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KSBY News
· 2025-08-23
The California Franchise Tax Board is warning taxpayers about scams involving fraudulent text messages impersonating the FTB, which direct recipients to fake websites designed to steal personal and banking information. Officials advise recipients not to respond to suspicious communications claiming to be from the FTB or IRS, and instead contact the agencies directly to verify any claims.
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CTV News
· 2025-08-21
Online gambling scams in Canada involve unregulated "gray market" gambling sites that lure users with enticing advertisements and promised payouts, but then freeze accounts and refuse to pay out winnings without responding to complaints. The Better Business Bureau received approximately 10,000 complaints about these fraudulent sites between mid-2022 and the present, with users reporting account freezes, non-payment of funds, and lack of customer communication or protection. Canadians are advised to use only regulated legal gambling platforms like Play Alberta to avoid these scams.
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FOX59 News
· 2025-08-19
Imposter scammers are increasingly targeting seniors' life savings, with the number of older Americans reporting losses exceeding $100,000 increasing nearly sevenfold since 2020, according to FTC data. Scammers impersonating businesses and government agencies use three common tactics to create urgency and fear: claiming unauthorized account use, identity theft, or computer security problems, then instructing victims to move money to accounts they control under the guise of protection. The FTC advises never transferring money at a stranger's direction and instead hanging up and contacting trusted contacts or the agency directly to verify claims.
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WHNT News 19
· 2025-08-19
Scammers are tricking consumers into paying fees for passport renewal forms that are actually free downloads from the U.S. government website. These fraudulent sites mimic the official government website (ending in .com instead of .gov) and may trick victims into providing personal and financial information, potentially leading to identity theft. Consumers should verify they are using the official site (travel.state.gov) and avoid clicking sponsored search results, while monitoring their bank accounts if they suspect they've been victimized.
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WREG News Channel 3
· 2025-08-11
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NBC 7 San Diego
· 2025-08-06
An equestrian coach from Ramona lost nearly $6,000 in a phishing scam when she received a text warning that her bank accounts were compromised and a follow-up call appearing to be from her bank. The scammer impersonated a bank representative and guided her to "protect" her money, but the bank later confirmed they were never the ones contacting her. The victim is now speaking publicly to warn others about this common social engineering fraud tactic.
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FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
· 2025-08-04
A Twin Cities woman fell victim to a sophisticated employment scam involving fake virtual interviews for a high-level executive position and forged company benefits documentation designed to collect her personal information and cash. The scam was remarkably elaborate, mimicking authentic company processes and going through multiple interview stages before the victim discovered the fraud and contacted the actual company being impersonated, which confirmed they were unaware of the scheme.
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FOX59 News
· 2025-08-04
Phishing scammers are increasingly using recognizable brand names—including EZPass, Microsoft, Steam, Facebook, Coinbase, Netflix, American Express, and others—to trick victims into clicking malicious links or visiting fake websites. Scammers exploit familiarity and artificial urgency to prompt impulsive action, with AI making fraudulent emails and websites look increasingly realistic; fake DMV scams saw a 700% increase in one quarter. The best defense is to never click links in unsolicited messages and instead navigate directly to official websites through your own search to verify any account issues.
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CBS 13 News
· 2025-08-03
The FBI warned of an uptick in scams where fraudsters impersonate government agencies and law enforcement, using threatening language and demanding payment via money, gift cards, or Bitcoin while threatening arrest. In 2024, New England reported nearly 780 such complaints totaling approximately $13 million in losses, with Maine alone experiencing 98 victims who lost over $1.6 million. The FBI reminds the public that legitimate law enforcement agencies will never contact individuals by phone, email, or text to demand payment.
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NBC4 Columbus
· 2025-07-16
A woman in central Ohio fell victim to a Publishers Clearing House imposter scam after receiving a TikTok message claiming she had won a truck and $1 million. Scammers contacted her posing as PCH representatives, requesting payment for prize delivery, and the scheme escalated when they obtained her phone number and sent fraudulent badges and documentation. The victim shared her story to warn others about this widespread sweepstakes scam affecting people across the United States.
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WREG News Channel 3
· 2025-07-16
Military families should watch out for three scams: job scams targeting military spouses with promises of remote work and easy money (red flags include unsolicited checks and requests for personal information before interviews), identity theft during military moves when financial documents are vulnerable (freezing credit or placing an active duty fraud alert is recommended), and fraudulent VA benefit overpayment letters claiming money is owed. The VA offers free repayment assistance, so individuals should verify claims directly through VA.gov rather than responding to suspicious letters.
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Newsmax
· 2025-06-30
Scam artists, including foreign nationals living in the country illegally, are impersonating federal agents to defraud senior citizens by threatening them with false fraud investigations. In Spanish Fort, Alabama, a Chinese national posing as a federal agent swindled a retired educator out of over $400,000 through weeks of coercion involving cash withdrawals, gold purchases, and psychological intimidation about wire fraud cases. Law enforcement reports this is an organized, deliberate scheme targeting retirees' life savings and extends beyond Alabama.
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FOX 2 St. Louis
· 2025-06-27
A new Better Business Bureau report examines sophisticated business scams where fraudsters impersonate vendors, access computer systems, and obtain sensitive data through breaches. The FBI reports $1.4 billion in losses from data breaches over three years, with IBM estimating average breach costs of nearly $5 million per business in 2024. The BBB recommends businesses implement multi-factor authentication, conduct cybersecurity training for employees, and establish unique passwords across all devices to protect against these increasingly complex attacks.
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CBS19
· 2025-06-25
Summer scammers exploit seasonal urgency with fake vacation rentals, utility shut-off threats, and online marketplace deals that appear legitimate but result in financial loss or property disputes. Red flags include unsolicited door-to-door visits from utility workers, deals that seem too good to be true, and requests for payment before verifying legitimacy. Experts recommend awareness of common scam tactics and verification of offers through official channels to prevent falling victim.
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NewsX Live
· 2025-06-19
Two Indian nationals studying in the United States were sentenced to federal prison for phishing scams impersonating US government officials to defraud elderly Americans. Kishan Rajkumar Patel, age 20, targeted at least 25 elderly victims and caused $94,156 in losses, while another Indian student named Muhammad was sentenced to 8 years in prison for a similar scheme that defrauded elderly Americans of nearly $6 million.
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WJZ
· 2025-06-16
Maryland state leaders and AARP launched "Protect Week," a public education campaign coinciding with World Elder Abuse Day, to help older adults and families avoid financial exploitation and scams. In Maryland alone, over 3,200 people aged 60+ lost approximately $80 million to scams in the previous year, with fraud often originating from both strangers online and trusted individuals. The campaign emphasizes that scammers exploit elders' vulnerability and trusting nature through increasingly sophisticated schemes that create artificial urgency.
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KPRC 2 Click2Houston
· 2025-06-10
A 65-year-old Vietnamese American man in Houston lost his entire life savings of $500,000 in an elaborate elder fraud scheme that began with a legitimate IRS identity theft letter. Scammers posing as Vietnamese embassy officials then contacted him via phone calls in Vietnamese, claiming his identity was being used to launder money overseas, and convinced him over nearly five months to send money by using AI-generated videos and fake documents impersonating government officials. The victim, now forced to continue working past retirement age, is seeking assistance to recover from the fraud.
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CBS Evening News
· 2025-06-01
A 26-year-old U.S. Navy electrician named Thomas Xiao admitted to passing sensitive military documents to a Chinese intelligence officer who posed as an investor and researcher on the Chinese social media app WeChat between 2021 and 2023. Chinese intelligence operatives are increasingly using social media and virtual contact to recruit U.S. military personnel and extract classified information, as traditional in-person espionage has become more difficult.
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therhodeshow
· 2025-05-20
This educational segment discusses common senior scams affecting millions of Americans annually, including identity theft schemes, grandparent scams (falsely claiming a relative needs bail money), tech support scams, and romance scams. Key prevention strategies include educating seniors about scam tactics, maintaining regular involvement in their financial affairs, and reporting suspected fraud to state police or adult services, while noting that many scams go unreported due to victim embarrassment.
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KOAT
· 2025-05-18
As the Department of Education resumed collections on defaulted student loans for the first time in five years, experts warn that scammers may exploit borrowers during this period. To protect yourself, verify any debt collector's legitimacy directly with your loan servicer, request a written validation notice of the debt, and be aware that legitimate collectors cannot charge fees for assistance—if asked to pay for help managing loans, it is a scam.
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Dayton 24/7 Now
· 2025-05-13
Millions of elderly Americans fall victim to financial scams annually, with the most common targeting seniors being investment/cryptocurrency scams, home improvement scams, romance scams, and online purchase scams. Phone fraud is also prevalent, where scammers impersonate government agencies or bank officials, using either polite or threatening tactics to manipulate victims into sending money. To protect seniors, awareness of these common scam types and verification tactics is essential.
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CBS4 Indy
· 2025-05-05
A Full Stack Academy survey ranks Indiana second nationally for phishing scam victims, with 40% of Hoosiers reporting they've been targeted and 69% lacking confidence in spotting phishing attempts. The most common scam tactic in the state involves impersonating major delivery services (Amazon, USPS, UPS) and payment platforms (PayPal, FedEx) to lure victims into clicking malicious links through fake delivery delay notifications, with email remaining the primary attack vector. Experts recommend independently verifying suspicious messages by navigating directly to company websites or looking up official phone numbers rather than clicking links in unsolicited communications.
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CBS 13 News
· 2025-04-27
Maine residents lost $31 million to cybercrime and scams in 2024, a 65% increase from $19 million in 2023, according to FBI data. Adults aged 60 and older accounted for $13 million (40%) of these losses, with tech support scams, government impersonation, and investment fraud being the primary threats to this age group. The FBI recommends reporting wire transfer fraud within 72 hours through IC3.gov to trigger a financial fraud response.
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Kim Komando
· 2025-04-26
I cannot provide a summary of this content as requested. The text provided appears to be a casual radio show transcript discussing Melinda Gates' memoir, but it does not contain any information about a psychiatrist, a $500K pig butchering scam, or elder fraud.
The title references a scam story, but the actual transcript content does not match the title. Could you please provide the correct article or transcript about the psychiatrist and pig butchering scam?
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CBS Chicago
· 2025-04-18
The Better Business Bureau warns of a surge in Real ID scams targeting consumers rushing to meet the May 7th federal deadline. Scammers impersonate government officials through fraudulent alerts and emails, claiming problems with applicants' Real IDs or warning about the deadline to steal personal information, a tactic previously seen during the 2021 deadline extension.
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NBC10 Philadelphia
· 2025-04-11
Scammers are increasingly impersonating government agencies—particularly the Social Security Administration, Health and Human Services, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Postal Service—to steal personal information and money through unsolicited calls. Losses from government impersonation scams rose from $618 million in 2023 to $789 million in 2024, with over 265,000 reports filed, and victims should know that legitimate government agencies never demand money, make threats, or ask people to move funds over the phone.
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ABC4 Utah
· 2025-04-10
The U.S. Postal Service warns the public about romance scams, where fraudsters pose as romantic interests online to solicit money from victims, emphasizing that people should never send money or valuables to anyone they haven't met in person. The USPS is also working to combat mail carrier robberies by implementing new mailboxes with digital locks to enhance carrier safety and reduce theft risks.
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THV11
· 2025-04-08
Modern scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics that are difficult to distinguish from legitimate contacts, including impersonating law enforcement and court officials through voicemails claiming victims have missed court dates or been served papers. These emotionally manipulative scams attempt to pressure victims into providing sensitive information or money by creating a false sense of urgency and legal jeopardy. Authorities recommend vigilance in verifying the legitimacy of unexpected calls and texts before responding with personal or financial information.
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This Morning
· 2025-03-31
Ian Fin and his wife lost thousands of pounds from their bank account while on holiday in Australia when scammers performed a SIM swap fraud on their phone. A SIM swap scam occurs when fraudsters fraudulently transfer a victim's phone number to a SIM card under their control, intercepting texts and calls used for two-factor authentication to access bank accounts and steal funds. The segment explains this increasingly common scam affects nearly everyone and provides information on how the legitimate SIM card swap service can be exploited by criminals for financial theft.
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NDTV
· 2025-03-29
An elderly couple in Karnataka's Bellagavi district lost Rs 50 lakh to cyber fraudsters posing as telecom and crime branch officials who threatened them with a "digital arrest" scam, ultimately leading to their deaths by suicide. The scammers, identified as Sume Birra and Anil Yadav Bira, falsely claimed a SIM card had been fraudulently registered in the victims' names and demanded increasingly larger transfers. The incident underscores the vulnerability of senior citizens to digital fraud schemes and the critical need for public awareness that no official "digital arrest" procedure exists.
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NDTV Profit
· 2025-03-29
An elderly couple in Belagavi, Karnataka died by suicide after losing 50 lakh rupees (approximately $60,000 USD) to cyber fraudsters who impersonated telecom and crime branch officials and threatened them with a fabricated "digital arrest." The scammers, identified as Sumit Birra and Anil Yadav, claimed a SIM card had been fraudulently purchased in the couple's name and was being used for illegal activities, then demanded increasingly large payments before the victims took their own lives. The incident underscores the vulnerability of elderly citizens to "digital arrest" scams, which are not a legitimate law enforcement action.
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KCAU-TV Sioux City
· 2025-03-28
During tax season in South Dakota, scammers increased phone calls claiming recipients owed back taxes, using different voices, company names, and phone numbers with each message. The Better Business Bureau warned that the IRS never initiates contact via phone, email, or text demanding immediate payment—legitimate IRS contact comes first by mail—and requests for payment via gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or cash apps are definite indicators of fraud.
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CBS Philadelphia
· 2025-03-27
Washington Township Police Department in New Jersey partnered with the FBI to host an educational seminar teaching seniors and families how to recognize and avoid scams, prompted by recent major fraud cases in their community. Scammers commonly use fear, urgency, and confusion to target seniors through IRS scams, grandparent scams, tax support scams, online banking scams, and EasyPass billing scams, with recent local cases involving losses of $100,000 or more. Police emphasize that recognizing red flags through education is the most effective way to prevent seniors from losing their savings to fraud.
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NewsWatch 12
· 2025-03-24
Officials are warning flood victims to be alert for scams involving fake fundraisers on platforms like GoFundMe, fraudulent contractors offering repairs, and imposters posing as government workers. To protect themselves, victims should verify charities before donating, never pay contractors in cash, check licenses and obtain multiple written estimates, and remember that legitimate government workers will never request money.
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60 Minutes
· 2025-03-23
This 60 Minutes segment examines why investment fraud and Ponzi schemes continue to thrive despite public awareness of high-profile cases like Bernie Madoff's multi-billion dollar fraud. The piece features expert Ricky Jay discussing how con artists exploit human psychology—including greed and excessive trust—and identifies key warning signs such as dealings with well-established figures who rely on exclusive affiliations to build credibility. The segment highlights that despite financial disasters and skepticism, investors remain vulnerable to sophisticated scams, a phenomenon regulators refer to as "ponzi-monium."
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FOX59 News
· 2025-03-18
Americans lost a record $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from $10 billion in 2023, according to the FTC's annual report. While the number of fraud reports remained stable at 3.7 million, the percentage of reports resulting in actual financial loss increased from 27% to 38%, and median losses per victim rose significantly since 2020. The rise in fraud losses is attributed partly to AI-enabled scams, with government imposter scams, online shopping fraud, and email-based schemes being particularly prevalent, though notably young people are now losing more money than senior citizens.
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Eyewitness News ABC7NY
· 2025-03-12
SMS phishing scams ("smishing"), along with related voice phishing ("vishing"), remain prevalent threats that consumers regularly receive via text messages and calls. The FBI warns consumers to delete these deceptive messages rather than clicking links, as leaving them on devices can allow scammers to access personal information; scammers typically exploit current news trends and seasonal events like tax season to lure victims.
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CBS 13 News
· 2025-03-04
Financial losses from scams in Maine are rising significantly, with scammers employing increasingly sophisticated and relentless tactics that have intensified since the pandemic, according to AARP Maine experts. Common scam types affecting Maine residents include door-to-door scams and romance scams, among others, and anyone can become a victim regardless of demographics. Experts emphasize that knowledge and vigilance are critical to protecting oneself from these evolving fraud schemes.
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KMBC 9
· 2025-02-26
Prosecutors in Leavenworth are warning of a scam targeting families of incarcerated individuals, in which scammers monitor jail logs, obtain court and bond information, then impersonate sheriff's deputies to pressure families into paying false fees (such as $4,500 for an ankle bracelet) under the pretense of securing an inmate's release. Victims should verify any such claims directly with official law enforcement or court channels, avoid phone payments, and be wary of artificial urgency tactics.
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WHNT News 19
· 2025-02-22
Tax scammers are actively targeting taxpayers during the 2025 tax season by filing fraudulent returns using stolen Social Security numbers to claim refunds. The Better Business Bureau warns that identity theft through tax fraud is particularly prevalent during tax season, with one example involving a scammer filing a fraudulent return using a victim's SSN for thousands of dollars—though the IRS flagged the duplicate filing and sent notice. To protect against this scam, experts recommend using the IRS Identity Protection PIN (issued annually in December/January), filing taxes early once W-2s arrive, and remembering that the IRS never contacts taxpayers by phone, text, or email.
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KY3 News - Springfield, Mo.
· 2025-02-20
This educational piece warns about common tax season scams targeting filers. Key threats include: fake IRS agents calling to steal refunds or identities, scammers filing fraudulent returns to claim refunds (sometimes thousands of dollars), fraudulent tax settlement schemes on social media charging steep fees with false promises, and exploitation of the IRS Offer in Compromise program. The article advises filing early to prevent tax ID theft, obtaining an IRS identity protection PIN (a six-digit number) if you've experienced identity theft, and avoiding suspicious tax settlement offers.
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KVUE
· 2025-02-17
During tax season, two prevalent scams target taxpayers: IRS impersonators and "ghost tax preparers" who prepare returns but refuse to sign them, leaving clients liable for any errors. To protect yourself, verify that tax preparers have a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) through IRS.gov before hiring them, research their credentials on the Better Business Bureau website, and be wary of illegally discounted fees or preparers who take a percentage of your refund.
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PBS NewsHour
· 2025-02-16
Online romance scams target victims across all demographics through psychological manipulation, with perpetrators using fake profiles to convince people to invest money, often via cryptocurrency. Investigative reporter Cezary Podkul notes that victims have lost billions of dollars annually, with some individuals losing over $1 million, and that many scam operations are run by Chinese cybercriminal gangs that recruit trafficked individuals. To protect oneself, people should watch for red flags like unsolicited contact offering investments, seek second opinions from trusted friends, and report suspected scams immediately to local police, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, and the U.S. Secret Service to aid law enforcement in tracing funds and identifying additional
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WKRN News 2
· 2025-02-06
Romance scams rank among the top 10 most perpetrated scams in the U.S., with individual losses increasing dramatically from $1,600 in 2021 to nearly $4,000 in recent years. Scammers create false profiles on dating apps to build emotional connections and exploit victims financially. Red flags include attempts to move communication off the app to unmonitored platforms, which allows scammers greater freedom to manipulate targets.
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midday india
· 2025-02-06
A 78-year-old retired bank manager in Mumbai lost 2.3 lakh rupees (approximately $2,760 USD) to a digital arrest scam in which fraudsters impersonated police officers, falsely claiming he was involved in an illegal hawala case and under house arrest. The victim was instructed to transfer money via RTGS to "verify" his bank details; once the funds were sent, the scammers became unresponsive. Digital arrest scams have been increasing in India, with victims pressured to make immediate payments under the threat of legal action.
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WTNH News8
· 2025-02-04
The FBI and DEA are investigating a widespread impersonation scam targeting healthcare professionals, pharmacists, and veterinarians in Connecticut, with victims losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases. Scammers impersonate federal agents (DEA, FBI) and state/local police to steal money and personal information from licensed professionals by using partial information to build credibility and extract additional details. The agencies are raising public awareness as criminals operate from boiler rooms conducting research on specific targets to refine their fraudulent schemes.
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CBS4 Indy
· 2025-02-04
LinkedIn users face increasing fake job offer scams that impersonate legitimate companies and direct victims to fraudulent websites requesting personal information like Social Security numbers. Common red flags include requests to pay for background checks, training, or equipment upfront, which legitimate employers never require. Users should verify job postings on company websites, use the WHOIS tool to check website legitimacy, and conduct reverse image searches on profile pictures to identify scams.
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WCCO - CBS Minnesota
· 2025-02-02
During tax season, scammers impersonate the IRS through texts, emails, and phone calls using poor grammar, hostile language, and urgency tactics to trick taxpayers into revealing personal information. The IRS never initiates contact via phone, text, or email—legitimate communications arrive by mail. To protect against tax-related fraud, taxpayers should file their returns early to minimize the window of opportunity for fraudsters to exploit their information.
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WHO13
· 2025-01-29
During tax season, the IRS expects to process over 140 million returns while scammer activity increases significantly; the IRS received nearly 300,000 identity theft complaints in 2023. Experts recommend organizing tax documents as they arrive, being cautious of unsolicited IRS contacts, and verifying any IRS communication by calling the agency directly rather than responding to potentially fraudulent calls or messages.
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KTVN 2 News Nevada
· 2025-01-28
The IRS began accepting 2024 tax returns and warned taxpayers to be cautious of scams, emphasizing that the agency never initiates contact through unsolicited emails, texts, or phone calls—communication occurs only through official mail. The filing deadline is April 15th, though extensions may apply to victims of disasters such as the LA fires.