Greetings –
Alas – time flew by too quickly so this is a combined November/December Scambuster. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are ready for a Happy New Year! Now is the time to really have your scam radar up – lots of scams taking advantage of gift buying and on-line shopping, in addition to all the other varieties of scams. Here is an overview of scams from November and the first few days of December.
Scams
1. FBI impersonator (with fake FBI ID) contacting some citizens that have lost money to scams saying he will help them get their money back. Note: FBI doesn’t allow their ID’s to be photocopied (nor do they wear t-shirts in their ID photo).
2. Beware of scammers using big business logo’s to get your personal information or have you click on a link. Email saying they locked your account because of billing issues or some other situation and want you to sign in to your amazon (or other company) account to fix the issue. This is a scam.
3. Threatening emails saying the sender has your passwords and collected dirt on you. You must send them a bitcoin payment so they won’t send your dirt to all your contacts. Just ignore and delete.
4. “You have been charged” email – from McAfee, Best Buy, Amazon, Paypal indicating you have been charged for something and it will be delivered to an address you have no knowledge of. They want you to click on a link – don’t do it.
5. “We have issues with your shipping address” email – just click on the link to fix and track your package. – Don’t click!
6. Puppy scam – buying a puppy or any pet online is scary. They could take your money and you will never get the pet. Or the scammer will find your perfect pet for a fee. Check out rescues, shelters or reputable breeders before buying. Search online for their name and add “complaint” or “scam” to see if others have had issues with the seller.
7. Facebook ad scams – bait and switch – you order from a picture and what you get is nothing like what you ordered. Or you pay for the item and it never arrives. Never pay with money cards or cash apps!
8. Paying with cash apps – only use Venmo, Zelle, and other cash apps with trusted friends and family and local trusted businesses! Otherwise, use a credit card or paypal which has some protection against the scammer.
9. Marketplace – please use caution with items you want to buy. Scammers get on Marketplace to sell items that don’t exist. One scammer recently posted Playstation 5 – asked for a deposit to hold it ($300 deposit) via Venmo and the balance of $300 paid and he would meet her at his business at a storefront on Link Lane. She arrived – the business in that store-front didn’t know anything about someone using his address to sell non-existent products. Never pay before you get the product and don’t use cash apps.
10. Remote access apps – if someone calls or texts you and wants you to download any remote access app to fix some issue – never do this. It gives the scammer free access to everything on your computer.
The FBI, in addition to prosecuting some of these fraudsters, offer some good tips to keep us on high scam-alert.
Medicare –
Medicare will never contact you for your Medicare number or other personal information unless you’ve given it permission in advance.
Medicare will never call you to sell you anything.
You may get calls from people promising you things if you give them a Medicare number. Don’t do it.
Medicare will never visit you at your home.
Medicare can’t enroll you over the phone unless you call first.
If someone calls claiming to be from Medicare, asking for your Social Security number or bank information to get your new card or new benefits, that’s a scam.
Don’t give personal information to a caller claiming to be from Medicare. You can’t trust caller ID. These calls can be spoofed so they look like they’re coming from Medicare even when they’re not.
Before you give any personal information, initiate your own call to Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE. You should also call this number if you feel as though you have been scammed.
Christmas shopping –
Non-Payment/Non-Delivery Scams: In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received.
Online Shopping Scams: If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is! Scammers often offer amazing deals via phishing emails or advertisements. Such schemes may offer brand-name merchandise at extremely low prices, or offer gift cards as an incentive. Other sites may offer products at a great price, but the products being sold are not the same as the products advertised. Victims may end up paying for an item, giving away personal information, and receive nothing in return except a compromised identity.
Social Media Scams: Consumers should beware of posts on social media sites that appear to offer vouchers or gift cards. Some may appear as holiday promotions or contests; others may appear to be from known friends who have shared the link. Often, these scams lead consumers to participate in an online survey that is designed to steal personal information. If you click an ad through a social media platform, do your due diligence to check the legitimacy of the website before providing credit card or personal information.
Gift Card Scams: During the holiday season, consumers should be careful if someone asks them to purchase gift cards for them. In these scams, the victims receive either a spoofed e-mail, a spoofed phone call, or a spoofed text from a person in authority requesting the victim purchase multiple gift cards for either personal or business reasons. The gift cards are then used to facilitate the purchase of goods and services which may or may not be legitimate.
Tips to protect yourself from holiday fraud schemes:
Before shopping online, secure all financial accounts with strong passwords or passphrases. Additionally, the FBI recommends using different passwords for each financial account.
Buy directly from a secure and reputable website.
Check bank and credit card statements routinely, including after making online purchases and in the weeks following the holiday season.
Never give personal information—such as your date of birth, Social Security number, or billing addresses—to anyone you do not know.
Be wary of promotions and giveaways that request your personal information.
Verify the legitimacy of buyers or sellers before making a purchase. If you’re using an online marketplace or auction website, check feedback ratings.
Avoid solicitations or ads with misspelled words, broken English, or requests to pay for your order with a gift card.
Track your order through your original confirmation email.
Be cautious of emails claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders and scan all attachments for viruses if possible.
Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of the country.
Please check our website for new scams! www.larimersheriff.org/services/information/frauds-scams
That’s it for this newsletter. Thanks to all of you that call or send me copies of scams you receive – it helps us all to be more scam-aware.
Please enjoy your holidays and stay safe from these fraudsters. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you!
Barb
Chief Scambuster
Barbara EJ Bennett, MBA
Sheriff’s Auxiliary/Crime Prevention Unit Coordinator , CCPS
Threat Liaison Officer (TLO)
cell: 970-682-0597
crime prevention unit: 970-498-5159
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office
2501 Midpoint Drive
Ft Collins, CO 80525