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Terry Ambrose

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Scams & Cons

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FTC announces crackdown on timeshare resale scams

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An announcement made during a Miami press conference called by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC – ftc.gov) announced a crackdown on timeshare resale scams. As someone who once had and tried to sell a timeshare, this news seems long overdue. The timeshare resale industry has been extremely lucrative for the companies who conduct these scams. […]

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Popular scams a hot topic at Kiwanis meeting

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I just got back from my visit with the Kiwanis Club of Grantville in La Mesa. It was a great meeting and the presentation went very well, with lots of questions and participation. A couple of the things that seemed to surprise the members most were the triangulation scam and the QR code scam. Here’s […]

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Medical alert scams are targeting seniors

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Millions of seniors turn to monitoring companies to help keep them safe in the event of a fall or other medical emergency. When Kathy told me about an email from Bay Alarm Medical, I had to check it out. On May 15, the website at www.bayalarmmedical.com reported a scam that targets seniors. Their post said, […]

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Credit vs. debit cards, which is better?

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Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Rotary Club of Shadowridge in Vista about how to avoid scams and cons. One of the questions that was asked had to do with the differences between using a debit card and a credit card. The question was, is one better to use than […]

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Online photos can lead to scam

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Have you thought about buying something online from someone you didn’t know? One of the latest scams reported by the FBI involves these online sales. Scammers are now using these opportunities to pass malware in email attachments and photos. Yes, indeed, those online photos can now contain viruses and other executable code. “Buyer beware” has […]

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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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