5 scams spreading online that can cost you thousands

 

Kim KomandoSpecial to USA TODAY

We know that scams are rampant, but so many Americans still fall for them. Think you’re immune? Take Google’s scam spotter quiz and see if you can pass it.

You may have noticed that the number of robocalls slowed down when the pandemic hit. As call centers reopen around the world, robocalls are increasing. Tap or click here for proven ways to stop annoying robocalls for good.

Scammers have gotten more sinister. Here are five scams that are spreading now:

Get $1,000 in COVID-19 relief

Many Facebook users have reported getting messages offering “COVID-19 relief grants." The scammers pose as familiar contacts or relatives, offering the grants worth upwards of $1,000. If you take the bait, the scammers demand an upfront processing fee to send you the money.

Once you send the fee, the conversation either ends with the money you sent gone for good or the scammer requests even more fees. You may even get offers of additional grants. Scammers typically use either hacked or duplicated accounts created with stolen images and personal details.

Clicking the wrong links can send you straight to a malware mess. Here are the warning signs your phone or tablet has a virus.

If you are looking for COVID-19-related programs, go straight to the source or the official USA.gov page.

If you’re a victim of a COVID-19 scam, here’s how to report it:

• Report the scam post and fake profile on Facebook.
• Call the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721 or email disaster@leo.gov.  
• If you have lost money online, submit your complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

The puppy is so dang cute

Many people want a pandemic puppy or kitten to ease the stress of current events. Scammers pose as individuals or breeders and post photos of the animals on social media, Craigslist, or dedicated pet websites.

You spot your new fur baby and reach out. The scammers ask questions via email or chat to pre-qualify you as an excellent potential adoptive family. The interview's real reason is the scammers want you to get emotionally vested and attached to the animal. 

Sorry, the animals don’t exist. The scammers use photos they stole online. Do a reverse image search to spot the fakes.

When you want a new pet, visit Petfinder and The Shelter Pet Project.

If you’re a victim of a pet scam, here’s how to report it:

• Petscams only investigates scams that are using their own website.
• You can report the scam posts and profiles on Facebook. There’s also a dedicated Puppy Scams page.
• You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

If you have lost money online in a pet scam, submit your complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

There’s porn in your cloud account

Say you get a phone call from Apple’s Special Investigations Unit. The bogus official-sounding investigator tells you that child pornography has been found in your online cloud account. He explains in great detail that someone likely planted child pornography on your computer and it’s being backed up to the cloud. Their forensic team needs complete access to your computer to find the child pornography and remove it.

Lucky you, Apple’s Special Investigations Unit accepts Amazon gift cards for payment. Just send them the gift card numbers and activation details.

A recent caller to my national radio show fell for this scam and sent the scammers over $90,000! Multiple red flags spell scam. Namely, Apple (or any other tech company) will not call you if there is child pornography on your computer. Law enforcement and the feds will knock on your door with warrants in hand.

Furthermore, no tech company will accept retail store gift cards for payment. When you get an unsolicited phone call from a big tech company that needs complete remote access to your computer, hang up.

If you are a victim of a telephone scam, here’s how to report it:

• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
• Perhaps you fell for this scam because the caller ID was spoofed. Report this online with the Federal Communications Commission.
• Every state has a consumer protection office that can assist, too.

I don’t remember ordering this

Have you gotten a mysterious package in the mail containing jewelry, kitchen utensils, or small toys? If so, you’re the victim of a bizarre “brushing scam” that involves packages originating from China. Sketchy online sellers try to bolster the number of positive reviews on Amazon and other shopping sites.

It's actually a lot of work. Online sellers in China find addresses in the United States, where they can ship inexpensive packages. Afterward, they create a fake account on the shopping site using the address where they shipped the product. That address is only being used to let them create fake reviews.

Over the past few months, there was a wave of seeds received from China. Amazon has since banned the sale of all foreign plants and seeds on its site.

If you are a victim of a brushing scam, here’s what you need to do:

• File a complaint on Amazon as a security issue.
• For good measure, change your password at the shopping site.

By the way, according to the Federal Trade Commission, you are allowed to keep any products you receive as part of a brushing scam.

How can you tell good products from the junk online with fake reviews floating around? Tap or click for some online shopping know-how.

The CEO emailed me

With so much information available online on sites from Crunchbase to LinkedIn, along with state corporation records, it’s fairly easy to know who’s who in a company. These searches open the door to a breed of sneaky phishing email called BEC, short for “Business Email Compromise.”

You get an email that appears to be from your manager, co-worker, department head (HR is a favorite), or even the CEO. The return address looks legitimate and says it’s from @yourcompanyname.

The stories vary. Maybe you need to pay an invoice, check a budget, or complete a form. Don’t dilly dally. You have to do it now!

There is a file attached to the email. Open the attachment and you’ve got a keylogger on your system or worse. Recently, a BEC was spreading that contained a link that redirected you to a Microsoft SharePoint page for you to download the file. This roundabout method prevents email defenses from marking the message and attachment as spam.

If you just opened an attachment to a BEC, here’s what you need to do:

• Notify your company’s IT department and manager.
• Run a complete system scan for any viruses and malware. Here are some free online tools.
• Change your passwords to everything. Yes, it’s a total pain. These tips can make it easier.

If you or your company lost money in a BEC, here’s what you need to do:

• Notify your company’s IT department and your manager.
• Someone should notify your financial institution and have them contact the financial institution where you sent the money.
• Report the crime to your local FBI field office.

Since you lost money online, submit your complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Those are just five of the many scams circulating online. Trust me, by the time you've finished reading this, there will be more. Use your best judgment and remember, there's always someone out there trying to fool you out of your money.

5 Signs of an IRS Tax Scam

 By Maryalene LaPonsie

The caller ID may say IRS, but you shouldn't assume it's a government agent you're speaking with on the phone. It could be a fraudster hoping to intimidate you into providing sensitive information or making a payment on a tax bill that doesn't exist. Common IRS scams include demanding Social Security numbers or insisting on gift card payments. Failure to comply could result in threats that law enforcement is on its way.

"The (tax) system is very complicated, and most people aren't confident when filing their taxes," says Christina Taylor, head of operations at Credit Karma Tax. That can make it easy for criminals impersonating IRS agents to manipulate others into giving up personal or financial information. "The scammers prey on that vulnerability," according to Taylor.

To assure you don't become a victim, watch out for these five red flags of an IRS tax scam.

• An email, phone call or text claiming to be the IRS.
• Poor grammar, hostile tone or awkward sentence structure.
• Threats that law enforcement will be called.
• Requests for payment via gift card, prepaid card or wire transfers.
• Demands for a refund to be repaid.
• Email, Phone Call or Text Claiming to Be the IRS

When it comes to contacting taxpayers, the IRS will almost always use the U.S. Postal Service. "The IRS is old-fashioned," says Howard Dvorkin, CPA and chairman of financial solutions website Debt.com. "You'll get a letter first."

Since the IRS doesn't initiate contact over the phone, the best course of action may be to simply hang up on anyone who claims to be an IRS agent. Don't believe what your caller ID says either. Scammers have gotten proficient at spoofing, a method by which they can make it appear on caller ID that a call is coming from the IRS or Washington, D.C.

You can also ignore all texts that supposedly come from the IRS. "The IRS doesn't even have the capability to text you," Taylor explains.

Avoid engaging with anyone who calls or emails and claims to be from the IRS. They may have already accessed some of your personal information through a security breach and the longer you stay on the phone with them, the greater the chances are they may be able to cajole or bully you into sharing more.

"In some cases, they have enough of your information to scare you into giving the rest of your information," says Adam Levin, founder and chairman of CyberScout, a data and identity protection company.

Poor Grammar, Hostile Tone or Awkward Sentence Structure

If you do find yourself on the phone or reading an email from someone who claims to be an IRS agent, poor English is another giveaway of a scam. Some IRS scams are based outside the country, and poor grammar, multiple typos or unusual wording is a red flag that the message or email is not an official IRS communication.

"The tone of the communication is very important," Levin says. "The IRS doesn't call and threaten." Hostile email messages or someone yelling on the phone are sure signs of a scam.

If you need reassurance that the call or email is fake, you can contact the IRS directly to confirm the message is not from the agency. Be sure to call the agency's toll-free number of 1-800-829-1040 instead of any number left on your voicemail or sent in an email.

Threats That Law Enforcement Will Be Called

Scammers use the IRS' intimidating reputation to their benefit. "What better way to scare people than to pretend you're from the IRS?" Dvorkin asks.

Because of that fear, people may believe an IRS impersonator when he or she says the police or immigration officers will be sent to make an arrest if payment isn't made over the phone.

However, security experts and the IRS say this is a classic sign of a scam. "They are never going to demand immediate payment," Levin says. If you have an outstanding tax bill, that would be a civil matter, not a criminal one, and not something the police would be called in to handle.

Requests for a Payment via Gift Card, Prepaid Card or Wire Transfer

Another sure sign of a scam is a request to purchase prepaid cards or gift cards and use those to make a tax payment. The same goes for demands to send a wire transfer.

In some cases, people will get collection calls from the IRS if the agency's numerous mail notices go unheeded. However, the agency doesn't demand immediate payment during those calls.

It also can't dictate how you pay the bill. Even if it could, it would make no sense for the government to want to be paid with gift cards to the iTunes store or another retailer.

Demands for a Refund to Be Repaid

A less common IRS scam involves taxpayers receiving an unexpected direct deposit from the Treasury Department. Then, someone pretending to be an IRS agent contacts the person to arrange for the overpayment to be sent to them.

"The IRS is not going to call you to get a refund," Taylor says. She reminds people, "The IRS loves letters."

If the deposit is followed by a contact from a supposed IRS agent requesting bank information or the return of the money, taxpayers can be assured they are the target of a scam. Should you get a refund you're not expecting, contact the IRS right away. It could be a sign that a fraudulent tax return has been filed in your name. You can also contact your financial institution to have the deposit returned to the government.

While experts say the best advice is to simply ignore IRS scams, you can also report them. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has an IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form for that purpose. If you've lost money to a scammer, you may also want to file a report with your local police agency.

Copyright 2020 U.S. News & World Report