Overpayment scammers are still out there, and now they're targeting not only job-seekers but also non-profits
Overpayment scammers are still out there, and now they're targeting not only job-seekers but also non-profits
July 12, 2024Overpayment scammers are still out there, and now they're targeting not only job-seekers but also non-profits
July 12, 2024Have you ever had your home violated in the most disturbing way? An Airbnb scams nightmare descended upon one unsuspecting homeowner in the famous Hamptons. Sarah Stewart, a real estate agent, was horrified to learn that her luxurious beachfront estate had been fraudulently listed on Airbnb without her consent or knowledge. Someone was trying to illegally rent out her private residence for a staggering $25,000! Stewart faced a dizzying ordeal to remove this fraudulent Airbnb listing that represented a severe breach of her privacy and security. As rental scams escalate, her harrowing experience serves as a cautionary tale about the
May 10, 2024It’s never fun to be scammed, but if you’re a small business owner then falling for a scam can have long-lasting effects on a business, damaging client relationships and profit
April 30, 2024The FBI says scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year
April 30, 2024A new wave of scam phone calls has been flooding Southern California, leaving authorities scrambling to protect residents from these slick crooks behind the shady ruse. The underhanded operators are pretending to be police in a shameless attempt to swindle cash from unsuspecting folks. The underhanded scheme kicks off with scammers dialing up locals and spinning a tall tale about bogus outstanding arrest warrants that need settling immediately. They falsely claim to hail from the Simi Valley Police Department and instruct rattled victims to fork over funds by calling a phony number. But this is an outright lie – the
April 29, 2024Visually appealing and cheap to produce, AI-generated images allow scammers and spammers to post high volumes of engaging content − and Facebook’s algorithm may be promoting these posts.
April 24, 2024Parents’ worst fear is being exploited in a terrifying new scam: Virtual kidnapping scams. This is when criminals call parents claiming they have abducted their child and demand ransom money. It all starts with a scary call saying the child has been taken away. The scammers make it seem convincing by using personal details about the kid gathered from social media profiles. They then issue a ransom demand, typically around $2,000 to be paid via untraceable methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency. Even though there is no actual kidnapping, the psychological torment inflicted is severely damaging. As this unscrupulous racket
April 03, 2024Scammers look for ways to trick people into giving them money year-round, but tax season can be particularly fraught
April 02, 2024Do car companies sell your data? A startling revelation has come to light – major automakers and insurance companies have entered into a furtive exchange of consumer driving records. This under-the-radar practice involves car manufacturers discreetly sharing granular details about individuals’ driving habits and vehicle usage patterns with data brokers who cater to the insurance industry’s appetite for such insights. The veil was lifted on this covert data trade when Todd Smith, a software firm owner residing near Seattle, received an eye-opening 258-page dossier from LexisNexis, a global data analytics giant. The document exhaustively chronicled over half a year of
March 22, 2024China has intensified a crackdown on online scams operated in border areas of Myanmar
December 06, 2023Financial institutions are working hard to stop a growing trend of fake identity theft made possible by advanced AI technologies. A new poll of 500 scam experts from banks, credit agencies, and other finance companies shows that this quickly spreading threat, which costs lenders tens of billions of dollars yearly, makes them very nervous. These scams use AI to make fake customer identities to open fake accounts and steal money. This crime is expected to snowball as fraudsters use AI to make more believable fake identities on a large scale. With sophisticated algorithms automatically accepting fake applications, clever fake identities
October 17, 2023In today’s interconnected digital world, there are unlimited opportunities for good and novel threats. There’s a shadowy undercurrent of digital malice being fueled by new con artists who are taking use of the internet’s reach to spread their scams. The internet has made it possible to access a wealth of information, but it has also made it easier to spread falsehoods. These online con artists use a wide variety of deceitful tactics, from offering easy, work-from-home jobs to promising huge lottery wins. Opportunities for working from home grew as the epidemic progressed. However, many fell for scammers after obtaining attractive
October 17, 2023Financial organizations and law enforcement authorities are becoming concerned about the global surge in ATM fraud cases. These more complex cybercrimes are costing both individuals and companies a great deal of money. Among these, one unusual tale—that of a politician from Romania imprisoned in California’s Ventura County Jail for his suspected role in ATM fraud—stands out. representing a few months now, Virgil Negru, a council member representing the small Romanian beach town of Eforie, has been conspicuously missing from his professional responsibilities. With less than 11,000 residents, the village is a popular summer getaway for Bucharest families looking to get
October 11, 2023The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Voice Fraud
September 27, 2023Social media is full of scammers promising guaranteed returns on investment, and consumers lost billions of dollars to them last year. Troy Gochenour, 50, of Columbus, Ohio, was conned out of $25,800, including $15,800 in borrowed money, in a crypto-mining scam that began with a WhatsApp message from a beautiful stranger. “I had just moved home to restart my life, after trying to make it in show business in New York, and I was lonely,” Gochenour said. “So I started online dating. Then I got a WhatsApp message that began, ‘Sorry to bother you.’” Financial scams, including
August 31, 2023