On February 19, the IRS released it’s “‘Dirty Dozen’ Tax Scams for 2014.” The list has become an annual warning about how the bad guys are using the IRS as a way to make money.Topping the list this year was “Identity Theft.” The IRS has jumped on the “Identity Theft is Bad” bandwagon and even has an Identity Protection section on their website. Take it from someone who’s … [Read more...] about The IRS Dirty Dozen list has arrived
scams
The KISS principle in scams
Here’s the deal. The scammers have learned that we’ve learned that they use bogus links to lure us to websites where they can download viruses and malware. From an optimist’s standpoint, this means it’s time for new tricks because the old ones aren’t working as well. Maybe. It could also mean this guy was just plain lazy. Or, that they're now applying the KISS principle.In … [Read more...] about The KISS principle in scams
3 Travel Scams to Be Wary of in 2014
Mark Orwell is no stranger to scams. This veteran traveler has lost money in a currency exchange in a Canadian coffee shop, been mugged by a "friendly" local in New York City, and tricked into attending a "student" art show in Beijing that turned out to be a bunch of peddlers with overpriced cheaply made souvenirs.Although an international trip is always exciting, make sure … [Read more...] about 3 Travel Scams to Be Wary of in 2014
Valentine’s Day is almost here—and so are the scams
It’s the season of love and I couldn’t resist a post about the scams about online dating. I also covered it in The Snitch (my newsletter), which came out today. There, I looked at a different perspective. Feel free to check out the newsletter here.One of the things that prompted me to cover this topic was that the Better Business Bureau released a warning this past week to … [Read more...] about Valentine’s Day is almost here—and so are the scams
American Express email scams are back
During the past week, there have been three email hoaxes sent using American Express as the lure to trick recipients into clicking a link in the email. The latest of those emails was sent on Feb. 4 with the subject line “Important: Personal Security Key.”The Feb. 4 “Personal Security Key” email included the American Express logo and buttons to View Account, Make a Payment, … [Read more...] about American Express email scams are back