Scammers find their targets through many sources, though the following avenues are most common, according to the American Bankers Association.Purchasing contact information: scammers can easily purchase survey responses, buy email contact lists, magazine subscription lists and organization membership lists. Using that information, they are able to setup robo-calls, send mass mailings or create email blasts to attract response. Prowling online and social media sites: the advantage of prowling online and social media sites is that many people reveal a great deal of information about their lives which, gives a potential scammer valuable touch points. Scammers then reach out to individuals […]
Consumer Alerts
Increasing Occurrences of Social Media Fraud
There has been an increase in fraud involving social media, such as Facebook, in our local area. After a victim is friended by a scammer, the scammer goes out of his/her way to establish a friendship that the victim deems as legitimate. A lot of times, the scammer will take advantage of the good-naturedness of the targeted person, spinning tales that always involve requests for money. From there, the targeted individual, who believes he/she is helping out a new friend, is asked to wire funds or withdraw money. Many times, the scammer will go as far as to coach the […]
Rising Incidents of Online Dating Scams
An increasing number of consumers are being targeted in new and sophisticated scams involving online dating. In such instances, unsuspecting victims are being forced into sending money- sometimes thousands of dollars – to criminals through PayPal or other well-known online payment services. In our area, there have been reports of victims having long-term conversations with a person they believe to be an adult. After weeks, or even months of conversations, photos are exchanged and the victim is sent a photo of someone who is clearly a child or teen. Most victims immediately end online conversation at this time, but then […]
Beware of False Fundraising Campaigns
An unfortunate common approach that fraudsters use is to misrepresent that they are selling advertising for local schools, first responders, non-profits and even for-profit businesses. For instance, local businesses and consumers have reported to receiving suspicious solicitations for advertisements in false educational materials from local schools about drug and alcohol prevention. These requests were made by individuals claiming to represent fictitious fundraising organizations, with claims that local schools would benefit from the sales. The local schools did not approve nor were they aware of these efforts. Whether you receive a solicitation at work or at home on behalf of a […]
Bogus Casting Calls from Fictitious Digital Media Company
A common mode for fraudsters to gain access to people’s personal information and money is to offer work opportunities and/or send a large check for them to deposit and then wire some of the money back. Because the checks are fraudulent, the victim loses the money that they’ve wired out – and may put themselves at further risk for identity theft by offering personal information. For example, Local community members have reported to receiving solicitations from “Morningside Digital Media”, a fictitious modeling agency based in California. The company targets individuals who pursue employment in the entertainment, modeling and acting industries […]
Check Cashing Crimes on the Rise
A number of consumers have recently reported instances of fraudulent purchases as a result of stolen identification. Authorities have identified that many of these purchases were made by the Felony Lane Gang, a criminal organization which operates across the country, and is now targeting the New England region. The Felony Lane Gang is a sophisticated group that breaks into cars, steals checks and ID’s to make false checks. The checks are then made payable to unsuspecting individuals whose IDs were stolen. The criminals have been known to then disguise themselves to look like the victim based on pictures from the […]
Payments May Post to Your Account Faster After September 15
An upcoming change in the way payments are processed will allow electronic ACH debits under $25,000 (excluding international transactions) to go through on the same day you pay them. This processing change, effective September 15, may reduce the time between when you make a transaction and when it clears your account. To meet the needs of businesses and consumers in an increasingly fast-paced world, the National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA) began a phased implementation of same day ACH transactions last fall. The first phase of the rollout began in September 2016 when same day processing was made available for ACH […]
Equifax Announces Security Breach Affecting Nearly Half of All Americans
Equifax, one of the nation’s top three credit reporting agencies, confirmed its systems were recently affected by a cyber security incident, impacting upwards of 143 million people. This incident has potentially exposed sensitive data for those affected, including names, dates of birth, addresses, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. The credit reporting agency has issued a formal warning that consumers may be at risk, whether they are Equifax customers or not. To determine if your personal information was impacted by this incident, Equifax has offered the following steps: Click on Check Potential Impact to provide your last name and […]
FCC Warns Consumers of ‘Can you hear me?’ Phone Scam
The Federal Communications Commission is alerting consumers to be on the lookout for scam callers seeking to get victims to say the word “yes” during a call and later using a recording of the response to authorize unwanted charges on the victim’s utility or credit card account. According to complaints the FCC has received, the fraudulent callers impersonate representatives from organizations that provide a service that may be familiar to the person receiving the call, such as a mortgage lender or utility, to establish a legitimate reason for trying to reach the consumer. The scam begins when a consumer answers a […]
Convincing New Phishing Scam Targeting Gmail Users
Gmail users are being warned of a new and particularly convincing phishing scam. Victims of the scam receive an email claiming to be from Google asking that they click on an image attachment that is disguised as a PDF. The attachment brings the victim to a phony Google login page. When the victim enters their username/email and password on this page, their login credentials are instantly transmitted to the attacker. The attacker then logs in to the victim’s actual email account and searches through their emails and contacts for any information that may help them commit identity theft. The attacker […]
