Fraud Season: stay alert
 

I received 3 phone calls this weekend that were scams. All 3 left voice mail messages telling me that it was urgent that I call about my cable service, my credit card, and bank account. I knew they were fraud instantly because the phone calls came through on my business line, which is not connected to any of the services that the scammers were calling about.

NEVER give information to someone who calls you and asks for you to "verify" your social security number, account number, or credit card number. They might claim to be from your bank, your cable provider, or some other service provider. Don't trust them. They will tell you that the situation is urgent and that you need to respond quickly.

Take a name and number and tell them you will return their call in minutes. Look the phone number up on the internet and you will find that other people have received scam calls from the number.

If you think a call is legitimate, call back using a phone number that you are 100% certain belongs to the service/company in question. For instance, your credit card -- call the 800 number on the back of your card. Your cable company -- call the 800 number on your monthly statement.

Watch your bank statements and credit card statements closely this holiday season.

Very good advice. Many people think it won't happen to me. Unfortunately, thieves don't care who you are.

Yes, thieves are equal-opportunity victimizers.

All it takes it one piece of information, and the thieves can do a lot of damage to you. Here is an interesting and scary example: How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

They are now scamming through your cell phones too. We just had a customer come in to show us a text message she received over the weekend. It was informing her that her atm/debit card had been compromised and to send her account number and pin so they could stop if from being used.
BANKS NEVER SEND TEXTS ASKING FOR YOU TO SEND YOUR INFORMATION!!!! THEY DON'T CALL ASKING FOR YOUR INFORMATION EITHER.
Fraud alerts will contact you to let you know if something suspicious is going on with your account, but they never ask for your account number if it is legit.

Wow, just read that. A little scary that someone can just take over. This goes to show sometimes it is for different reasons.

This made me think of something that happened to me a few years ago. I had my health insurance information stolen. For three years, another lady was filing claims and getting scripts using my insurance. Not once was she questioned. I happen to get a list of scripts that I had used and that's when I found out. I called the pharmacy, who would not give me any info due to privacy laws. Called local authorities only to be told it was not in there jurisdiction. What it boiled down to was she got away with it. And here is the kicker, my health insurance increased $50 a month because of claims filed! Even though they were NOT mine! Talk about sucking. :thumbdown. So it isn't just credit cards and SS numbers. They will use anything and everything.

Another great and scary example.

These kinds of texts have been coming to us almost daily. They say our account is frozen and that we need to act quickly. The part that bothers me is, how do they know our bank name?? From our phone bill?

Great reminders Kristin. Three phone calls in one weekend?!?! That's insane! We had someone knocking on our door claiming to be from our electric company. They wanted to see our bill to make sure that we received the special rate. Really? The electric company would not go door to door doing that. If they did, they would at least have some sort of logo on one of their items of clothing!!

I would be furious! $50 a month is a lot of money. It's frustrating that the thieves seem to have the advantage.

That is really creepy! I finally convinced my father: never let anyone in the house!! He was letting in shady solicitors who asked to use the bathroom. I told him that this is a trick that some use to rob people or worse. :(

Wow, I was not aware of all these. Thanks for the reminders. Definitely puts me on high alert, and I need to pass this info to my daughters. I think they are more vulnerable in situations like this. I never answer "unknown" numbers, and when I get a number from out of state, I google it before I answer it. If they can't leave a message on my VM, then I figure it's a scammer.

Another one: I have received numerous text messages that I have won something from Best Buy and that I need to log into some website to claim the prize.

I rarely text, my phone isn't a smart phone....so it is highly unusual for me to receive spam like this.

I do the same thing. I get lots of calls that numbers show up as scams.

I have relieved these too.

Those are a big joke in our house because we always get the Best Buy ones so my husband will always forward it to me saying woohoo we are going shopping tonight lol

But yea these people are SICK these days... We just a big thing here where a group of people made fake income tax returns and were paying bank tellers $1,000 each to cash the checks.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Dont call any number THEY give you....

A co-workers little elderly lady just fell for the "granddaughter in jail in Mexico" scam...tole her to wire $4800.00 immediately to get her released tonight or she was going to have to sit in jail for months before they could even get her court date set. THANK GOD the woman at Western Union, politely started a conversation with the little old lady and she found out what was going on....she told her it was a scam, that she used to work in fruad division and please do NOT send the money...go home and call the parents, even thought the "granddaughter" had begged her not to tell anyone.....fortunately, sh listened, and of course, it was indeed that same onl scam that has been going around for years. My co worker said her momma is NOT stupid, they got her so rattled and tore up with the sobbing and everything, she couldnt think!

Kristin I will share some more stories, when my parents were alive and elderly.

Here we go; the door to door solicitation, selling duct cleaning, windows, landscaping, paving, buy now and get two free scams of what ever you name it.

Thankfully our neighbours looked out for my parents when I was at work. There was a couple of men who had been going door to door including our neighbours. They convinced my parents to sign a contract for $5000 to replace windows that had been replace 2 yrs ago:D:D Luckily we had a new law put in place that any contract can be cancelled with in 30 days by the purchaser for what ever reason they wish to give. My neighbours phoned me at work to tell me this guy had been by and to see if they had got my parents to sign anything! Oh yes the neighbours had told those men NOT to go next door as I wasn't home and was their financial guardian and would need to sign anything for any work.
I was so very angry. I called them up and gave them a piece of my mind. Notified them NO WORK was being done, and I thought they were the scum of the earth. They said oh your parents were so friendly, they seemed okay to us; after all we are not medical doctors how would we know their mental state? I said... ummm. well did our neighbour so and so, tell you NOT to drop in and that I WAS their financial guardian and would need to sign any legal document??????? Silence on the line. I said be forewarned, I will be reporting you to BBB. And if I am still angry enough I will try to get your company highlighted on news and radio!!!

Also while not my business I do know your Dad is elderly you do need to put into place now when he is compis mentis, a financial power of attorney and health care attorney (if you have such a thing in your state). Check with your lawyer and see what is the best way to go about this if not already done. WE did those things plus then placed me on all their bank accounts and investment portfolios.

[QUOTE=gemy;4059677]Kristin I will share some more stories, when my parents were alive and elderly.

Here we go; the door to door solicitation, selling duct cleaning, windows, landscaping, paving, buy now and get two free scams of what ever you name it.

Thankfully our neighbours looked out for my parents when I was at work. There was a couple of men who had been going door to door including our neighbours. They convinced my parents to sign a contract for $5000 to replace windows that had been replace 2 yrs ago:D:D Luckily we had a new law put in place that any contract can be cancelled with in 30 days by the purchaser for what ever reason they wish to give. My neighbours phoned me at work to tell me this guy had been by and to see if they had got my parents to sign anything! Oh yes the neighbours had told those men NOT to go next door as I wasn't home and was their financial guardian and would need to sign anything for any work.
I was so very angry. I called them up and gave them a piece of my mind. Notified them NO WORK was being done, and I thought they were the scum of the earth. They said oh your parents were so friendly, they seemed okay to us; after all we are not medical doctors how would we know their mental state? I said... ummm. well did our neighbour so and so, tell you NOT to drop in and that I WAS their financial guardian and would need to sign any legal document??????? Silence on the line. I said be forewarned, I will be reporting you to BBB. And if I am still angry enough I will try to get your company highlighted on news and radio!!!

Also while not my business I do know your Dad is elderly you do need to put into place now when he is compis mentis, a financial power of attorney and health care attorney (if you have such a thing in your state). Check with your lawyer and see what is the best way to go about this if not already done. WE did those things plus then placed me on all their bank accounts and investment portfolios.[/QUOTE]
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Unwanted text msg can be forwarded to 7726. The annoying thing is, I have ATT so they get the forwarded msg but then you have to reply with the number. But I just sent it to you! :rolleyes:

I had someone call me and ask to verify my Soc sec #. I said yeah right. But I think he was a debt collector. LOL, in that case, HELL NO I WON"T!

Lets not forget this scam. Every year around this time I get this email. I have to laugh at this because you would think they would have better educated FBI agents LOL.


FBI Memo....Urgent Urgent UrgentTuesday, November 20, 2012 10:35 AM
From: "Robert S. Mueller" <r.mueller@fbi.gov>Add sender to Contacts
To: undisclosed-recipients
Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division
FBI Headquarters In Washington, D.C.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001


Attention: Beneficiary


This is the final warning you are going to receive from me, do you get me? I hope you understand how many times this message has been sent to you.

We have warned you so many times and you have decided to ignore our e-mails or because you believe we have not been instructed to get you arrested and today if you fail to respond back to us with the payment details below, then we would first send a letter to the MAYOR of the city where you reside and direct them to close your bank account until you have been jailed and all your properties will be confiscated by the FBI, CIA and other enforcement agency. We would also send a letter to the company/agency that you are working for so that they could get you fired until we are through with our investigations because a suspect is not supposed to be working for the government or any private organization.

Your ID which we have in our database have been sent to all the crimes agencies in America for them to inset you in their website as an internet fraudsters and to warn people from having any deals with you. This would have been solved all this while if you had gotten the CERTIFICATE ENDORSED AND STAMPED as you were instructed in the e-mail below. This is the federal bureau of investigation (FBI) am writing in response to the e-mail you sent to us and am using this medium to inform you that there is no more time left to waste because you have been given a mandate. As stated earlier to have the document endorsed, signed and stamped without failure and you must adhere to this directives to avoid you blaming yourself at last when we must have arrested and jailed you for life and all your properties will be seized and bank account will be confiscated too.

You failed to comply with our directives/instruction and that was the reason why we didn't hear from you, as our director has already been notified about you get the process completed yesterday and right now the WARRANT OF ARREST has been signed against you and it will be carried out in the next 48hours as strictly signed by the FBI director. We have investigated and found out that you didn't have any idea when the fraudulent deal was committed with your information's/identity and right now your ID is placed on our website as a wanted person, I believe you know that it will be a shame to you and your entire family because after then it will be announce in all the local channels that you are wanted by the FBI.

As a good Christian and a Honest man, I decided to see how i could be of help to you because i would not be happy to see you end up in jail and all your properties confiscated all because your information's was used to carry out a fraudulent transactions, i called the EFCC and they directed me to a private attorney who can help you get the process done and he stated that he will endorse and stamp the document at the sum of $98 usd only and i believe this process is cheaper for you.

You need to do every possible thing today and tomorrow to get this process done because our director has called to inform me that the warrant of arrest has been signed against you and once it has been approved, then the arrest will be carried out, and from our investigations we learnt that you were the person that forwarded your identity to one impostor/fraudsters in Nigeria when he had a deal with you about the transfer of some illegal funds into your bank account which is valued at the sum of $10,500,000.00 only.

I pleaded on your behalf so that this agency could give you till 11/17/2012 so that you could get this process done because i learnt that you were sent several e-mails without getting a response from you. Bear it in mind that this is the only way that i can be able to help you at this moment or you would have to face the law and its consequences once it had befallen on you. You would make the payment through western union money transfer with the below details.

NAME: OBINNA S. MBAH
ADDRESS: ABUJA, NIGERIA
TEXT QUESTION: BETTER
ANSWER: BEST
AMOUNT: $98
Senders Full Name======
Sender Full Address:====
Direct Phone Number:==================
MTCN:=========

Send the payment details to me as stated above and make sure that you didn't hesitate making the payment down to the agency by today so that they could have the certificate endorsed, signed and stamped immediately without any further delay. After all this process has been carried out, then we would have to proceed to the bank for the transfer of your compensation funds which is valued at the sum of $10.500,000.00 usd which was supposed to have been transferred to you all this while.

Note: All the crimes agencies have been contacted on this regards and we shall trace and arrest you if you disregard this instructions. You are given a grace today to make the payment for the document after which your failure to do that will attract a maximum arrest and finally you will be appearing in court for act of terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking charges, so be warned not to try anything funny because you are been watched.

EXPECTING YOUR KIND ANTICIPATED CO-OPERATION.

ROBERT S. MUELLER
FBI DIRECTOR

Sigh... someone in Ireland just tried to use my debit card #. Fortunately, Chase has become SUPER paranoid about fraud, and I get automatic calls every few weeks to verify charges, which have always been valid -- this one was refused, thankfully.

Mixed feelings - happy that Chase caught it, kind of bemused because Chase constantly refuses legit transactions I try, and it's embarrassing when they are in person, and worried about how these guys got my CC number. The card has been canceled and I won't get a new one until Monday at the earliest -- good thing I recently got cash!

That is so annoying!

I received a call tonight from the Wells Fargo fraud department and I thought it was bogus at first, so I called the main line listed on my card. They asked me to confirm that a couple of small purchases (grocery store and USPS!) were legitimate. Everyone must be paranoid right now.

That is funny! I hope they at least update the FBI director's name each year.