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Saturday, February 11, 2023

SCAM UPDATE – Wise Giving, Romance Scams, Chinese Scam, Ad Malware

Here is an update on some recent scams,

Donating for Earthquake Relief. With all of the news about the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria you may be motivated to donate to an organization that says it provides earthquake relief. Scammers flood phones, social media, and the web with appeals for help when a disaster makes the news. Like other scams, charity scammers are not interested in helping people in need but in gathering your personal information or stealing your money.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends that you,

·         Contribute to experienced groups.

·         Look for charities with on-the-ground presence.

·         Give money rather than goods.

·         Verify the charity’s trustworthiness.

For more information about giving to charities and charity scams check out,

 

Better Business Bureau:

https://give.org/news/wise-giving-wednesday-donating-for-earthquake-relief-in-syria-and-turkey

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/all-scams/charity-scams

 

Washington Secretary of State (where you can search for charities registered in the State of Washington):

https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities#nonprofits_charities

 

Valentine’s Day Scams. With Valentine’s Day coming fast, you may want to purchase a gift for your valentine, or you may want to find a valentine. Here are some tips to avoid being scammed by someone who tries to break your heart.

·         Imposter websites. Scammers can set up a website that looks like it is from a legitimate organization, even using art and logos from real companies. Lookout for products that are offered at deep discounts (“too good to be true”); sellers wanting payment with a cash transfer app or cryptocurrency; customer service is unreachable, even if they offer a customer service number.

·         Romance Scams. Scammers frequently take advantage of people looking for love or even just someone to talk to. Some red flags of someone who might be taking advantage of you include a fast-moving relationship; never meeting in person; asking for money to help with a dire situation.

·         Wrong Number Scam. You might receive a text message from someone who seems to have sent the text to your phone number in error. This is usually harmless, but if the person at the other end keeps sending texts that might be an effort to get your personal information. Look out for nonstop messages, the sender trying to direct you to a website and the sender or the website asking for your personal information.

·         Fake Florist Scam. Ordering and sending flowers is a great tradition for Valentine’s Day. The Better Business Bureau has received numerous reports of shoppers ordering flowers online and getting nothing or disappointing flower arrangements. Watch out for no reviews or bad reviews for the business that you want to order from; the business has no return policy or satisfaction guarantee; the deal is too good to be true.

 

The Seattle Times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tips-to-avoid-valentines-day-scams/

 

Chinese Impersonator Scam. This scam will affect Asian citizens the most. The Bellevue Police Department says that it is receiving reports of scammers claiming to be Chinese officials or law enforcement. The impersonator will claim that the potential victim is in some sort of trouble and to get out it the victim needs to pay. The scammer may demand payment by money wire, purchasing and electronically sending gift cards, or demanding that the victim withdraw cash then hand it over to the scammer. The scammer may even send the victim official looking credentials.

The police department urges everyone, “Please do not reply or cooperate with anyone claiming to be an overseas official asking you for money. If you don’t know them, don’t trust them. Instead, call your local police department, and they will check it out. It is better to take the time to verify than to be out thousands of dollars.”

 

KIRO TV:

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/bellevue-pd-sees-increase-scams-involving-chinese-officials-making-threats-asking-money/ETYQYT2ZJNE5VIHFSVEIA5NQ6Q/?taid=63e53f329b592b0001a97d91&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

 

Search Spoofing Scam. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has received several reports of consumers downloading malware onto their computers as a result of clicking on a search result link. Scammers will set up a web site that spoofs a web site from a legitimate business or organization then pay search engines for advertising, resulting in their spoofed website links showing up at the top of the list of results. When someone clicks on the link, the website downloads malware, ransomware or the scammer tries to involve the individual in some other scheme.

Be sure to be careful before clicking on any link in your search results. Inspect the links to ensure that they are legitimate. One thing to look for is minor misspellings in the URL. This is a common method to fool you to go to a fake website. Also, scroll down the list past the links marked as “Ads” to the unsponsored/non-ad search results.  

 

National Cybersecurity Alliance:

https://staysafeonline.org/theft-fraud-cybercrime/avoid-search-engine-ad-malware/

 

 

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