The Federal Trade Commission is one of the agencies consumers are supposed to turn to when they’ve been defrauded by scam phone calls, so it — sadly — makes sense that some fraudsters have decided that the best way to con victims is to pretend they are calling from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center. [More]
scams
How To Avoid Charity Scams Trying To Cash In On Las Vegas Attack
By 10.4.17
Sunday night’s senseless attack on a concert crowd in Las Vegas left 59 people dead and more than 500 injured, and yet there are jerks out there trying to cash in by preying on those who want to help the victims and families affected by the tragedy. [More]
If Someone Calls You From Equifax To Verify Your Account, It’s A Scam
By 9.14.17
Now that Equifax is part of the mass public consciousness for failing to secure sensitive financial and personal information for about half of the adult U.S. population, soulless scammers are trying to prey on this heightened awareness by blasting out fake calls to people, asking them to verify their account information. [More]
4 Things To Remember To Avoid Getting Scammed In Wake Of Equifax Breach
By 9.12.17
As everyone now knows, 143 million Americans had their personal data compromised during a two-month-long data breach at credit reporting agency Equifax earlier this year. Authorities are now reminding consumers to watch out for bad actors looking to profit from everyone’s worries about their newfound vulnerability. [More]
Sports Radio Host Arrested In $5.6M Investment Fraud Involving Non-Existent Concert Tickets
By 9.6.17
Longtime New York sports radio personality Craig Carton was arrested this morning on federal charges of securities and wire fraud in connection with a scheme that allegedly tricked investors into thinking their money was being spent on blocks of concert tickets that would then be resold at a huge profit. Problem is, say prosecutors, those tickets didn’t exist, and the money just went to cover Carton’s casino debts. [More]
If You’re Getting Robocalls About Flood Insurance, They’re Scams
By 8.31.17
The world is full of really horrible, lazy people looking to steal your money while putting in the least amount of effort. Take, for example, the scammers who are blasting out automated, pre-recorded robocalls that try to scare people into believing they have to pay up or lose their flood insurance. [More]
The Latest Powerball Winner Is Not Trying To Be Your Facebook Friend Or Give You Money
By 8.29.17
You’re probably a really nice person. However, that doesn’t mean that the winner of last week’s record Powerball multi-state lottery jackpot wants to be your pal on social media, or wants to give you money. Profiles that impersonate the real winner and promise to give money away to her followers are not real. [More]
Man Racked Up Thousands Of Dollars In Charges At Hotels Without Ever Checking In
By 8.28.17
Like Jimmy McGill lounging in a resort pool while charging drinks to another guest’s room, an apparent con artist in South Carolina recently told police he’s been freeloading his way around the luxury hotels of the Southeast, charging thousands of dollars in purchases to rooms where he was never the guest. [More]
How To Avoid Scams & Fake Charities In Aftermath Of Hurricane Harvey
By 8.28.17
With millions of people affected by the ravages of Hurricane Harvey, there will inevitably be a second flood hitting Texas in the weeks to come: Scammers and con artists looking to prey on people who have been displaced, whose homes need extensive repairs, and on the rest of us who want to help by donating to a cause that will help them. [More]
Watch Out For Great Deals From Brand-New Amazon Sellers
By 8.17.17 — Updated: 8.18.17
The most effective scams take advantage of our greed, so it’s always good to have a reminder that deals that seem too good to be true probably are. The problem is that even if you know that an amazing deal from a seller who just joined Amazon last week and has no feedback is a red flag, Amazon’s “buy” button doesn’t necessarily understand this. [More]
FTC: Fake Discount Clubs Took $42M From People Who Never Signed Up
By 8.16.17
Discount clubs that give you savings on stuff you might want could be convenient, if you’re into that kind of thing. But not so much if you’ve never signed up for the service in the first place — and end up getting charged for it nonetheless. [More]
Dating Scammer Gets Five Years In Prison For Swindling Women (Again)
By 8.10.17
A New Jersey man who already spent five years in federal prison for scamming more than $200,000 from women he met through phone dating services is now heading back behind bars after being convicted for doing pretty much the same thing again. [More]
Sorry: You Have Not Won A Grant From The National Institutes Of Health
By 8.8.17
No matter what the person on the phone says, we’re sorry to tell you that you have probably not won a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Neither has anyone else who isn’t performing actual health research. [More]
Health Insurance Telemarketer Faces $82 Million Fine For Illegal Robocalls
By 8.3.17
A health insurance marketing company that allegedly placed more than 21 million illegal automated phone calls, interrupting the enjoyment of Modern Family reruns for Americans everywhere, now faces fines in excess of $82 million for violations of the Truth In Caller ID Act. [More]
Podcasters Take Annoyance With Tech Support Scammers Really, Really Far
By 7.31.17
If you’re looking for something to brighten your Monday, and you’ve always wanted to learn more about the actual people and businesses behind the robocalls that plague your phone, here’s just the thing. It’s a world-spanning epic that began with a tech support robocaller that happened to dial the number of the wrong bored podcast host. [More]
Scammers Use Counterfeit Cash At Victoria’s Secret, Get Upset When They Get Their Fake Money Back As Refund
By 6.29.17
The entire point of having counterfeit cash is to get it out of your hands by purchasing things or swapping it out with genuine legal tender. So it doesn’t help if you scam a store into accepting your faux bills and then get greedy by trying to con them a second time, only to end up with the counterfeit money you had in the first place. [More]
Robocall Scammer Faces $120M Fine For Impersonating TripAdvisor, Marriott, Expedia
By 6.22.17 — Updated: 6.23.17
A Florida man accused of blasting out 100 million illegal robocalls where he falsely claimed to represent companies like TripAdvisor, Marriott, Expedia, or Hilton may finally have to pay for annoying the ever-living heck out of people. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed slapping a $120 million penalty on this obnoxious operation. [More]
The Acting Chairman Of The FTC Does Not Want Your Bank Info
By 6.20.17
While you may be flattered to receive an email that’s purportedly from Maureen Ohlhausen, the acting chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, we’ve got to break it to you: She isn’t going to email you, and even if she did, she would definitely not ask you for your bank account information. [More]
