Category: Scams
Email Invoice Seemingly from Apple is Scam
The Internet Patrol has been alerted to a new email scam which appears to be an invoice from Apple. Of course, they don’t expect you to pay it, they expect you to be alarmed at the supposed charge, so that you log in to your Apple account, and they can steal your credentials. Don’t fall for it.
California State Bar Warns of Fraudulent Email
The State Bar of California has issued an alert warning of a fraudulent complaint email being sent in their name. In an emailed statement this morning (June 8, 2016), the California State Bar said that it had received numerous inquiries about the email that supposedly had come from them, going out to members of the California bar.
Scammers Using Confirmation Emails to Get to Targets
Here is a twist on the usual 419 advance-fee scams: the scammer signs up for something such as a newsletter, and then replies to the confirmation email with their scam. We know this, because we were hit with just such a scam from “Steve McCoy”, using the email address stevecoy61@gmail.com.
About All Those She’s Gone Ads on Facebook
If you are on Facebook you can’t avoid them. The “She’s gone” ads, suggesting that celebrities like Sally Fields, Betty White, Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Susan Sarandon, and Kris Jenner, have died (they haven’t), with the weird domain names, are everywhere. Click on them, and each and every one of them leads not to news that they have died (surprise, surprise) but a website selling Beauty and Truth (oh, the irony) brand youth serum.
New Scam: Mrs. Thorens (mav22@rogers.com) Wants to Give Your Charity $2.5 Million
A brand new SMS text message scam has hit smartphones. Coming from prvs=1846e0b0b3=kross@bloodsystems.org, it is an image of text, which reads “CONFIDENTIAL Mrs Thorens has assigned a rewarding charity project worth $2.5 Million USD to you. For full details, please contact her only at her private email address below.” The sample that we saw had an email address of mav22@rogers.com, although it’s quite likely that as that email address gets shut down, the scammers will swap in a different email address.
How to Report Scammy Facebook Ads on Facebook
We’ve all seen them – there are all sorts of ads for scams on Facebook, and all sorts of scammy ads and false advertising on Facebook (such as the ones suggesting a famous actress such as Betty White or Judi Dench has died). In fact, for many of us, not a day goes by that we don’t see some ridiculous ad on Facebook and think “How can Facebook let them get away with that ad?” In part it’s because Facebook relies on people reporting scammy ads to Facebook. So here’s how to report ads on Facebook.
Paypal.me an Open Invitation for Scammers
The new Paypal.me service is being hailed as a simpler way to request money, and by Paypal as “the link to getting paid,” but it also turns out to be a great way for scammers to get you to send them money.
New SMS Bank Phishing Scam Uses Hacked Holiday Inn Phone Numbers
Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Key Bank are among bank accounts being phished, SMiShed and vished by scammers who are sending SMS text messages to users, directing them to call hijacked Holiday Inn Express phone numbers which the scammers have disguised to make them sound like automated banking systems. So far this current crop has happened primarily in the Houston area.
Facebook to Start Identifying Hoaxes for You in Your News Feed
It’s the Internet-age old conundrum: How can you tell if something in your Facebook news feed is a hoax or scam? This week Facebook announced that they will start tagging hoaxes for you in your newsfeed. Actually, they will start letting you know when other users have identified and tagged something as a hoax.
Beware the ‘My Friend Likes You’ Scam on Dating Sites
We get a lot of visitors who are looking to learn how to identify and recognize an online dating site scammer, and so we thought we’d tell you about this current Internet dating site scam. It’s a riff on a “friend of a friend” scam, in which a person of your same sex contacts you to tell you about their “friend” who is desperately interested in meeting you.
New IRS Scam Coming from 710-201-2246
There is a new scam featuring the phone number 202-599-9670. So far, the call is coming from 710-201-2246.
Rumours of Facebook Charging $2.99 a Month a Hoax
“Facebook To Begin Charging Users $2.99/mo Starting November 1st” says the headline that has many Facebook users in a tizzy. So is it true that Facebook is going to start charging $2.99? No! That headline, and the article that appeared under it, were written and published on the National Report website, which is a satirical website similar to the Onion. So, put another way, imagine the Onion printing an article about Facebook to begin charging – how seriously would you take it?
Scammers Run Up Your Cell Phone Bill with One Ring – Read How They Do It
The “One Ring” and “Missed Call” cell phone scam is becoming more common. According to both the FTC and the FCC, the way this works is that you will get a call from a number that you don’t recognize, starting with what seems to be a U.S.-based area code, such as 809, 876, 649, 268, 473, or 284. The scam is that when you call back to see who it is trying to reach you, you are actually connected to an international “pay per minute” or “pay per call” line, that will run up your phone charges.
LinkedIn Deceptive Business Practices with Premium Account Types Comparison?
Anybody who has used LinkedIn knows that they push their premium LinkedIn accounts constantly. But did you know that they hide their less expensive premium account options from you?
Wells Fargo Phishing Spam – Full Text of May 2014 Scam
Here is the full text of one of the newest Wells Fargo Phishing Spam, which started showing up this month (May, 2014). This one comes with an attached HTML file named “Wells Fargo Instruction Form.html”. Whatever you do, don’t download or open it!