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Terry Ambrose

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Scams & Cons

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Latest online scam targets anyone with a phone

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Here’s the latest FBI notice from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3 – ic3.gov). This one’s a beauty and relies on the fact that everyone loves to be a winner. This scam works when you receive an automated telephone call that claims to be from your telecommunication carrier. The call directs you to a website […]

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Sextortion scams

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You might wonder what in the world a sextortion scam is. According to the FBI and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), these scams have been for a couple of years. Here’s how they work. You receive a contact via social media or an online dating website. The person contacting you spend some time establishing […]

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Operation Homeless – the check scam

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This arrest in Lincoln, NE didn’t make the national news, but it does show how far some people will go to take advantage of others. On Apr. 4., Derrick Andrews, 22, of Georgia was charged with three counts of second-degree forgery by Lincoln  police for his involvement in a check-cashing scam that has been dubbed […]

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Free money from the IRS? Not likely.

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With April 15 fast approaching, we’re squarely in the midst of tax season. What would happen if you were approached or saw a flyer about free money from the IRS? Would you go for it? After all, you’ve paid in taxes over the years, right? Why not? The IRS (irs.gov) recently released what it calls […]

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Fake Desjardins email offers a big prize

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Would it be bad form to call this spam email the French connection to phishing? Probably. So let’s not go there. As I reported in my Crime & Courts column on Examiner.com, Desjardins, has become the hook of choice used in a new email phishing scheme. The email, which is written in French, states that the […]

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Fiserv is the latest corporate target of fraudulent emails

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It seems that lately there’s been an increase in the number of “financial company” emails advising me that my invoice has gone unpaid or that I need to fill out a form to complete some other financial transaction I never initiated. Here’s the latest email and, oddly enough, this one even has correct contact information […]

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Scammers use the telephone, too

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It happened again on Saturday. I was talking to someone at a meeting and mentioned that I’m trying to help educate people about how to avoid scams and cons. I handed her a card with my “Seven Tips to Stay Ahead of the Con” and she started telling me her mother. Recently, she walked into […]

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What’s in a name?

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National Collector’s Mint. The company name sounds very official, almost as though the company were somehow related to the US Mint. As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. The Federal Trade Commission just settled with National Collector’s Mint to avoid a lawsuit based on it’s practices in selling none other than […]

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Social media can be dangerous as well as fun

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Social media has become a normal part of our everyday lives. But, it’s also an opportunity for scammers to do their worst. There are different ways in which your personal information could be compromised, however these options rely on luring your to a fraudulent website. One possible way for scammers to bring you to their […]

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Check to make sure prescriptions are the best alternative

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I recently ran a story in my Crime & Courts column on Examiner.com, Pharmaceutical firm caught in kickback scheme, that talked about Victory Pharma Inc. and it’s payments to doctors that ensured the prescription of their medications. While this practice is illegal, companies still attempt to engage in this practice of offering inducements to doctors. […]

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