Scams, both online and offline

Scammers are after you, and while this has been a problem forever, the activity seems to be spiking. We’re also seeing an increase in creative blending of the ‘vectors’ or ways in which these scam attempts come at you. For instance, French-speakers are getting phone calls from scammers asking them to check on an invoice they’ve been emailed. The attachment they open is bogus, but loaded with malware that immediately compromises their computers – bypassing any security protection programs they may have.

In general, just about any offer of something free or for a token payment or effort is a scam. Our discount, buy-one-get-one-free marketing tactics have taught us to ‘never pay retail’ and always search for the special deal. Scammers are taking advantage of our…shall I say…greed, and raking in millions of dollars and taking over thousands of computers monthly.

And don’t think you’re too smart and immune from such scams – they’ve fooled plenty of smart and/or rich people, in all walks of life. From the hurricane repair scammers to bogus emails from someone you know and trust, your money, personal information, and computer are at high risk. And the scams are increasingly coming at you from different directions – through your smartphone, telephone, front door, web browser, email inbox, etc.

Here is a short list of the most recent scams we see reported:

1. Offers to wrap your car in advertising in exchange for weekly payments
2. French-speakers get phone calls asking them to check an invoice (which contains malware)
3. Bogus UK Amazon emails with an attachment for something you ordered (not!)
4. Fake emails telling you to update your Logmein software
5. Fake emails from hacked email accounts (such as a Swiss mayor’s) saying they were mugged abroad and need money wired to them to get home
6. Malware-laden software installed on Android smartphones/tablets that makes repeated calls to 900 area code (a popular way to pad your phone bill)

And here is a longer list of the most popular scams that keep returning again and again.

1. Nigerian money transfers
2. Work from home offers
3. Weight-loss offers
4. Lottery winner – asking you to dial a 900 area code number to claim
5. Money order over-payments
6. Ponzi schemes – your investment used to pay off previous investors
7. Sellers on ebay who don’t deliver
8. Bogus emails asking you to verify account details, reset passwords, etc.
9. Disaster-relief fundraising
10. Contractors for home repair/improvement, esp. the door-to-door type
11. Job search sites that offer premium ways to get your resume to employers
12. Craigslist apartment ads
13. Fake antivirus software
14. Bogus car-buyers offering more than your car is worth
15. Betting scammers who have a fool-proof way to win
16. You won the lottery! Not!
17. Psychics with warnings and psychics who can help you
18. Mail-order brides
19. Cold-call investment brokers
20. Land investments that will appreciate in value tremendously
21. Exotic animal farms
22. Hotel room calls in the middle of the night, saying they’re from the front desk
23. Recovery services if you’ve been scammed before

So be very wary, especially this holiday season. The scammers are out in full force, and are coming at you from all directions: knocking on your front door, calling your home or mobile phone, sending you postal mail, sending you email, appearing in popups on your computer screen, and appearing embedded in webpages of web sites that are not scrupulous about keeping their site clean.