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 the "Dirty Dozen" for tax scams in 2013. Among those scams is one in which … [Read more...] about Free money from the IRS? Not likely.
Scams & Cons
Fake Desjardins email offers a big prize
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 recipient has won a weekly prize of $1000.00. As is the norm for these … [Read more...] about Fake Desjardins email offers a big prize
Fiserv is the latest corporate target of fraudulent emails
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 for Fiserv. It also includes what is probably their … [Read more...] about Fiserv is the latest corporate target of fraudulent emails
Scammers use the telephone, too
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 her mother’s house and found her mother giving out personal information over the phone to a … [Read more...] about Scammers use the telephone, too
What’s in a name?
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 September 11, 2001 Tenth Year Anniversary … [Read more...] about What’s in a name?