 | Tony Tighe – Consumer FYISome things don’t change. Despite all the warnings and media attention, scam artists still seem to fool new victims. Whether it’s online, in the mail, by phone or in person you have to be cautious.As we head into the New Year, here are a look back at the top scams of 2012. |
Secret Shopper- February 8th
Secret shopper ads promise easy money, but send you counterfeit cheques to cash for the work and tell you to wire payments to companies to test their customer service. Unsuspecting people cash them and have to repay all the money. A real mystery shopper company explains how to tell the real from the fake jobs.
Seniors Fraud- March 2nd
Seniors get a call from someone claiming to be a grandchild in an emergency. They’re told to wire money to help them get out of jail or hospital bills-but it’s usually just a scammer.
Fake Ads – October 1st
Online scammers hijack ads selling cars and repost them on other sites to con people to wire money.
Rental Ads – November 26th
Ads to rent homes online are posted by phony landlords. They take real estate listings and cut and paste photos and descriptions as a home for rent. They try to get the tenant to wire deposit and rent.
Puppy Ads – January 6th
Phony pet ads online try to get you to send money but the animals don’t exist. The humane society screens online ads to find suspicious pet ads.
Phony Invoice – November 5th
Businesses are targets of phony invoice scams, when companies are sent bills for webhosting. The scammers hope it will slip through accounting and the bill will be rubber stamped and paid.
Lottery Warning – March 9th
Publishers Clearing House phony sweepstakes letters are being sent to unsuspecting people. Everything looks legitimate, but it’s a scam.
Readers Lottery – March 28th
Phoney readers digest sweepstakes phone calls try to get you to wire money to claim the big cash prize.
Best Buy Bug – May 23rd
The cell phone text spam looks like a text or email from your phone company or a legitimate company but clicking on the link can download a virus or lead to hidden charges.
Online car sales- February 10th
Auto advertising sites claim they can sell your car and charge a weekly fee, but take six months off your credit card upfront.
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