Too good to be true
June 29, 2022
Every morning when I open my work email, I sigh in dismay at the number of new items in my inbox. Some days, there is a storm of obvious scams. The ones in Chinese are the easiest to spot. Other days it’s just a matter of wading through all the chaff to find the good stuff. I’m sure all newspapers are hit daily by the onslaught of public relations news releases that are generally self-serving, thinly disguised ads.
My trash folder is soon loaded with everything I had to delete. Some of the items are entertaining like the ones supposedly seeking shipping services. Because we have “courier” in our newspaper name, we get emails and the occasional phone calls looking for trucking services.
Today, an “Important Notice” caught my eye. It was supposedly from our email service. It’s true they sometimes send me a warning that my email storage is getting full which is a trigger to delete stuff I don’t need. I had one of those yesterday, but it was a fraud because it asked me to click on a link to fix the problem. I decided it was a good time to empty my email trash anyway.
Today’s notice was supposedly a warning that “your inbox is set to undergo temporal shutdown due to the below reviews.” Apparently they don’t have a good grammar checker. What does “temporal” have to do with the subject? Of course, they want me to click on a link to fix the problem. Apparently their automated service detected content or actions that conflict with their security policy. I’m not worried by the threat and dump the email in the trash.
I recently created an online account with Social Security to find some information. They actually sent a letter in the mail letting me know the account had been created and what to do if that was not me. I’m glad they’re looking out for us! I really appreciate all the other folks in our community who help people avoid scams. There’s no telling how many people alert bank tellers have saved.
While I was waiting for the 10 p.m. news to come on TV last night, I used my cellphone to find this interesting article on Top Ten Scams of 2021 from the National Consumers League compiled from complaints received at Fraud.org:
2021’s Top Scam: Bogus prizes and sweepstakes fraud
Complaints about scams involving fake prizes, bogus sweepstakes, and “free” gifts were the top complaint consumers reported to Fraud.org in 2021. In 2020, such complaints made up nearly a quarter (23.78 percent) of the reports we received. In 2021, these complaints made up more than one in three (35.23 percent) of complaints, an increase of more than 48 percent year-over-year. Investment scams, many tied to cryptocurrency, were the fastest growing type of complaint in 2021, with complaints more than doubling (168 percent increase year-over-year). This increase correlates with data released last spring by the Federal Trade Commission, showing a dramatic increase in cryptocurrency investment scams, often fueled by social media.
Scammers’ Contact Methods of Choice
With email spam filters getting progressively better, phone and the Web continued to be the most frequent ways that consumers reported being contacted by scammers. Combined, they were the first method of contact in more than 81 percent of complaints (44.48 percent phone; 35.94 percent Web).
Credit cards remain top target
Getting access to consumers’ credit card information continued to be the top way that scammers sought to obtain funds in 2021, with 44 percent of complaints with a loss reporting funds were sent via credit card. However, other payment methods such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, and peer-to-peer apps continue to gain popularity for fraudsters, increasing by nearly half (45.28 percent) year-over-year. One reason for this popularity, we believe, is that funds sent via one of these methods is available to the scammers quickly and, often, anonymously. Fraud.org continues to press federal regulators to do more to plug loopholes in federal consumer protection laws like the Electronic Funds Transfer Act that allow these new payment platforms to be abused.
The Worst of 2021
• Prizes/Sweepstakes/Free Gifts – Requests for payment to claim fictitious prizes, lottery winnings, or gifts.
• Internet: General Merchandise Sales (not auctions) – Goods purchased are either never delivered or misrepresented.
• Phishing/Spoofing – Emails pretending to be from a well-known source ask consumers to enter or confirm personal information.
• Fake Check Scams – Consumers paid with phony checks for work or for items they’re trying to sell, instructed to wire money back to buyer.
• Friendship & Sweetheart Swindles – Con artist nurtures an online relationship, builds trust, and convinces victim to send money.
• Investments – Investment opportunities in: day trading; gold and gems; art; rare coins; other investment products; reports about companies that offer advice or seminars on investments; etc.
• Advance Fee Loans, Credit Arrangers – False promises of business or personal loans, even if credit is bad, for a fee upfront.
• Family / Friend Imposters – A scammer calls or emails, claiming that a friend or family member is in distress (in jail, in the hospital, etc.) and urgently needs funds to help.
• Computers: Equipment and Software – Scammers claim to offer “technical support” for computer problems and charge a fee to fix a nonexistent problem.
• Scholarships/Grants – Offers of fictitious “guaranteed” scholarship or grant funds in exchange for up-front payment or personal information.
The Bottom Line
Regardless of the type of scam, many instances of fraud can be avoided by remembering the old rule of thumb: If something seems too good to be true—it probably is.
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