You just downloaded a virus.
  • Never click links inside e-mails. Contact the company by phone.

Cell Phone

  • Your cell phone rings once. You don’t recognize the number. You call back. You then get charged about $20. Whatever happens after a connection is made, you’ll also be charged a high fee per minute.
  • Ignore one-ring calls. If it’s important they’ll call back.

Credit Card Fraud

  • Ever see a tiny charge on your credit card but have no idea what it was for? It’s probably by a crook.
  • Always report even the smallest charges if they’re unfamiliar.

Sob Story

  • You get an e-mail that seems to be from someone you know. They’re overseas, got mugged, sob sob…and need you to wire them money.
  • Don’t send them a penny; it’s a scam.

Sweepstakes and Lottery

  • “You’ve Won!” shouts your new e-mail. So you click the link in the e-mail to claim your prize—which is a nice fat virus that infects your computer.
  • Run like the wind if the message tells you that you need to pay a fee to claim your winnings.

Jury Duty

  • Your phone rings. You answer. The caller tells you that you’ll be subject to fines because you didn’t show up for jury duty. But relax, you can avoid the fines by providing personal information or paying a fee.
  • Courts have better things to do than to call people who missed jury duty (do you realize how many calls that would be?!).
  • Though failing to report for jury duty does have consequences, the action is never initiated via phone.

Computer Lockout

  • You turn on your computer and see a message stating the device is locked.
  • To unlock it, you’re told to provide sensitive information.
  • Contact your security software provider or a local geek.

WiFi Hacking

  • You connect to free WiFi thinking your secure. But waiting in the wings is a hacker to sniff out your data.
  • Always use a VPN such as Hotspot Shield to encrypt your data over free WiFi.

Home Improvement

  • Someone appears at your door wearing a workman’s outfit and offers to do a job for a dirt cheap fee. They want the money upfront and will return later to do the work, or some variant of this.
  • Stick with bonded, insured, reputable companies. Refer to Angie’s List or the BBB.

Health Care

  • Someone calls you offering to help you sign up for health care.
  • Hang up; it’s a crook because government officials don’t do this.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Top 12 Scams Happening NOW

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Scamerama is here to stay! Scams are as old as time, and evolve as inventions and technology evolve. Top scams, according to a report on FraudAvengers.com, are as follows:9D

  1. Scammer “accidentally” overpays you for an item you sold online; you cash the crook’s phony check and wire back the difference. You’re out cold.
  2. You order something online and it’s not delivered or version arrives that’s nothing like in the advertisement.
  3. You prequalify for a credit line or loan that seems too good to be true. It requires upfront fees and sensitive information—and you end up never hearing from them again.
  4. You “win” a prize or gift card and, to receive it, must give out sensitive information and/or pay a fee. This scam occurs also via phone, and sometimes the scammer uses well-known brand names.
  5. Calls from people claiming to be IRS reps warning you that you owe money—or that you’re owed money—and that you must pay up immediately or go to jail, or pay a fee to get your refund.
  6. Crooks harp on the vulnerability of confused people seeking health care coverage every fall during open enrollments.
  7. You purchase the puppy in the online photo, pay fees for shots, crating, etc., and the puppy never arrives.
  8. “Human Resources” e-mails that make you think they’re from your employer; you provide critical information that allows the scammer to hijack your direct deposit setup.
  9. The fraudster’s “service” helps recover unclaimed property or funds, but there’s no recovery—even after you’ve paid a fee or given out sensitive information.
  10. An online job offer looks great: no experience required, start immediately, full-time—after you pay a training fee and/or give up your SSN online.
  11. A medical plan that seems too good to be true—because it’s not coverage; it’s just a discount plan.
  12. For a fee, the thief claims to be able to help you get out of debt or recover from recent identity theft or some kind of fraud, playing on your vulnerable state.

Seriously, none of these scams would happen to you if you just paid attention. Please, beware, be careful and be smart.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.

Dude hacked Lottery Computers

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Who needs psychics to reveal future lottery numbers when you can hack into the state lottery association and tamper with it? That apparently was the reasoning of Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51.

9DProsecutors believe Tipton inserted a thumb drive into a computer—the one that spits out random numbers for the lottery, says an article in the Des Moines Register, according to a report at arstechnica.com.

At the time of this purported crime, Tipton was head of security for the Multi-State Lottery Association. Surveillance caught him buying a ticket that was worth $14.3 million (not smart enough to wear a disguise, eh?).

Coincidence? Not according to the prosecutors, who say he programmed computers that generate the numbers. This shouldn’t even be possible.

Supposedly on November 20 of 2010, Tipton went into the “draw room” where he altered the time on the computers. The settings of the room’s camera were changed, so that Tipton’s activity inside the room would not be recorded.

Prosecutors say that of the five people who are capable of changing the camera’s settings, four said they did not change them. Of course, the fifth person is Tipton. What a sly duck: resetting the camera so that it recorded only one second out of every minute, to miss detecting him inserting the thumb drive.

But he pled not guilty, even though he was identified as the man in the surveillance purchasing the golden ticket. Even if there’d been no tampering, Tipton would be barred from receiving the prize because employees of the association are banned from claiming lottery prizes.

For about a year, this particular ticket went unclaimed. But through a New York attorney, a company in Belize tried to claim the ticket at the last minute.

Somehow, authorities smelled a rat and focused on Tipton. Prosecutors also say that he had a fascination with root kits, which is in line with quickly installing the thumb drive. A root kit can be installed fast, carry out its orders, then self-destruct without leaving a trace.

The scales of justice are not tipped in Tipton’s favor especially because a witness plans on testifying that shortly before December 2010, Tipton told him he had a rootkit—a self-destructing one.

The trial is set for July 13.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

How Hackers use LinkedIn to Scam

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Hackers love LinkedIn because it links them in—straight through the portal of the targeted company. Geez, how much easier could this be, what with all the publically-exposed e-mail addresses of key players (and also worker bees) in big companies that someone wants to hack.

4DAn article on blog.sungardas.com was written by a white-hatter (his job is to try to hack his clients’ systems so that they know how to make them more impenetrable to the bad guys). The author says he’d make a beeline to LinkedIn if he became a black-hatter.

In addition to all of those revealed e-mail addresses, the hacker could also learn (without hacking, of course) what a business’s e-mail structure is. He can then compile a list of employees for his social engineering attacks. (Can you just see him watering at the mouth over this—like putting a sizzling steak in front of a dog.)

A phishing campaign could trick the targets into giving up crucial information—essentially handing the company key to the hacker. The crook, however, knows better than to pull this stunt on IT employees. But fertile territory includes employees in the marketing, accounting and customer service departments.

Maybe you’ve read that every professional these days absolutely should have a LinkedIn account. You can bet that every hacker agrees!

Companies need to come up with a way to prevent hackers from sneaking into their network via that bastion of essentiality known as LinkedIn.

The penetration-tester, in his article recommends that businesses do the following:

Social engineering training. Workers must be aggressively trained in how to sniff out a phishy-smelling e-mail. No corners should be cut with this training program, which should include ongoing staged attacks.

A statement clarifying communication about security information. To help prevent employees from giving out sensitive information to the wrong people, the company must figure out how communication will be conducted, then get it down on paper. For example, “E-mails from our company will never ask you to reveal your username and password.”

Definitive reporting process for suspicious activity. Employees need to have, on paper again, specific instructions in how to report suspicious activity, such as a questionable e-mail. These instructions should be simple and to the point.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

10 Skeevy Scams to watch

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You may think you’re not dumb enough to fall for scams, but consider that someone you care deeply about is naïve enough to be conned. Besides, some scams are so clever that even those who think they’re scam-proof have actually been taken for a ride.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-online-risks-sign-road-banner-image34668294Sometimes fraudsters pose as an authority figure. Some claim you won a prize, while others claim you’re in trouble. Some even claim they’re a family member (needing money) and have figured out a way to convince you of this.

Some scams are done via e-mail, while others involve a phone call or snail mail. One common ploy is for the crook to pose as a rep from the electric company and threaten to shut off your electricity unless you pay a delinquent bill. Of course, the payment must be in the form of a reloadable debit card. People will actually give these cards to the “rep,” without calling the company to confirm the situation.

A big tip-off to a scam is that you’re told you won a prize or have been hired for employment—but must send money to get the prize or be trained for the employment.

Some scams are so very obvious, but still, people get taken, like those ridiculous e-mails claiming you inherited a windfall from some deceased prince named Gharbakhaji Naoombuule. But people actually fall for these, not considering that this same e-mail was sent to 10,000 others.

Top 10 Scams

  • Caller ID spoofing. Has your phone ever rung and you saw your phone number and name in the caller ID screen? How can your own phone be calling you? It’s a scam. Ignore it. If you pick up you’ll hear an offer for lower credit card rates. You’ll be told to press 1 to opt out—but you should not even be on that long to hear this option; you should have hung up the second you heard the credit card offer. Anyways, pressing 1 indicates your number is legitimate; it’s then sold to scammers. Caller ID spoofing is also perfect for scammers posing as the police, government agency, corporations etc all with the intention to get you to part with your money.
  • Mystery shopping. Though mystery shopping is a legitimate enterprise, scammers take advantage of this and mail out checks (phony) before the “shopping” is done. A legitimate company will never do this. They also get victims to give up credit card data to pay for getting a job!
  • Calls about unpaid taxes. Always hang up, regardless of threatening nature to pay up or else. The IRS always uses snail mail to notify people of unpaid taxes.
  • Puppy scam. You find a website offering purebred puppies at very low prices or even for free, but you’re told you must pay for shipping or transfer fees (wire transfer) to get your puppy. The money is gone and you never get your puppy.
  • You get a call from someone claiming to have found buyers for your timeshare. You receive a contract, but are told you must pay funds to cover some fees. The contract is phony.
  • Tech support. Someone calls you claiming your computer needs servicing. They’ll fix it after you give them your credit card information. Legitimate geeks don’t call people; you must call them.
  • Postcard survey. Out of the blue you’re told you’ve won a gift card, or, just take a brief survey to get one. Go along with this and soon you’ll be asked to provide your credit card number. Don’t bother. You’ll get no gift card while the crook gets your credit card information.
  • A notice says you’ve won a big fat prize. To claim it, just pay some fees. Yeah, right. Never pay fees to collect a prize!
  • You’re told you’re eligible for a grant or have been awarded one, but must first pay processing fees. Federal grants don’t require fees.
  • Subscription renewal notice. The notice says you can renew for a lower rate. Check to see if the notice was sent by the publication itself or some third party (the crook).

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

10 Tips to avoid Scams when traveling

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Vacationers and tourists provide a vast feeding ground for all sorts of crooks: from the simple pick-pocketing specialist to the hotel room burglar to the e-thief: credit card skimming and computer crimes. You can even have your identity stolen while sunning on that white beach.

9DAvoid Traveling Scams with These Tips

  • Don’t post your vacation or other travel plans on social media. Thieves peruse social media to see who will be out of town and when.
  • Protection begins before the trip. Put a vacation hold on your snail mail.
  • Beware of hotel room scams. A person posing as front desk staff will call random hotel rooms to sucker travelers into giving up their credit card number. Never give private information over the hotel phone.
  • When using public Wi-Fi, encrypt your activities so that hackers can’t pluck them out of the air.
  • Always know where your mobile phone is, and have it protected with a password.
  • Must you always pay with a credit or debit card? Cold cash can’t be hacked into. But I still prefer credit over debit cards (and even cash).
  • Don’t withdraw more cash than you need. Don’t take out wads of high bills because you “might” spend a lot of money. And use an ATM at a bank, not a public kiosk.
  • When you do use a card (credit, not debit!), do not let the server or sales clerk walk out of your sight with it. You just never know who might be an “inside” thief.
  • As soon as you can upon returning from traveling, check your credit card statements for suspicious activity.
  • Leave the expensive jewelry, handbags, etc. at home. A thief has a lot of interest in a well-dressed person who acts like a tourist. If you want everyone to see how exorbitantly styled you are, you’ll have to include muggers and other thieves in that group.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.

‘Tis the Season for the 12 Scams of the Holidays

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Fa la la la la, la la la la. Yes that’s me singing, but thank goodness you can’t really hear me (I save that for the shower). If you can believe it, it’s that time of the year again (even though it seems like we just finished Halloween). Time for holiday parties, family traditions, ugly sweaters, and… scams? Yes, that’s right. Now that the holiday season has begun, many of us are sharing, shopping and booking travel online— even more than we normally do.

And scammers know that with all that money and personal information floating around, they have a big opportunity. Using techniques like phishing, social engineering, fake charities and infected USB drives, cybercriminals can invade your privacy and drain your bank account.

Don’t let these hackers and thieves dampen your holiday cheer. To help you stay safe this season, McAfee has compiled a list of the 12 Scams of the Holidays. Check it out and educate yourself on what scams you need to look out for this holiday season.

12-scam

Here’s some tips to help you stay safe during the holidays:

  • Be careful when clicking. Don’t click on links in email or social media messages from people you don’t know, and use a URL expander to know what site you are going to before clicking on a shortened URL.
  • Be suspicious. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Practice safe surfing. Use a Web safety advisor, such as McAfee® SiteAdvisor®, that protects you from going to risky sites.
  • Avoid public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi might be convenient, but it’s also accessible to anyone who wants to see what you are doing online.
  • Shop safely online. Make sure you stick to reputable e-commerce sites that have been verified as safe by a third-party Trustmark, like McAfee SECURE™. Also look for “https” at the beginning of a site’s URL, which indicates that the site is using encryption to protect your information.
  • Use security software on all your devices. Make sure you have comprehensive security protection, like McAfee LiveSafe™ service, for all your devices, including your mobile phone and tablet that also safeguards your data and includes identity protection.

Season of Sharing Sweepstakes

To make sure that we all have a safe and merry holiday, McAfee and Dell have teamed up to bring you the Season of Sharing Sweepstakes—and give you a chance to win prizes. By sharing safe shopping and online safety tips around the 12 scams with your friends and family, you’ll not only be helping others to stay safe online this holiday season, but you’ll also earn a chance to win a $1,000 gift card to Dell.com** along with McAfee LiveSafe service to make sure all your devices are protected!

‘Tis the season to be jolly, so make sure you stay safe online.

*Sweepstakes open to US residents only. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes is from November 4 – December 12, 2014. See www.12scams.com for full terms and conditions.
**Terms and conditions apply. See www.dell.com/giftcard.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

Puppy Scams lure in Pet Lovers

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Wow, a dog that normally sells for at least a thousand bucks is being given away for free, and it’s young and healthy. Hmmm. The ad is on Facebook, too. Double hmmm.

7WIn Lorain, Ohio, Jessica was that person who saw the Facebook ad—for a free English bulldog puppy. Free! But she had to pay shipping costs. Then she had to pay for shots and medical bills. Jessica ended up paying $6,500 for a free puppy. Amazingly, only e-mail was used for correspondence with the alleged puppy’s owner.

Would Jessica have had to spend this kind of money in a legitimate transaction for an English bulldog puppy? Maybe to some extent. Except in this case, she never got the puppy. And she never got her money back. She ended up in the doghouse.

How to Prevent These Scams

  • Don’t pay for a puppy you’ve never held in your hands. Easier said than done, but there’s no breed out there that’s so rare that you can’t visit up close and personal. This way you can meet the owner, know that the puppy actually exists, and have a firmer grasp on the seller.
  • Don’t be fooled by glorious photos of animals on websites. It’s so easy to lift photos from legitimate sources and put them up on a phony site that a third grader could do it.
  • Be very careful about whom you send money to. Don’t wire it or use prepaid cards.
  • An ad with misspellings and grammatical errors is suspect, but even a crook can have good writing skills. But if an ad is cluttered with poor English, this is a bright red flag since many pet scams come from overseas.
  • Watch out for sob stories such as needing to find a home for “Roxie” because her owner is being deployed to a war zone.
  • Make sure the puppy has “papers.” This means that the breeder can provide documentation that the puppy’s parents have been registered with the appropriate kennel club. This means that the dog is a legitimately pure-bred. And once you receive it, you should register it with the appropriate kennel club.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.

Beware of 5 Summertime Scams

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The Better Business Bureau says beware of big summertime scams: five in particular.

9D“Wow, it’s a steal!” No, that’s not necessarily from the customer; it’s from the crook who entices the consumer with an irresistible deal involving airfare and room and board. If you see a deal that seems too good to be true, do an online search of the associated phone number and address, whatever it takes to confirm legitimacy.

Seasonal jobs. Con artists like to target high school and college students especially. Be careful about job ads stating that no experience is needed, though these can be legit. However, be extra cautious if the company requires you to pay for training or to pay for a background check.

Concert tickets. Con artists will attempt to resell the same ticket over and over, as the ticket can be printed out when a concert venue sells it directly from their website. Be suspicious of someone giving you a sob story for why they must sell their ticket. Be leery of those who will take only a cash payment.

Movers. Planning on moving this summer? Beware of whom you hire, and take a second look at a price that seems like an outrageously good deal. A cost that’s quoted online or over the phone isn’t always carved out in stone. Don’t just hire without first checking them out, even if they were recommended by friends or a service person you recently hired and were pleased with.

Door to door sales. Don’t be swayed by someone at your door. Get everything in writing before you hire someone, be it for landscaping or a security system. Never sign a contract that lacks a start and finish date.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247. Disclosures.