Scam Squad

WEIGHT LOSS SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

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Shawn Dyer, Senior Fraud Specialist from Monteciot Bank & Trust warns of four basic signs or a scam:

1. Scammers pretend to be from a familiar organization or agency, like the Social Security Administration, or Internal Revenue Service. They may email attachments with official-looking logos, seals, or signatures.

2. Scammers mention a problem or a prize. They may indicate the customer’s account number was involved in a crime or ask for personal information.

3. Scammers pressure the recipient to act immediately. They may even threaten arrest or legal action.

4. Scammers tell the customer to pay using a gift card, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire, or money transfer, or by mailing cash.

Shawn also reviews the recurring Tech Support scam and peer to peer scams using Venmo, Zelle, or CashApp.

She also explains the difference between scams and fraud. With scams, you were tricked, and a business or bank is unlikely to reimburse you because you authorized the transaction. (For example, sending a crypto payment to a scammer.) In contrast, with fraud, you are swindled, but it is not due to any action that you took. In this case, you are in a better position to be reimbursed by your bank or a business.

Scmsqd - 2023 - 07 - 01 - Scam Fighters by Hub for Podcasting

Dayton Aldrich, Victim Advocate for the County of Santa Barbara reports about scammers who forge a phony deed and use the home owner's property as collateral to get loans, lines of credit, etc. In the most horrendous cases, they sell a person's house right out from under them. Recognize the red flags and steps you can take to protect your home.

A gentleman almost falls for a sophisticated Jury Duty Scam. Randy, a gentleman from Santa Maria, received a threatening call from authorities who told him that he had missed Federal Jury Duty. At the time, Randy was returning from a grocery shopping trip. The authorities told him that he had to immediately drive from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara to pay $4,500 and that if he didn't, they would ping his location, arrest him and put him in jail. Randy asked if he could stop by his home to put away his perishable groceries but the authorities told him that they would consider that fleeing and that he must drive straight to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department! They instructed him to stay on the line with them while he made the hour long drive to Santa Barbara. He was told not to disconnect or mute the call for the entire drive. Randy made it to Santa Barbara, went to his bank, and was able to withdraw the $4,500 that they demanded--even though he told them that it would cause him great hardship. Randy was ready to take the money to the Santa Barbara Sherrif's Department but at that point the 'authorities' told him to take the money to a kiosk and to send the money that way, and then to take the receipt to the Sheriff's Station. Thankfully at that point, Randy realized that he was dealing with scammers. He took the money back to the bank and re-deposited it--and was kind enough to share his story to save others from falling for this scam.

Scmsqd - 2023 - 06 - 10 - Vacation Scams by Hub for Podcasting

Today's Expert Guest - Dr. Judy Christman Yates, DPA, Criminologist & Financial Exploitation Specialist

On past shows we have talked about Artificial Intelligence. Now there seems to be something new that has world attention called ChatGPT. But first, Judy explains what ChatBot is before explaining how ChatGPT works and what we can do with it.

While ChatGPT can be an amazing tool, scammers also use it; and Judy tells us what to watch out for--and how it is being used with the Romance Scam.

Finally, Judy reviews the Trade Commission's eight favorite lies used by scammers in Romance Scams.

Remember, to always report if you think you are being scammed!

( FTC.gov, IC3.gov, FBI.gov)

If you'd like to tell your story on Scam Squad to warn others, call Deputy District Attorney, Vick Johnson on the FRAUD HOTLINE at 805-568-2442.

References and Links from this show:

OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT, https://openai.com/

What is DALL-E? How it works and how the system generates AI art, 11/3/22, https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/what-is-dall-e-how-it-works-and-how-the-system-generates-ai-art#, “It is changing the future of art. DALL-E, written as DALL·E on the company website, is a machine-learning model created by OpenAI to produce images from language descriptions. These text-to-image descriptions are known as prompts. The system could generate realistic images just from a description of the scene. DALL-E is a neural network algorithm that creates accurate pictures from short phrases provided by the user. It comprehends language through textual descriptions and from “learning” information provided in its datasets by users and developers.”

ChatGPT: Everything you need to know about OpenAI's GPT-4 tool, https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/gpt-3/, 5/5/2023.

How to tell GPT Scams Apart from the Real Thing, 3/17/23, https://www.howtogeek.com/879206/how-to-tell-chatgpt-scams-apart-from-the-real-thing/

What is a chatbot?, IBM https://www.ibm.com “A chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to understand customer questions and automate …”

How does ChatGPT differ from the human brain? https://gcn.com/emerging-tech/2023/02/how-does-chatgpt-differ-human-intelligence/383086/, 2/17/2023. “Humans and computer intelligence harbor many similarities in how they process information, researchers say, but machines still have limitations.”

ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare. If you’ve ever posted online, you ought to be concerned, https://gcn.com/data-analytics/2023/02/chatgpt-data-privacy-nightmare-if-youve-ever-posted-online-you-ought-be-concerned/382718/, 2/8/2023.

ChatGPT: A Scammer’s Newest Tool, https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/internet-security/chatgpt-a-scammers-newest-tool/, 1/25/2023. “

Voice deepfakes are calling – here’s what they are and how to avoid getting scammed, https://gcn.com/emerging-tech/2023/03/voice-deepfakes-are-calling-heres-what-they-are-and-how-avoid-getting-scammed/384188/, 3/20/2023.

“The next time your mother calls [or your bank], you might want to decline. Experts warn scammers are using voice deepfakes of individuals' family and friends to steal money. . . . Thousands of people were scammed this way in 2022. . . . [it is] . . . increasingly possible to convincingly simulate a person’s voice. Even worse, chatbots like ChatGPT are starting to generate realistic scripts with adaptive real-time responses.”

Federal Trade Commission (FTC.gov) Help stop scammers by reporting suspicious profiles or messages to the dating app or social media platform. Then, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If someone is trying to extort you, report it to the FBI. Learn more at ftc.gov/romancescams."

Scmsqd - 2023 - 05 - 24 - Drained Giftcards by Hub for Podcasting

With Special Guest--Shawn Dyer, Montecito Bank & Trust Fraud Specialist

Rental scams have been around for a long time. However, as college lets out for the summer, they are on the rise.

Here's how the Scam Works:

You see a great rental listing on Craigs List. The price is likely to be better than other similar properties. When you respond to the ad, the person who posted it tries to get you off the Craigslist platform as soon as possible to continue a conversation. They send you photos of the property, but will make up some reason why they can't show it to you in person. However, they promise they'll send you keys to the property after you fill out an application and give them a deposit--often by Zelle or Venmo. Now the scammer has your personal information and a deposit and/or first and last rental payments.

DON'T BE FOOLED! It's likely that they sent you photos of a property that is for sale. (The scammer can easily find photos on Zillow or other real estate sites.) Remember, if a rental property sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Another old scam that's on the rise is wallet and billfold thefts, stolen from people who are out shopping. Rings from other cities sweep into town. One of the thieves distracts the shopper, while the other one quickly steals their billfold or wallet. Often, the thief is already using stolen credit cards before the victim even realizes they're gone. The thieves are hard to catch because they travel from city to city.

In a similar scam, Vicki reports that thieves run up to a car as men get in them, saying they accidentally dropped their keys and that they fell underneath the person's car. Usually the gentleman will offer to help and as he crouches down to help find the missing keys, the crook will quickly take the wallet out of the victim's back pant's pocket.

Lastly, Vicki shares some Good News. The Dept of Justice formed a task force to prosecute and sentence a Texas man for his role in romance scams using the images of two United Stated generals.

If you'd like to talk to Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson about a scam, or would like to tell your story on Scam Squad to warn others, call the FRAUD HOTLINE at 805-568-2442.

Thanks for tuning into Scam Squad. If you'd like to support this channel and our effort to work together to stop scammers. please consider making a donation.

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Scams you May Not Have Heard of:

Ooops - Wrong Number Scam:

You receive a text that was obviously sent to you by mistake. It sems to be urgent information (such as a doctor's appointment reminder or an investment opportunity), so you text or call the sender to let them know they sent the message to the wrong number. The scammer starts a friendly conversation in an attempt to befriend you. This is how they get you to trust them, and may be a lead up to a romance scam or an investment scam. If they send a link, don't click on it! It may contain malicious malware. Also, if you receive messages with an opportunity to text back STOP, don't do it! (This let's the scammer know that they reached a live person.) Instead, just delete the message and block the phone number.

Crypto Refund Swindle:

You may have lost money through a crypto swindle or investment. A company that refers to itslef as a Refund & Recovery Company from

the US Department of State offers to get you your money back, for a fee. Don't fall for it! They will steal your identity and money and you' won't get your money back. Or, they'll falsely tell you they'll refund the money they charged but only if you make them a testimonial video saying how great their company is.

Fake High School Sports Streaming Scam:

Fake sites are sprouting up, promising that for a fee, you can watch a streaming video of their favorite high school team. They take your money but when it's time for the game, they don't deliver. And, they have your credit card information! It's advised that you check with the school itself to find out if it's a legitimate site before purchasing online streaming videos of sport's events.

Out of Stock Scams.:

Fake ads are placed on social media sites. They take your order but later you get an email that the item is out of stock. You never get a refund but now, they have your credit card information.

Delivery Driver Cant Find your Home Scam:

A delivery driver calls and says they have a package for you but that they can't find your address. If you say you didn't place an order, they'll tell you that it's a gift. In order to deliver the package, they'll con you out of your personal information. It's recommended that if you get a call like this from a delivery driver, you contact the seller directly to find out if it's a legitimate delivery.

Good News!

Many consumers have purchased what they thought was a free trial offer with a small delivery fee, but they ended up being charged hundreds of dollars for months. The FTC just returned 1.1 million dollars to consumers who fell for this scam. If you feel like you may have fallen for this scam and are eligable for a refund, go to the FTC website, and look for 'refunds to consumers.'