The F.B.I. has issued a warning about the growing number of “SIM swap” scams that essentially steal someone’s cellphone number to hack their personal data. In 2021 alone, the FBI received 1,611 SIM-swapping complaints, with adjusted losses totaling more than $68 million.* A “SIM swap” scam occurs when a criminal acquires a mobile phone’s SIM […]
Love happens year-round, not only on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, romance scams are the same. In 2021, it was reported that $547 million were sent to online romance scammers last year. While many say they were contacted on a dating app, a third of those who lost money from romance scammers were through unexpected private messages […]
The FTC recently released this excellent article. According to the newest Data Spotlight, 40,000 people reported losing a whopping $148 million in gift cards to scammers during the first nine months of 2021. Those are staggering numbers which have increased each year for the past several years. Since 2018, gift cards have been the most […]
By Better Business Bureau. November 10, 2021. While 2021 is quickly winding down, scams targeting the public continue to cause trouble. Consumers should watch out for any fraudulent schemes aimed at swiping their cash and stealing personal information. Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a Naughty List with the top 12 scams of Christmas that are most likely to catch […]
WHAT IS VETERAN PENSION POACHING?* Pension poaching is financial exploitation targeting veterans and beneficiaries who are potentially eligible for VA pension benefits. Pension poaching comes in several forms but is always an attempt to de-fraud America’s heroes. Some poachers sell financial products of questionable value or charge a fee to restructure assets in order to make the veteran or beneficiary […]
The scam is called card cracking* and it may start off innocently enough. You see a post on a social media site announcing a contest. Or maybe a webpage that claims to have a celebrity affiliation is offering a gift card giveaway. The variations are endless, but here’s the tip-off that fraud is afoot. At […]
