Another day, another Facebook scam that has suckered more than 25,000 people in just a matter of hours — in spite of the fact that nothing about this supposed giveaway indicates that it’s legitimate. [More]
scams
Publix Coupon Promising $100 Worth Of Free Stuff Is (Gasp!) A Scam
By 7.13.15
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it probably a bajillion times more: If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So it goes with a recent fake coupon circulating in the Internet for $100 off a purchase of $120 or more at Publix. The company says it’s not giving away free stuff, and advises customers not to engage with the fake coupon or give out any personal information. [Publix on Facebook] [More]
Warn Your Parents And Grandparents About The Fake Grandchild Debt Scam
By 7.10.15
It seems like as soon as we warn the public about a nefarious phone scam, another slight variation sprouts up to vacuum more money from the pockets of innocent people. This new scam that we’ve learned about combines a focus on grandparents with the urgency and fear of the overdue taxes and jury duty scams that we’ve shared with you recently. What these scams have in common, of course, is that the problem can always be solved with the number from a prepaid debit card. [More]
No, United Airlines Is Not Giving Away 100 Free Tickets For Sharing A Photo On Facebook
By 7.7.15
Here’s a hint: Sharing a photo is not a valid way to enter a sweepstakes where the prize has a value worth more than few bucks, and no multibillion-dollar international airline is going to run a contest that way. And yet, in just a few hours more than 40,000 Facebook users have shared an obviously bogus sweepstakes from a page pretending to be United Airlines. [More]
FTC And Florida AG Sue Company That’s Allegedly Behind Medical Alert Robocalls
By 7.7.15
Reputable companies that sell personal emergency alert devices might air disturbing TV ads, but at least they mean well, don’t lie in their ads, and–here’s the important thing–don’t bombard America’s seniors with robocalls about the “free” alert system they’ve been given. The attorney general in Florida and the Federal Trade Commission have teamed up to stop this scam further up the food chain. [More]
The Apartment Rental Credit Check Scam Is Alive And Well
By 6.24.15 — Updated: 5.23.17
Six years ago, we alerted the world to the apartment rental credit check scam. That’s a scheme where apartments or houses that may or may not exist are advertised on Craigslist or other classified ad sites to sell not-so-free credit checks to prospective renters. Unfortunately, in spite of our campaign and warnings right on Craigslist ads, these schemes are alive and well. [More]
How To Avoid Getting Scammed When You Sell A Timeshare
By 6.15.15
Timeshare vacation properties are a strange market: there’s always someone ready to try to sell you fractional ownership in a vacation property, but it’s much harder to unload a property when you don’t want it anymore. That’s why, if someone approaches you to help sell a timeshare, you should be wary and know who you’re dealing with. [More]
Police Chief Totally Messes With Phone Scammer Telling Him He’s Won $7K From The Government
By 6.12.15
A scammer peddling magical $7,000 rewards from the government chose the wrong person to try to dupe: A police chief in Indiana filmed his phone on speaker while a stranger explained to him that yes, the government does just give people “free grant money” for no reason, and that he could get his money at Western Union. [More]
Reminder: Don’t Fall For The Walmart Mystery Shopper Scam
By 6.11.15
Almost exactly four years ago, we first warned you about the Walmart Mystery Shopper Scam, in which con artists offer their potential victims employment as undercover quality assurance inspectors who get paid to shop. Yet scammers continue to try running this ruse, so we figured it was a good time for a reminder. [More]
Fake Cop Wants Prepaid PayPal Cards To Make Your Warrant Go Away
By 6.10.15
Here’s an innovative scam that’s been reported near St. Louis, and could soon come to a doorstep near you. Victims report receiving a phone call from someone who identifies himself as a local police officer, who tells the target that they’ve missed a court date, and must pay up within an hour or an officer will immediately arrive to arrest them. While the threat of being arrested is scary, this is not an actual thing that happens. [More]
Lovelorn Man Claims Fortune Teller Scammed Him Out Of $700,000
By 6.8.15
While many of us would love a glimpse into the future, one man says he was scammed out of a hefty sum of money in his attempt to find out what was keeping him from finding romantic bliss, saying he forked over $700,000 to a fortune teller only to find that his expensive efforts were all in vain. [More]
Scammer Convinces Tourists To Pay $409 For Free Staten Island Ferry Tickets
By 6.1.15
It costs a lot of money driving into New York City through the Hudson River tunnels or over the George Washington Bridge, and subways and cabs certainly aren’t free. So you can’t fault tourists who assume they have to pay to ride the free Staten Island Ferry — but more than $200 per ticket? [More]
A Legitimate Car Seller Will Not Ask For Payment In Amazon Gift Cards
By 5.27.15
As gift cards go, Amazon gift cards are pretty flexible: they’re available in any amount and can be used for a wide variety of merchandise. You can even use them to buy imaginary cars. At least, that’s what happened to a Michigan man who thought that he was buying a car that was in Montana, but was in fact sending four thousand bucks into a scamtastic void. [More]
Watch Company Collects $1 Million On Kickstarter, Spends It All, Then Hides
By 5.22.15
Kickstarter is not, and never has been, a store. Yet companies that use the platform to fund the production of a new product are eventually supposed to, um, make that product. Backers who contributed more than a million dollars to produce thin e-ink watches want answers from the company that promised these watches, and they aren’t satisfied with “we’re broke” as an answer. [More]
Scammer Dad Uses Daughter To Sell Nonexistent Girl Scout Cookies Door-To-Door
By 5.7.15
It’s a pretty common sight every year to see parents escorting their Girl Scout daughters around the neighborhood, ringing doorbells and trying to move as many Samoas and Tagalongs as possible. So the residents of one Pennsylvania town didn’t think twice when a man who grew up in the area came around with his youngster to sell Girl Scout cookies — that is, until those treats never materialized. [More]
Fake Waitress Steals Diner’s Credit Card, Goes On Spending Spree Next Door At Target
By 5.6.15
How many times have you put your credit card out to pay for a restaurant meal and had an employee other than your server pick it up? It’s not uncommon, especially in busier eateries, so some diners wouldn’t think twice when it happens. At least until the card hasn’t been returned because the helpful “waitress” who took it is actually at the Target across the parking lot making purchases with it? [More]
Cops Using GPS To Track Credit Card-Skimming Devices Back To Scammers
By 5.4.15
For years, we’ve been telling you about credit card skimming devices that collect the information on your card when you swipe at places like ATMs and gas pumps. The common-sense thing to do when finding a skimmer is to remove it. And while that prevents anyone else from being victimized, the scammers who hooked up the illegal device are rarely caught. That’s why some police are now leaving gas pump card skimmers in place but adding a GPS tracker to follow the skimmer back to its criminal creators. [More]
FTC Halts Mortgage Relief Operation Targeting Consumers In Foreclosure
By 4.30.15
Financially distressed consumers on the brink of foreclosure have enough to worry about without having to be on the lookout for shady mortgage relief companies making hollow promises to save their homes. Today, the Federal Trade Commission put an end to an operation that took advantage of homeowners’ vulnerabilities. [More]
