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Terry Ambrose

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Scams & Cons

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IRS phone call scam uses old tricks – new techniques

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If you thought the days of worrying about income tax were behind you, think again. On August 2, the IRS announced there has been an increase in telephone calls in which the caller claims to be an IRS agent.  The callers have also begun using robo-dialers to increase the number of people they reach in this IRS phone call […]

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Hurricane relief scams — the season begins

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It’s August, which means the East Coast is gearing up for hurricane season. Sadly, with those tropical storms come the hurricane relief scams. The problem has grown to where disaster fraud is now a recurrent billion dollar social problem. That’s a lot of fraud. Greed, ambition, and, yes, even qualifications, determine which hurricane relief scams […]

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Energy bill email scam has entertainment value

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The email scam I’m covering today led off with a killer summary. “Your energy bill might be cancelled in July.” The line caught my eye right away. It was obvious. This energy bill email scam was going to be something special…at least from the standpoint of entertainment value. The energy bill email scam The email […]

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The rise of ransomware — a scary direction

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If you’re a cybercrook, the “next big thing” is the rise of ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware that locks computer files and deletes them if a ransom is not paid. Typically, the criminal will require payment in bitcoins, which is an untraceable digital currency. For you and me, the rise of ransomware is scary. The […]

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Bugged by computer security popup ads?

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Have you ever needed help fixing a computer problem? Maybe you thought your machine had contracted a virus or malware. Or, it had become sluggish. What if you just need someone who knows what they’re doing to walk you through how to resolve  an issue. Computer security popup ads have been making these claims for years. […]

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Too good to be true: Craigslist scams to look out for

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If you use Craigslist regularly, you’ve probably been the target of a scam. From Nigerian princes to suspect personal checks, scammers see this e-commerce community as a chance to take advantage of users’ trust. Craigslist may never rid itself of fraudulent activity. Here are some of the most common Craigslist scams plaguing this convenient online-classifieds […]

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When we are vulnerable — an email scam tip

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We’re most vulnerable when we’re not paying attention or when coincidence catches us off guard. This would have been an easy scam to fall for had I not been paying attention. First off, we’re doing business with Hawai‘i Life, so it wasn’t unusual to receive an email from them. Second, everything in the email was […]

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Easy tip to avoid tricky Craigslist and PayPal email scam

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One of my beta readers, Celeste G., forwarded news about an article in the New York Post concerning a Craigslist and PayPal email scam. She had two reasons for writing. First, she said the article didn’t make it completely clear how the scam worked. Second, she thought I might be interested in writing about it. […]

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The great garbage disposal caper — 3 plumbers, 14 days

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Trust me. This is not a scam tip. But, if you own an older home and have jobs piling up, this story might help you avoid spending more than you need for service. The great garbage disposal caper began on Memorial Day weekend. The first sign of a problem was when instead of merrily grinding […]

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Will medical identity theft be the next big thing?

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A hacker wants to steal your personal information. Oh, and your health insurance company wants to reduce their costs. These two pieces of information are far more closely tied together than you might realize. First, identity theft is a massive business. Also, if your insurance company can get you to visit a doctor online, you […]

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