Personal Scams

There are a Lot of them and we'll attempt to keep this updated.

Regarding phone calls, you can tell it's a Scam if...

No Recording Left. (They hope you call back...DON'T.)
They claim to be from the IRS. (We have a whole section on this below.)
You are Pre-approved for a Loan. (Another full section below.)
You have won some money. (Yeah, right!)

Any legitimate business will always leave a callback number. So if you are getting calls from a number that never leaves a message, It's a Scammer.

CRITICAL: If you do happen to answer the phone from a caller you don't recognize, develope the habit Right Now to NEVER SAY YES.
Understand how important this is. Identity Theft scammers in particular use this tactic. They alreasy have some limited information on you including your first name. When they call they will say, "Is this (your name?)" Your natural automatic response is "Yes."

Guess what, they have their recorder running and have your recorded voice saying "Yes." Usually one is all they need but they may try a few more questions to get more recordng of your "Yes" answer. You have now just signed up for a new credit card or something like that and watch the money start to flow away from you.

NOTE: The Do Not Call list is totally useless in trying to stop scammers. All it does is stop legitimate businesses. Remember, these scammers are criminals.

The Credit Card Scam

It's been around since 2008 and like a bad penny, just keeps coming back.

We are in the age of computers.
Here is how these Crooks use Technology to their advantage.
You get a call from a long distance number you don't recognize. If any of the following occurs...

* You Answer the phone.
* The call routes to your Voice Mail.
* If it's a Robo dialer and you listen to their message and dial the number they indicate to be removed.

Any of the above...essentially you have told the computer that this is a working number. This first call is was what's called a "Phishing Call."
Now they know your's is a working number and it won't take very long before you start getting more calls from other numbers, some long distance and the latest is from a LOCAL number.

They have another system just randomly dialing to identify abandonded numbers and when they find one, they set their caller I.D. to read that number so it appears they are calling from a local number. This is illegal but but you have to remember, you are dealing with a criminal.

Since their automated system is making thousands of random dials a day sooner or later they come upon a number that's disconnected.  
When that happens now they have a local number to you the computer automatically changes their caller I.D. the that number making you think it's a local number. Ever wondered why when you call some numbers back you get that "out of the area" or "the party cannot be reached" recording? You are not dialing them back, you are calling that disconnected number they "phished."

So What can you do?

Your only defense is to get a call blocker. Complaining to your government officials or lodging complaints won't do anything because these criminals are Not in the United States and cannot be apprehended.

I know it sucks, but that is reality.

Support "candidate" Scam

Every election cycle the Scammers come out in full. You'll get a call from what sounds like a legitimate source asking you to donate to "Candidate". The red flag should come out right away because they ask for your credit card number.

Folks, It's a SCAM. No political candidate, especially one in a national race, will ask for your credit card over the phone. They all have secure websites.

Don't get Scammed.

Attention Feneficiary Scam

You know the one, you get an email from someone who is terminally ill or some government official from some obscure country who just happens to want to send you a LOT of money.

You Qualify for a Loan Scam!

These guys are really coming out of the woodworks. It usually goes something like, "This is >>> calling to inform you that you qualify for $50,000 in loans and all you have to do is let us know. No security, no credit checks, all you need is a job."

Now are we supposed to believe that? What loan company ANYWHERE will give you money on just your signature or over the phone?

What happens is they get you on the line, string you along with all these boiler plate promises and "For a small minimum processing fee of $___ your money will be immediately available." What you didn't count on is once they get your method of payment for this "Great Loan" that first small amount will go out of your account, that part is true.

But what you didn't know is that was just a test to make sure the money flows to them and your method of payment worked. Within a few days rather than seeing money flowing "into your account" like they promised, it goes OUT OF YOUR ACCOUNT to an offshore account.  Try getting it back no matter how many complaints or law suits try to file. The fact is, Who do you Sue? How do you find them?

Unpaid Invoice

This one keeps coming back from time to time.

The attachment is a .zip file, I don't have to tell you what that is...a Very Nasty Virus or worse a Trojan that takes over your computer to steal your ID.

These criminals send them out because folks click on that .zip file thinking "I don't owe any money, who is this."
You find out soon enough when you click on it...

Now a particularly Nasty One
The Pop Up Virus Warning

When you accidentally land on a website and an error message like this pops up and locks your computer (it takes on several forms) don't panic. It's a scam to get you to call the number and give them the code that you see. (DON'T DO THAT! If you do, there will be a nasty surprise in your bank account.) Many times they ask for money right on the spot. 
These Overseas criminals are pretty clever. They are schooled to sound official and not try to talk you into anything, like you would expect from a real Microsoft agent.

Folks, DO NOT call the number.
This is NOT Microsoft, I called Microsoft to verify. This is a spoofed number that goes to an overseas Scammer who only wants to drain your bank account.
Just so you can see how clever these criminals are, I called  and recorded the call and sent to Microsoft as well. 
Note that when he figured out what I was doing he just hung up.

In the call you'll hear the background of all the other scammers ripping folks off but also note that this guy is fairly Low Key...they hope you will change your mind and give them the code. The guy didn't try to force me into anything. This is a dramatic change as they have figured out if they stay very low key you are more likely to believe them and give them the code. DON'T DO IT as with that code they can get into your computer. 
Windows Security Scam
This is a bad one. Not only do these guys take control of your computer and steal everything, bank information, I.D., SSN, etc., you then pay continual blackmail.
Here is a post where somebody came VERY close to getting into Serious trouble...but I don't think they have heard the end of it because they clicked on links and that usually implants the Trojan, a Very Nasty one.

If you get a call from ANYONE claiming you are having computer problems, don't play along, don't try to mess with them, just Hang Up.

You are dealing with a criminal and the longer you stay on the line with them the worse things will turn out for you.
rmh_minneapolis 
20 Aug 2015 | 1 reply
i got the call. the guy told me that my microsoft license had expired. microsoft recieved a notice about my expired license, knew it was a mistake and they were calling to fix it. he requested that i open the 'run' dialog box and enter: "www.121usahelp.com" i acted as if I was having a problem, so then he asked me to enter "explorer www.121usahelp.com/" once i feinted a problem, so he asked if I had google, and as I did, i followed his request to enter the web address.and got the web page with this listed:
_____________________________________________________
| Remote Support Connection |
| Remote Support Connection |
| connect to technician (windows) connect to technician(windows) |
| www.pccureworld.com All right reserved. |
|____________________________ ________________________|
I did ask what pccureworld was, he told me to ignore it, and ask me to clicked the windows option and when I did I had a option to save a file: TeamViewerQS.exe. it was at that time that i disconnect the call.
Call Type: Telemarketer

Hang up, No Message Left, Long Distance Caller Scam

Folks, DO NOT call the number back.
Many folks make the mistake of seeing a missed call in their Caller ID so they call the number back. Doing this confirms that their system reached a working number and it opens the flood gates for even more spam calls.

Sextortion Scam

This one is on the Rise. They have systems that can send out 30,000 emails per hour and it's big business.
See the Link to CNBC below.

CNBC Article

Robo Caller

It's is easy to get caught up trying to stop the Robo-Callers...you won't succeed. The days are gone when you could count on them actually removing your number when you hear the prompt, "Dial 9 to be removed from this list."
  • Whenever you receive a Robo call from an auto dial system, Hang Up Immediately.
  • If they leave a voice message, DO NOT call that number back.
  • Do not press any numbers, do not call back, just hang up.
  • The only way to stop them is to Block them, anything else will simply get you more and more calls.
  • But even blocking doesn't stop them because the number you see is usually illegally spoofed so the next call will be from a different spoofed number.
  • Spoofing is a system where they can set their outgoing number (what you see in your caller ID) to be whatever they want. It's illegal but what would you expect from these criminals?

And More

Package Delivery Scam:
This one comes around frequently. "Your package could not be delivered, click to download the file for the details."
DO NOT click, if you do you are in for a Very Nasty Surprise, not to mention a little less money in your bank account and having to buy a new computer.

The Terminally Ill Donor Scam:
"My Dearest in Christ, I am writing you because I have been diagnosed with terminal cancer..." and it goes on from there.
Rule of thumb, any time you see a "My dearest in Christ," don't click anything, except delete, and DO NOT reply with Remove.

The Compensation for Fraud Victims Scam:
Another one that keeps coming around. It's always a dead giveaway when you see "recipients" in the to line. Another Scam trying to separate you from your money.  Scamsters claim to be from the Port Authority, the FBI, the Treasury Department, or some other official department and they have identified your name as one who was defrauded of some money, and they just so happen to have some money for you.

Tax Prep Phishing Scam:
With Tax season near this one is showing up again. It's quite sophisticated and catches a lot of folks off guard.
A bogus email asks tax professionals to update their IRS e-services portal information and Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs). The links that are provided in the bogus email to access IRS e-services appear to be a phishing scheme designed to capture your username and password. This email was not generated by the IRS e-services program. Disregard this email and do not click on the links provided.

For more information on this scam, see IR-2015-31, IRS Warns Tax Preparers to Watch out for New Phishing Scam; Don’t Click on Strange Emails or Links Seeking Updated Information.

Identity Theft Scams
The IRS has issued several consumer warnings about the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. Scamsters will use the regular mail, telephone, fax or email to set up their victims. When identity theft takes place over the Internet (email), it is called phishing.

The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through email. Unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS, or from an IRS-related component such as EFTPS, should be reported to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

Additionally, clicking on attachments to or links within an unsolicited email claiming to come from the IRS may download a malicious computer virus onto your computer.

Learn how to protect your personal information.
You may also report instances of IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.