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How to Prevent Summertime Scams

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Summertime is here…and that means sunshine and vacations. Most people love summertime, including scammers! Hackers can use this time to take advantage while we are planning vacations or on vacation or just enjoying fun in the sun. Here are some key scams to watch out for this summer:9D

  • Family or Friend Requests Money
    You receive an email from a friend or family member. They tell you a sob story and say they need money. It sure seems like the right person. You even ask them for more details and they give them spot-on. Convinced they’re the real McCoy, you wire them money. But what you just did was wire money to an imposter who got all those personal details off social media. One way to prevent this it to establish a secret code that your friends and family promises not to post on social media (and the code should be a nonsensical sentence or something that isn’t easily guessed). If a person can’t type out this secret code, then you know it’s a scam. Another way to avoid this scam is to always speak live to the person asking for the money.
  • Home Improvement
    Summer is when homeowners are most gullible to people offering home repairs. In many of these cases, repairmen do only superficial repairs to make something look nicer or others take your deposit money and then disappear into thin air. To avoid this, make sure you check references and be leery of anyone appearing out of the blue offering home improvement services or those who are not insured.
  • Moving Scams
    As summer is a time when many people move homes, it’s also a time ripe for moving scams. You could experience something like the moving company suddenly charging you more if you want your belongings unloaded from the truck. To avoid moving scams, be careful when you choose a moving company, check references and make sure you use an accredited moving firm.
  • Vacation Rental Scams
    Vacations are something you want to enjoy and getting a great deal makes it even better. But not if it’s a sham. Scammers offer deals on vacation rentals and then you arrive to find that the keys don’t work or worse—the rental is an empty lot. Before you pay for a vacation rental, make sure that the rental address exists by using Google Earth search. And just like other things, get references and only rent from trusted sites like TripAdvisor.
  • Online Employment Ads
    If you’re job searching, you need to be aware. This scam is usually found on free job listing sites, but can be found in emails too. The red flag is when they want YOU to pay THEM (never mind how legitimate it sounds) or they ask you for a ton of personal information like your driver’s license or birthdate. Just don’t give out your information. Stick to well-known job sites when hunting online.

Summer is a time that we should all enjoy—both online and offline. Make sure you educate yourself on the latest scams and be wary of things that seem too good to be true. Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Stay safe this summer!

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.

Beware of the Green Dot scam

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Scammers are at it again, this time with green dot cards: a pre-paid debit card available at stores. It can work like this:

9DLet’s say you run a small business. You’re out and about, then return to find an employee informing you that the electric company called about an unpaid bill. So you return the call. The person on the other end says you need to pay that electric bill of (fill in the blank) dollars. The stranger on the other end says you can get a green dot card from, say, Walmart, and that you can give that person the number within the next 20 minutes.

Otherwise, the electricity in your business will be shut off. Your business depends on electricity; you have customers; you don’t have time to really think about what just happened over the phone; so you hurry out to Walmart and get that green dot card, call the stranger back and give him the number.

You just got scammed!

There are more and more cases mounting like this, with the scammers tricking victims with an assortment of tall tales, convincing them to obtain the green dot cards. This scam is difficult to trace back to the thief.

Take time to reflect upon a situation before rushing out to do something that involves your money. No legitimate business like a utility company will ever request that you go out and get a prepaid card and then give them the card’s number, especially within the constraints of a very short time period. If it smells fishy, it IS fishy.

The scammers use stories to charge up the victim’s emotions, because they know that people don’t think logically when under the duress of emotions (e.g., fear of electricity shutting down in their shop).

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.

Fake Funeral & E-mail Scams: Recognize & Avoid

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How does a funeral scam work in the first place? This is something that I, as a security analyst, teach to the consumer public. First of all, the fake funeral scam starts off with an e-mail. The fraudulent e-mails come disguised as a notification for a funeral.

9DThe Better Business Bureau describes how the funeral scam works:

The subject line of an e-mail will say “funeral notification.” The message can be from anywhere, though it’s made to look like it’s from a Texas funeral home. You’re invited to a “celebration of our friends’ life service.” It’s a real-looking e-mail. It even uses the funeral home’s actual logo.

Of course, typical of scam e-mails, you’re urged to click a link inside the message, to view “more detailed information” about the ceremony. But clicking on the link will take you to a foreign domain, where malware awaits  –  to be downloaded to your computer. The crooks will then have access to your personal data.

How to Avoid the Funeral and Other E-mail Scams

  • Just because a real-existing business’s logo is in an e-mail message, doesn’t mean that the message is authentic and not fraudulent. A scammer can even make the sender’s address appear authentic.
  • Before clicking on a link inside a message (and you shouldn’t, anyways), hover over the link to see what the source is.
  • But why hover when you’re smart enough NEVER to click on a link inside an e-mail message in the first place?
  • A message from a company that has poor spelling and grammar is highly suspicious.
  • Messages calling for immediate action are usually scams.
  • Don’t click pop-ups that seem to originate from your computer, even if they warn your computer has been infected.

You now know how to stay ahead of crooks trying to rip you off with the funeral scam e-mail.

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.

Scammers Use Craigslist to steal identities

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I have a growing family. Camping is on my list of family events. The wife isn’t crazy about tents. So I went on Craigslist looking for a second hand camper. I found a $15,000 camper for $2200.00. A pretty good deal to say the least. This ad actually gave me chills it exited me so much. So I sent an email. This is what happend:

9DSeller: “Thank you for contacting me about my 2005 Jayco Jay Feather LGT 25Z that I have for sale. This camper is in great shape, has no damage, no scratches or dents, no hidden defects. It is in immaculate condition, meticulously maintained and hasn’t been involved in any accidents…I do have the title, clear, under my name. Non-smoker.”

My husband and I divorced last month, after the divorce I was awarded with the camper, I don’t need it as i don’t own a drivers license and that’s why I’m selling it so cheap. I also got a new job and moved to another city, and many other things have priority now, so, this camper has to go. The total price is $2,200.00.”

Honestly, this story sounds reasonable. And my response was:

Me: “Sorry to hear, what town are you in”

Seller: “As I told you in my first email, I’m divorced, I got a new job and moved to Chicago. The camper is now at the shipping company warehouse in Chicago sealed, ready to ship. I have setup this sale with Google Wallet so this deal must go through them. I also asked Google Wallet to allow viewers to go there and inspect the camper but their reply was “We are not a showroom!” In this case, I will offer a 5-day period to inspect the camper from the moment you receive it. You’ll have 5 days to inspect, test the camper before decided to keep it or not. The final price for the camper is $2,200.00 with shipping included, it will not take more than 2-3 days for the camper to arrive at your address.”

I want to mention that the camper was inspected by the shipping mechanics and fulfills the standards from all the 50 states so it wouldn’t be a problem for you to register. You will receive the camper along with all the documents including title, bill of sale, full service records and more. If the camper is not like I described, you’ll ship it back on my expense and they will give you a full refund. Google Wallet will hold the funds until you receive the camper with all the papers work. Only after you confirm them that you wanna keep the camper they will release me the funds. In this way, you will be able to inspect the camper before committing to buy it. If you agree with these terms and you have the money, send me your complete name, delivery address and phone number to register you as my buyer. And also you’ll receive all the transaction details from Google Wallet (terms, buyer protection coverage, payment instructions, invoice for the purchase). Let me know!

Dang, this is an escrow scam. Google Wallet doesn’t hold money in escrow. No camping for you! I saw it after 2 communications. Which frankly, isn’t bad. I don’t see how I could have seen it quicker. But this is a perfect example of how these scams happen. Stay on your toes people.

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.

FTC: Tech Support Scams are baaaaack!

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They’re back, and they’re scarier than fangy blood sucking ghosts: tech support scammers. They want to suck you dry of your last penny.

9DA tech support scam may go as follows: You receive a call from someone informing you that your computer is infected with a really bad virus and needs prompt attention. The crook tells you he needs remote access to your computer, then proceeds to “fix” a problem that never existed, and you get charged a fee for it. Worse, when they are logged into your device, they install spyware so they can see everything you do on the PC all day long.

There’s a new type of this scam out now, where you get a call and they tell you you’ll get a refund if you’ve previously paid for tech support services. This scam has several variations, but here is the way it unfolds:

  • They ask if you were happy with the service. If you say no, they’ll then claim they can get your money back.
  • Another claim is that the company is going belly up, and as a result, they’re giving out refunds to individuals who already paid.
  • When enough of these phone calls are made, a certain percentage of the recipients will respond exactly the way the fraudsters want them to: The victims will give out their credit card number or bank account information after being told that this is necessary to process the refund.
  • The scammer may tell you to create a Western Union account in order to receive the refund. Gee, they may even offer to assist you in filling out the forms (how nice of them!) if you hand over remote access to your computer. But they won’t be putting money in your account; they’ll be taking money from it.

Solutions

  • Get a complaint filed at ftc.gov/complaint.
  • If you used a credit card, contact your credit card company and request that they reverse the charge.
  • Hang up on anyone who offers a refund if you provide your credit card or bank information or Western Union account number.
  • Better yet, why bother even answering a call in the first place if you don’t recognize the caller’s number? And if the caller’s number appears to be from “your” bank or credit card company or from Microsoft or anyone you alredy know and trust, still don’t answer; if it’s legitimate, they’ll leave a message. Even still, don’t call back the number they give you. If they leave a message, contact the institution via the number that’s on your statements to find out if the caller was legitimate.

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.

North carolinians scammed for millions dating online

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Linda was ripped off for $8,000 all because she believed Greg was whom he said he was. Linda, from North Carolina, was nabbed by an online crook who promised her love.

This year, 17 (possibly more) such victims have reported a dating scam that has cost them a combined $700,000, says the North Carolina Attorney General’s office. The typical victim is a woman in her early 60s. One victim sent her online Casanova nearly $1.3 million.

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How can people be so gullible?

Desperate for love, victims believe anything their love object tells them. Greg convinced Linda he was an Army lieutenant. After several weeks of texting, he told her he needed medical help for a gunshot injury. She sent him money. Greg asked for more money and Linda sent more. Eventually, Greg obtained her bank account information.

She continued sending him money for this and that, including a plane ticket home where he’d meet her for the first time. Of course, he never came “home.” And Linda is wiped out financially.

Lonely, older women are not the only victims.

Even lawyers, doctors and CEOs are getting scammed, sending out large amounts of money to these fake love interests.

Most of the scam artists come from Nigeria, says the state Attorney General’s office, and it’s a numbers game for them. Run enough numbers and eventually they’ll hit the bull’s eye. They steal photos of good-looking people off the Web to represent the fictitious love interest. The photo of “Greg” has even made a few other rounds.

Often, when the victim figures out what’s really going on, they are contacted by a private investigator or detective offering to find the scammer—for a fee—you guessed it; this, too, is part of the scam.

Solution

#1. Never under any circumstances send money to someone you meet online

#2. The moment they ask for money, it’s a scam

#3. Never share usernames, passwords or account information

#4. If you know someone who could fall for this, get involved now

Many dating sites have some security measures in place behind-the-scenes, to help educate and protect their members. Look on their site and often times you will find help videos of how to avoid being scammed and how to report suspicious behavior so that the dating site can take action. 

The more sophisticated sites also offer a defense-in-depth approach to keeping their site and members safe, by layering authentication, trust, and fraud detection tools to help with the early detection of bad actors.

Device reputation is one technology used by many dating sites that allows them to share fraud and abuse reports across businesses and geographies. Dating sites access Portland-based iovation Inc.’s device reputation service, ReputationManager 360, so that they can stop scammers before they get in the front door. iovation’s fraud prevention service contains over 7.6 million reports of dating scams, solicitations, phishing, account takeover attempts, identity theft, spam and other forms abuse. The service has stopped over 22 million online fraudulent or abusive attempts within online communities alone.

Stopping scams and abusive behavior upfront greatly helps online dating sites not only protect their brand reputation, but most importantly protect their active members.

Robert Siciliano, personal security and identity theft expert contributor to iovation. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked! See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247

Just One of Many Internet Scams

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A good friend of mine called me recently to ask what I knew about scams from online sales. He had placed an ad on CraigsList for something he was trying to sell and had asked for $150 for the item. He had received a call from a woman and she offered to send him a check for the item.

Shortly thereafter, he received a $2,400 check from a major chemical company and was confused about why the check was so much more than the amount he listed and why it was coming from a chemical company.

If you ever run into this, rip up the check. This is advanced fee fraud, or a shipping scam. I explained to him that he would undoubtedly be receiving an email requesting that the difference be paid to shipper via a wire transfer.

But why send a check for $2,400, and why from a chemical company? It was probably the only seemingly legitimate check the scammer on hand from a “business.” If you fall for this scam, you end up sending $2,250 back to the scammer and you never get paid on the $2,400 check.

The day after we spoke, he received this email:

“Hello XXXX,

The check has been delivered, thanks for your honesty towards this transaction so far. Well, the overpayment is meant to cover the cost of shipment for the item alongside my other properties including tax and insurance plus the movers and agents fees.

Please deposit the cheque today so that it clears tomorrow after the check has cleared, All you have to do is go the bank and have the rest of the money withdrawn in cash and have it sent to the movers via wire transfer.

Do let me know your schedule for the week regarding pickup as i have some other properties to be moved alongside the item. Please do act accordingly as agreed after deducting your money for the item, make the rest fund available to the movers via money gram Money Transfer at any of their outlet around you or check on moneygram.com and check for their outlets around and get back to me with the transfer details below (as it appears on the receipt) so i can contact the movers for the pick-up at your location ….Deduct the money gram money transfer charges from my fund also $50 for yourself (meant for any hassle or run around).

1) Sender’s name and address

2) Reference number {which is the 8 digits number on the Money Gram receipt}

3) Actual amount sent after the fee had been deducted

Hope i can trust you with the overpayments? Your Honesty and transparency will be appreciated”

 

The vast differences in the sale amount of the item versus the amount of the check are a huge red flag. Another thing to pay attention to is the email itself. It’s full of bad grammar and has some inconsistencies in wording that should be a warning sign to you.

This scam works on a small percentage of people who are naïve and by their nature are overly trusting of others. Help put a stop to this kind of fraud by learning about these scams and making an effort to educate others on the risks and pitfalls of phone, email, snail mail and web based scams.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen. Disclosures.

Beware of Furnace Scams

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To my horror, old man winter is knocking at my door.  There is snow on the ground in Boston accompanied by a howling wind with a wind chill of wicked, wicked, wicked cold. Did I say it’s wicked cold? It’s only 37 degrees but feels like 10 below. Frankly, I should live on an island in the pacific for more than one reason, and avoiding winter is one of them. I’m a very delicate flower.

Anyways, if you are proactive you should have already gone through with your annual maintenance regime with your forced hot air furnace, or forced hot water boiler.

In this process you may change air or water filters, clean out tubes, clean ducts, tighten up any water or air leaks, or flush the system of bad fluids. If you haven’t done any of this or have no idea what I’m talking about you may be a good target for furnace scams.

The most effective way not to be scammed is to do business with those you know, like, and trust. A referral by someone you trust who has a long term relationship with a licensed plumber or pipefitter is often the best way to get a reputable contractor to do maintenance or install a new system. Keep in mind any heat/cooling related work can cost under a $100.00 to several thousands. And if you don’t have an honorable contractor, they can easily fleece you.

Look for a license and confirm its validity with the local registry.

Be especially aware of duct cleaning scams. Do your research on how often they should be done and watch the contractors every single move. You want to see dirt and see dirt removed.

Confirm they are insured.

Don’t do business with anyone who does door to door sales.

Beware of scare tactics.

Always require a full proposal.

Get second and third opinions.

Get references.

Search them online and seek out any complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.