A new scam is circulating via text that targets iPhone users. Reports are surfacing about victims receiving a text offer to test the new iPhone 5, which then uses a link in an effort to get the victim to hand over sensitive information. Sometimes the scammers make money for directing traffic to a particular site or getting victims to sign up for phony services. A civil-fraud lawsuit was filed...
In this week’s installment of This Week in Scams, we see on the more heinous cons has reared itself again – an email that targets those who has already been victimized. An email, from test@islacad.org, claims to be from the “IC3.org-Internet Crime Complaint Center.” Although the email assures the recipient it will reimburse them for losses experienced in the a previous scam, it is actually an attempt to seek...
A woman who was accused of scamming 8,000 people who were led to believe that were eligible for federal grants, was ordered by a federal judge to pay $1.7 million to the victims. The Federal Trade Commission, in conjunction with the attorneys general of Kansas, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Illinois sued Meggie Chapman, who ran the Grant Writers scam. Chapman was responsible for running the call centers that were...
The grandparents scam is alive and kicking. While it might seem hard to imagine that everyone hasn’t heard about this phone-based scheme already, new victims are reporting the crime daily. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine recently blogged a new warning about grandparent-scamming phoners who, in some cases, are taking the unsuspecting for more than $10,000 a piece. As it turns out, the calls are still succeeding around the country...
It’s not a secret that the web is a hotspot for predators seeking under-aged victims for unwanted sexual come-ons, but perhaps less well known is that kids online are subject to scammers too. That’s the warning coming from consumer protection officials this summer. The long and sunny afternoons between June and September are well underway for most school-aged kids across the United States, but, for online-safety advocates, those languid...
Two Facebook pages dedicated to fighting scams on Facebook were shut down this week. Even after both were restored, and one received an apology, the owners and users are still seething. Facebook, by silently shutting the volunteer-produced help pages and by not engaging with users about scams, angered those concerned the social network is being overwhelmed by phishing attacks and other scams. Scam Sniper and The Bulldog Estate both...
Whenever people try to help other people, there’s always someone else waiting to try to prey on that generosity. To help warn about that sort of problem, I wrote a column for dealnews.com today about avoiding ripoffs if you decide to make a donation to Japan earthquake relief efforts. Reuters picked up the story. Bottom line: Be extra careful when you’re being solicited rather than you seeking out who...
