Scammers continue to be clever in how they scam people throughout the world. They constantly tie their scams to world and local events. They also take advantage of the latest technology, and they take advantage of any trends that will let them steal money or identities of honest people.
What does not change is their tactic of trying to put
their victims “under the either” meaning getting their victims emotional so
that they do not think logically. They may try to instill fear in you, posing
as your utility company claiming they your power is about to be shut off or
claiming to be from Microsoft and saying you have a dangerous virus in your
computer. They might try to get you excited posing as an investment broker with
a can’t-miss investment opportunity. Or they might try to instill feelings of
love in a romance scam to get you to pay to help your long-distance boyfriend
or girlfriend.
AARP says that it has seen scammers use crypto
currency more in recent months. Like with gift cards or wire transfers, once the
money is sent to the scammer, there is no way to get crypto currency back.
An example of how scammers can use crypto currency in
their scams is in donating to help people in Ukraine. The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) has seen in increase in this scam since the government of
Ukraine announced that it would accept donations in crypto currency. Scammers
will solicit donations, claiming that the funds will go to the people of
Ukraine while instead pocketing the money in their own crypto wallets.
Crypto currencies can be used in investment scams or
other scams that require some sort of payment. If someone contacts you and
insists on payment in crypto currency, it is a scam.
AARP has also seen scammers fuse scams. For example, a
scammer might pose as being from Amazon and claim that they need to verify your
identity. Instead of asking for your account numbers and other personal
information, they might try to convince you to let them into your computer. A
simple identity theft turns into an opportunity to insert malware that takes
your personal information and harvests the contacts on your computer or uses
your computer in a botnet.
Scammers try to get you emotional. They also prey on
people who may have gone through a recent trauma in their life such as losing a
loved one, losing a job, or having financial difficulties. The COVID pandemic
has provided plenty of opportunity for us to be anxious and worried. And with
the lock downs imposed early in the pandemic, many people have been isolated
from their friends and loved ones.
The AARP and Volunteers of America (VOA) have teamed
up with a new program that is intended to help you recover from trauma. Called
ReST for Resilience Strength Time, ReST originated from a similar VOA program
designed to help military veterans. ReST is a response to the COVID-19
pandemic. The pandemic has created uncertainty and chaos with many people
feeling that they have lost control and feeling confused, frustrated, sad,
worried, angry, or defeated. This can affect first responders, medical
personnel, or someone who has been taking care of a loved one with COVID or someone
who has been scammed. For more information about ReST check out the following
links,
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/voa-rest-program/?cmp=RDRCT-62f39e08-20210528
Volunteers of America:
For more information about scams, checkout the
following links,
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/
Federal Trade Commission:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/03/donating-crypto-watch-out-scams
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-cryptocurrency-scams
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:
Norton/LifeLock:
https://www.nortonlifelock.com/blogs/security-response/tech-support-scams
