Ripping off the elderly in the United States is a profitable business for scammers to the tune of $1.2 billion in 2018 alone. That amount can be at least doubled for 2020 when everyone was on a computer or when family members couldn’t easily check on older relatives who might have gotten fraudulent phone calls. In his talk to the Demopolis Rotary Club Wednesday, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ray B. Cook III of Mobile listed several different scams that target the most vulnerable population in American, those over 60 years of age. These “very, very savvy” scammers do their homework, he ..read more

A 90-year-old woman living in a mansion on The Peak was conned out of about HK$250 million (US$32 million) by criminals impersonating mainland officials, making her the biggest known victim of a phone scam in Hong Kong. Police arrested a 19-year-old university student late last month in connection with the crime and officers froze bank accounts containing HK$9 million, but the phone scammers have made off with the rest. Officers from the Central district crime squad began investigating after receiving a report from the victim last month. According to the force, the woman received a call from a ..read more

STATELINE ARTICLE February 11, 2021 By: Elaine S. Povich Topics: Health & Justice Read time: 5 min The note on a Washington, D.C., apartment building’s online message board looked enticing: “Anyone want a COVID vaccine? I have an extra Pfizer. Minimal side effects. I’m an RN. $500 OBO.” People in Chicago are reporting phone calls offering a vaccine appointment—if they provide a prepaid gift card, their Social Security number and other personal information. And in Colorado, scammers are using party invitation software and sites on the dark web to offer phony vaccine appointments—for a small ..read more

Feb 7th, 2021 · by Craig Anderson · DOVER — Delaware consumers made the second highest rate of fraud reports in the nation per capital in 2020, according to information released by the Federal Trade Commission last week. The information was included in the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network database, which placed the First State behind only Nevada in highest frequency of fraud complaints. Delawareans reported losing $9,127,134 to scams last year in 6,651 reports, with a median loss of $400 and average of roughly $1,372 per report. Identity theft made up 29% of Delaware’s reports overall, and incl ..read more

The fraudsters are using caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) describes as disguising telephone numbers appearing on a caller ID display OPP is warning of fraudsters claiming to be police officers. “The ‘fake cops’ are calling potential victims advising that their bank has noticed suspicious transactions and the fraudster requires the victim’s Social Insurance Number and the amount of funds in their bank account,” says Constable Jennifer Smith. The fraudsters are using caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes as disguising telephone numbers ..read more

December 3, 2020by Alvaro PuigConsumer Education Specialist, FTC Scammers are calling people and using the names of two companies everyone knows, Apple and Amazon, to rip people off. Here’s what you need to know about these calls. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says it’s Amazon. The message says there’s something wrong with your account. It could be a suspicious purchase, a lost package, or an order they can’t fulfill. In another twist on the scam, you get a recorded message that says there’s been suspicious activity in your Apple iCloud account. In ..read more

ATLANTA — The signs of trouble are clear to J.D. Frazier as he works to help a woman sliding into dementia. The state-registered decision-making guide is helping her contact experts to arrange and protect her assets. But she is easily swayed, and family members who lost income in the pandemic are on her doorstep. She agreed with them to cancel her appointment with a lawyer. Now Frazier is having trouble reaching her. It’s an additional toll among older people during the pandemic: Their diminished social contacts make it less likely that others would notice problems that could put them at risk ..read more

Feb 7th, 2021 · by Craig Anderson · DOVER — Delaware consumers made the second highest rate of fraud reports in the nation per capital in 2020, according to information released by the Federal Trade Commission last week. The information was included in the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network database, which placed the First State behind only Nevada in highest frequency of fraud complaints. Delawareans reported losing $9,127,134 to scams last year in 6,651 reports, with a median loss of $400 and average of roughly $1,372 per report. Identity theft made up 29% of Delaware’s reports overall, and incl ..read more

The fraudsters are using caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) describes as disguising telephone numbers appearing on a caller ID display OPP is warning of fraudsters claiming to be police officers. “The ‘fake cops’ are calling potential victims advising that their bank has noticed suspicious transactions and the fraudster requires the victim’s Social Insurance Number and the amount of funds in their bank account,” says Constable Jennifer Smith. The fraudsters are using caller ID spoofing, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes as disguising telephone numbers ..read more

December 3, 2020by Alvaro PuigConsumer Education Specialist, FTC Scammers are calling people and using the names of two companies everyone knows, Apple and Amazon, to rip people off. Here’s what you need to know about these calls. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says it’s Amazon. The message says there’s something wrong with your account. It could be a suspicious purchase, a lost package, or an order they can’t fulfill. In another twist on the scam, you get a recorded message that says there’s been suspicious activity in your Apple iCloud account. In ..read more