Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes

Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes By Alvaro Puig You get a call. There's a panicked voice on the line. It's your grandson. He says he's in deep trouble — he wrecked the car and landed in jail. But you can help by sending money.  You take a deep breath and think. You've heard about grandparent scams. But darn, it sounds just like him. How could it be a scam? Voice cloning, that's how. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/scammers-use-ai-enhance-their-family-emergency-schemes

Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes

Slam the Scam: Keep Your Personal Information

Slam the Scam: Keep Your Personal Information 03/16/2023 02:50 PM EDT Do you know how to spot a government imposter scam? Knowing how to identify potential scammers will help safeguard your personal information.  There are common elements to many of these scams. Scammers often exploit fears and threaten you with arrest or legal action. Scammers also pose as Social Security or other government employees and claim ...  Continue reading ->  https://blog.ssa.gov/slam-the-scam-keep-your-personal-information/

Join the millions and discover your benefits! Open a my Social Security account

Crypto investment scammers are targeting your community groups

Crypto investment scammers are targeting your community groups By Cristina Miranda Crypto investment talk is everywhere — even in your local community groups in real life or online. But scammers join these groups, too.  Their mission? Gain the group's trust…and then exploit relationships and trick you into crypto investment scams.  But how do you spot and avoid these scammers? Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/crypto-investment-scammers-are-targeting-your-community-groups

Crypto investment scammers are targeting your community groups

Franklin Police Dept shares this important scam alert

"SCAM ALERT (picture of Frankie and Ben to grab your attention) 

Special attention to early to mid-20-year-olds. Parents, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share this with your adult children 

The FPD has seen an increase in a particular scam involving the Snapchat App and Instagram. Users (typically male) are being friended by random users of the apps (typically females), and strike up a conversation with the users. 

After some time the scammer will engage in explicit conversation and send explicit photographs of themselves through the app. In return, they ask for explicit photographs back. 

Once they have these photographs they blackmail the user into sending them money via a payment app (typically in the hundredths of dollars) or else they will send the victim's pictures to their social media friends or contact list. 

The scammer WILL send these pictures out if they don’t get their money. When these incidents occur they are investigated by the FPD. It’s our goal to prevent these scams from occurring in the first place.  

If you find yourself in this situation and think it might be a scam… IT’S A SCAM!"

Shared from Franklin Police Dept - Facebook page -> 

https://www.facebook.com/100064353536794/posts/pfbid02ia2t1XpBka1wgHsyTaxQcJhivJvdvGDuC1j3JePy2sf9N29Xbkitc42RjQ1DD1CZl/

Frankie joins the Franklin Police Dept, in training as a therapy dog

doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims

doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims By Gema de las Heras Essential oils and supplements to prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19? If it smells fishy to you, the FTC agrees.  According to the FTC, three high-level distributors for Utah-based multi-level marketing company doTERRA International, LLC, broke the law because they didn't have scientific proof to back up their health benefit claims. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/doterra-distributors-charged-making-unfounded-covid-19-cure-claims

doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims

Elderly are targets of scammers, be aware!

"My 78-year-old mother-in-law handed an envelope containing $25,000 cash to a Florida Lyft driver who showed up one morning on her doorstep during the early days of the pandemic.

The cash was intended to bail out her beloved nephew from jail, where he sat after crashing into a pregnant woman and killing her. Or so my mother-in-law was told by the man on the phone who pretended to be her nephew’s lawyer. The man instructed her to tell no one or he would rot in jail. On two consecutive days, she made large cash withdrawals at her bank and the “lawyer” sent the Lyft driver to collect the loot.

But there was no accident and no jail stint. My mother-in-law, reacting with her heart and not her head, was too scared to call her nephew or other family members to verify the tale. Days later, she mentioned to my husband that she had bailed the nephew out of jail — with no idea that she had been scammed.

That was my family’s introduction to the pernicious crimes that strip senior citizens of their money and dignity. It also served as a wake-up call for my husband. He drafted a strategy to better protect her, which included overseeing her finances."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) ->

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/08/elderly-scams-protections-targets-finances/

For additional info on how to avoid scams, visit the FTC page ->    https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams

(Tara Anand for The Washington Post)

’Tis the season to spot and avoid gift card scams

'Tis the season to spot and avoid gift card scams By Kira Krown Looking for a New Year's resolution? Here's one for you: Keep your hard-earned money safe from scammers by spotting and avoiding gift card scams. Then help others spot and avoid them, too.  Scammers want you to pay with gift cards because they're like cash: once you use a gift card, the money on it is gone. But what do gift card scams look like?  Read more -> https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/12/tis-season-spot-and-avoid-gift-card-scams ’Tis the season to spot and avoid gift card scams

No, that’s not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It’s a scam.

No, that's not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It's a scam.  By Gema de las Heras IRS impersonators have been around for a while. But as more people get to know their tricks, they're switching it up.  So instead of contacting you about a tax debt and making threats to get you to pay up, scammers may send you a text about a "tax rebate" or some other tax refund or benefit.  Here's what to know about the new twist. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/11/no-thats-not-irs-texting-about-tax-refund-or-rebate-its-scam

No, that’s not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It’s a scam

Charity scams for veterans tug at heart strings and grab for wallets

Charity scams for veterans tug at heart strings and grab for wallets By Terri Miller Want to help charities that support servicemembers and veterans? Around Veterans Day, charity scammers seek to take advantage of your generosity.  They contact you about fake veteran and military causes, tugging at your heart strings — and grabbing for your wallet. A little research will help you spot these charity scams and make sure your donations count. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/11/charity-scams-veterans-tug-heart-strings-and-grab-wallets

Charity scams for veterans tug at heart strings and grab for wallets

Have you been affected by a data breach? Read on

Have you been affected by a data breach? Read on By Ari Lazarus Hackers know a secret many of us share: we reuse passwords. Don't. That's one takeaway from the FTC's case against online alcohol delivery platform Drizly.  Here's what to do after a data breach and why. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/have-you-been-affected-data-breach-read

Have you been affected by a data breach? Read on

Now that the student loan debt relief application is open, spot the scams

Now that the student loan debt relief application is open, spot the scams By K. Michelle Grajales The Department of Education (ED)'s application for federal student loan debt relief is now open and, of course, scammers are on the move — trying to get your money and personal information. Luckily, there are ways to stop them, so keep reading to find out how to protect yourself as you apply for relief. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/now-student-loan-debt-relief-application-open-spot-scams

Now that the student loan debt relief application is open, spot the scams

Scam alert: parents be aware of kidnapping scam

"Boston Police issued a community alert Saturday warning parents of a kidnapping scam after at least three parents of students enrolled in Boston public schools received phone calls from someone who tried to trick them into paying ransom by falsely claiming their children were in danger or had been kidnapped.

“The scammers had information about the parent’s child, including their name, and demanded the parent send money through Western Union,” Boston police said in a statement. Police did not identify the parents or say whether any of them had paid money to the scammers.

Police said the scammers generally target parents and grandparents. Parents are being advised to be careful about posting information publicly on social media and to talk with their children about protecting their privacy online, police said.

“Scammers often look through social media for any information that would give them the ability to persuade you” police said."

Continue reading the Boston Globe article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/15/metro/boston-police-warn-parents-kidnapping-scam/

The key takeaway, be careful what you do share on social media.

Five things to do to protect yourself online

Five things to do to protect yourself online Your online accounts, computer, and phone hold a lot of your personal, financial, and health information. Information that's valuable to you — and to scammers who try to steal it.  Here are five things to do to keep hackers out of your accounts and your personal business. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/five-things-do-protect-yourself-online

Student loan scammers are circling. Keep them at bay

Student loan scammers are circling. Keep them at bay By K. Michelle Grajales With the recent announcement of the one-time federal student loan debt relief plan, we knew scammers were on their way. Well, they're here.  The application for debt relief is rolling out any day now, so focus on getting information directly from the Department of Education. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/student-loan-scammers-are-circling-keep-them-bay

Student loan scammers are circling. Keep them at bay

Did you get an email saying your personal info is for sale on the dark web?

Did you get an email saying your personal info is for sale on the dark web? By Seena Gressin People are telling us they've gotten emails warning that their sensitive personal information is being sold in the shadowy marketplaces of the dark web.  Some emails list the stolen information, like all or part of the person's Social Security number, date of birth, and driver's license number. If you've gotten one of these emails, take steps to help protect yourself against financial loss from identity theft. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/09/did-you-get-email-saying-your-personal-info-sale-dark-web

Did you get an email saying your personal info is for sale on the dark web?

Spot impersonator scams and share what you know

Spot impersonator scams and share what you know By Jim Kreidler During Hispanic Heritage Month, let's take a moment to look at impersonator scams, which are the issue reported most to the FTC by people living in majority Latino communities.  These scams happen when someone pretends to be someone they're not — say, from a government agency or a well-known business — and tries to get you to pay or give them sensitive information. And if you don't, they say something bad will happen. But it's a scam. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/09/spot-impersonator-scams-and-share-what-you-know

Spot impersonator scams and share what you know

Got student loans? Spot scams related to the Sweet lawsuit

Got student loans? Spot scams related to the Sweet lawsuit By Terri Miller If you have student loans, you probably already know about the US Department of Education's (ED's) borrower defense loan forgiveness program.  But did you know about a lawsuit and proposed settlement in the case of Sweet v. Cardona that could mean thousands more people with borrower defense claims will be able to get their eligible federal loans forgiven?  Read on to learn more and see how to avoid scammers looking to cash in. https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/09/got-student-loans-spot-scams-related-sweet-lawsuit

Got student loans? Spot scams related to the Sweet lawsuit

Peer-to-peer car sharing: A potentially risky side gig

Peer-to-peer car sharing: A potentially risky side gig By Kira Krown If you're looking for a way to make some extra money, you might be thinking about renting out your car through a peer-to-peer (P2P) app like Getaround, Turo, or HyreCar.  Like other P2P companies that connect people with a product or service to people looking for one, these let you rent your car out — by the hour or day, depending on the company — to people who find you through the platform. But renting your car out on these platforms can also be risky. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/08/peer-peer-car-sharing-potentially-risky-side-gig

Peer-to-peer car sharing: A potentially risky side gig

Did you hear about the student loan announcements? Scammers did, too

Did you hear about the student loan announcements? Scammers did, too By K. Michelle Grajales, Attorney, Division of Financial Practices You've probably already heard about the new government plan that will forgive some federal student loans, once it's up and running. Also in the news: the federal student loan payment pause has been extended to December 31, 2022.  But scammers are watching the news, too, so know this: you don't need to do anything or pay anybody to sign up for the new program — or the pause. Nobody can get you in early, help you jump the line, or guarantee eligibility.  And anybody who says they can — or tries to charge you — is (1) a liar, and (2) a scammer. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/08/did-you-hear-about-student-loan-announcements-scammers-did-too

Did you hear about the student loan announcements? Scammers did, too

Shopping scams are in session for back-to-school shopping

Shopping scams are in session for back-to-school shopping By Andrew Rayo Back-to-school season can be stressful for many kids and their parents — especially when scammers are back to work with online school shopping scams. But there are ways to get your school shopping done while avoiding scams that cost you valuable time and money. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/08/shopping-scams-are-session-back-school-shopping

Shopping scams are in session for back-to-school shopping