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▶ VIDEO
WFMY News 2
· 2024-04-19
This educational piece from the Better Business Bureau discusses phone spoofing scams, where fraudsters manipulate caller ID to display legitimate business numbers (banks, the IRS, Sheriff's Office) to trick recipients into believing they are legitimate callers. The article explains how spoofing works and advises consumers to be cautious when receiving calls from seemingly recognizable numbers, as scammers can now spoof real phone numbers from trusted institutions to increase the likelihood that victims will comply with their requests.
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News 19 WLTX
· 2024-03-21
The FBI warned South Carolinians about romance scams after 277 victims lost over $11 million in the previous year, though only 29 cases were reported to the State Department of Consumer Affairs. One victim, Sandra Sheely, was contacted on Facebook by a scammer who developed a fabricated relationship using photos and videos before defrauding her, and she continues working to repay the losses. The FBI emphasized the need for increased reporting of romance and confidence fraud, which are becoming an increasing threat in South Carolina.
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FOX31 Denver
· 2024-03-11
Scams increased 34% year-over-year leading up to tax season, with the Colorado Public Interest Research Group warning consumers to remain vigilant. Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics including calls, texts, and impersonation of family members, with an 81% of Americans expressing concern about personal data misuse. Consumer protection experts advise sharing minimal personal information, ignoring unsolicited urgent money requests, and placing credit freezes with the three major credit bureaus to prevent identity theft and fraudulent account creation.
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Tamron Hall Show
· 2024-02-21
Charlotte Kohls, a financial advice columnist for New York Magazine, fell victim to an elaborate scam that began with a fake Amazon call claiming $8,000 in fraudulent charges on a non-existent business account. The scammer then posed as an FTC agent investigating her for money laundering and financial crimes, ultimately convincing her to withdraw and hand over $50,000 in cash to a stranger. Kohls's experience serves as a warning that even financially knowledgeable individuals are vulnerable to sophisticated social engineering scams.
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CNN
· 2024-02-19
A financial columnist for New York magazine fell victim to an elaborate multi-stage scam in which fraudsters impersonating Amazon, the Federal Trade Commission, and a CIA investigator convinced her to withdraw $50,000 and hand it to them in cash over the course of a five-hour phone call. The scammers exploited her vulnerability by threatening her family and creating a false sense of urgency, using isolation tactics to prevent her from seeking help or verification. She came forward with her story to highlight that scam victims span all demographics and professions, and that sophisticated scammers are skilled at identifying and exploiting individual vulnerabilities.