Know how to avoid common schemes. scams

The text came on my business number a few days ago: “Your Amazon account has been locked because of suspicious activity.”

I’d be mildly concerned. Except I’ve been writing about scams since the late 1990s. And this text was full of telltale grammatical atrocities screaming scam, along with instructions to click on the blue box and “Recovery your account by entering your credential.” Most telling: I have no Amazon account in my name, and certainly not connected to my work phone. So on top of all the other red flags, there’s that big one waving as if to warn, “Con job ahead!”

This week, as it turns out, is National Consumer Protection Week, focused on the Federal Trade Commission‘s effort to help people understand their consumer rights and avoid fraud and scam. In addition, March 9 is National Slam the Scam Day, centered on raising awareness of government imposter scams, with the Social Security Administration and the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) among agencies teamed in fighting fraud.

“Our investigators see myriad scams each year. These range from phishing attempts where unsuspecting individuals are prompted to share their personal information to fraudsters who prey on our elderly citizens’ vulnerabilities,” said IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee. “Offers that promise instant wealth or unrealistic tax exemptions are empty promises. Slam the next scam and report to law enforcement.”

Tips from SSA and FTC alike are worth passing along again and again.

And they remind that no matter how savvy we’d like to think we and others have become through increased attention to fraud and tech skills, the fact is, someone out there’s being duped every minute of every day. Someone’s identity is being stolen. Someone’s being separated from their money and some scams can be life-threatening

Thieves have no shortage of chutzpah in their quest to deceive.

In a recent scam reported on Cocoa Police Department’s Facebook page, for example, a caller identified himself as a Cocoa Police sergeant to local residents. The caller, from an 800 number out of Greensboro, Florida, claimed the person was being subpoenaed in a civil case, failed to report for court duty and was being issued two citations totaling $2,000. That was followed by a wildly concocted story about a way the caller could help the person out and lower the amount of money the would-be victim would owe, complete with threats if the potential victim didn’t comply.

This one shouts “Danger, Will Robinson” — as Cocoa police said, “if you receive a phone call from someone identifying themselves as a law enforcement officer asking you to act in regards to paying civil fines, or court orders, it is a scam.”

“If you have doubts as to the authenticity of the phone call, hang up and call your local law enforcement agency to verify and/or report the scam,” the department advised.

None of this is anything new, of course. I can’t prove it but I wouldn’t be surprised if, when Jesus was evicting moneychangers from the temple and turned over tables, some of that merchandise billed as crafted in Jerusalem had “Made in Nazareth” etched across the bottom.

But scams have only gotten worse since everyone and his mother and a Nigerian prince (remember that guy? Probably a king now) got access to the internet and then, social media. The Federal Trade Commission says that while fraud reports dipped slightly last year, consumer fraud cost consumers $8.8 billion in 2022. That’s up 44% from 2021, with $2.6 billion of that tied to imposter scams, the most common form of fraud and second only to investment scams dollar-wise.

Ready to slam the scam? I know I am.

When it comes to Social Security and other government-based agencies, know that they will never:

Call you unsolicited to suspend your Social Security number, tell you about crimes committed in your name, or offer to resolve identity theft or a benefit problem in exchange for payment.
Insist you pay fines, fees, or debts immediately with retail gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, internet currency, or by mailing cash.
Insist on secrecy about a legal problem, or tell you to make up stories to tell family, friends, or store employees.

In addition, the Federal Trade Commission offers these tips for fighting fraud:

Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.

Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to an unexpected request. Honest organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers. And never click on any links asking for your information.

Resist the pressure to act immediately. If they pressure you to pay or give them personal information, they’re a scammer.

Know how scammers tell you to pay: Never pay someone who insists you pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

Stop and talk to someone you trust: Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened.

If you have concernts: The Federal Trade Commission takes reports on Social Security-related scams online at https://identitytheft.gov/ssa. Fraudulent calls can also be reported to Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/report or by calling 800-269-0271, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

As I’ve been writing this column, I’ve received an email alerting me that “According To Camp LeJeune Justice Act of 2022 Your Potential Claim Has Been SETTLED on 03/06/2023 and Compensation Has Been Approved! Please Claim Your Compensation Today.”

Except I’ve never been to Camp LeJeune. I haven’t been through North Carolina, except in an airport there, in several decades. It came from “robertmarkopolo,” which, said aloud, is suspect in itself.

And c’mon. If it’s a “potential” claim, I find it a little hard to swallow that it’s already been settled.

“Markopolo.”

Riiiiight.

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