Scam Squad

This episode tells the story of a friendly stranger who suddenly enters the life of a lonely senior. In this particular instance, a young woman befriended an older gentlemen and ended up stealing millions! Countless stories similar to this continue to play out and we are warning others to not be fooled.

To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

On this episode of Scam Squad we are proud to welcome back senior fraud specialist at Montecito bank and trust, Shawn Dyer.

Shawn reports on some reoccurring scams that target elders, specifically because the scammers use the US mail. Elders are more likely to be scammed via the USPS because young people most frequently use digital mail.

People are receiving letters, addressed to them according to their last names. The letters appear to be from a legitimate bank or financial institution. Specifically letters are sent from Los Angeles and marked with the insignia of the Bank of Singapore. It is evident that this is a phony letter because, although it is labeled Bank of Singapore, the letter provides a personal gmail email address as the customer service contact information. Any time you are sent a letter by an official organization, a legitimate notice will provide email addresses or contact phone numbers connected to the official organization itself.

To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

Join Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson and host Patti Teel as Vicki shares some important social media scams that are too frequently reoccurring. Social media potentially houses sensitive personal information. This lures fraudsters to phish unsuspecting browsers with fraudulent messages by making false claims or fake friend requests. In our last episode we talked about fraudulent friend requests and romance scams.

This week we talk about scams that involve financial documents, such as your bank or credit report. Scammers can often appear to send legitimate messages from your bank, but if you are aware of potential scams you will know what to recognize as legitimate and phony.

To report a scam, call the District Attorney’s Fraud Hotline at 805-568-2442. The Better Business Bureau urges you to visit their Scam Tracker site at www.bbb.org/scamtracker/santa-barbara/reportscam or call them directly at 805-963-8657.

A special thanks to Montecito Bank and Trust for sponsoring our show.

The week’s episode of Scam Squad features Santa Barbara community member Jeanne West. Jeanne has been a long-time advocate for senior wellness in the Santa Barbara community, serving as a member of the Santa Barbara County Elder Dependent Adult Abuse Prevention Counsel for 25 years. Now Jeanne works as a Community Engagement Manager at Hospice of Santa Barbara.

Jeanne is here to talk to us about various social media scams that she recently noticed, including an increase in her social media friend requests from suspicious or rather exotic profile names. Other individuals that experience suspicious friend requests may be lured to communicate with unknown profiles under the guise of a romantic relationship. Please be aware of who you are friends with on social media and do not accept or open unidentified messages or invitations.

To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

This episode of Scam Squad features Montecito Bank and Trust Fraud Manager, Doris Roof. Doris sees many different types of scams at the bank. With social distancing in place, there are many fraudulent offers for ‘work at home’ job opportunities. Beware of offers that ask you to buy gift cards as a ‘mystery shopper’. Also fraudsters ask for personal information via text message. Scammers often pose as famous brands such as Nike and Amazon. If you receive a notice from a company and are unsure about its legitimacy, look up that company’s listing online and contact that company’s customer service directly. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

We know that scams tend to recirculate. Some scams are seasonal, and even predictable, leaving us to wonder if scammers still think they can get away with old tricks. One scam we cover today is an example of a reemerging classic style scam, involving a phony letter from the Bank of Singapore, Hong Kong. We also provide our listeners with up to date Covid-19 scams. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

Through our show, we hope that our listeners are up to date about current scams going around in the market. It is not surprising that we see increased scams related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson continually receives notices and warnings from the FBI and Department of Justice about COVID-19 scams. Scammers are posing as COVID-19 ‘contact tracing’ agents and asking for personal financial information over the phone. A legitimate COVID ‘contact tracer’ will not ask for any finances or financial information. During these challenging times, it is unfortunate that scammers will take advantage of people who are afraid. Perhaps equally sad, scammers are now taking advantage of people who are looking to buy a pet online. Pet adoptions are on the rise as people look for a furry animal companion during times that require social distancing. We want to warn our listeners not to buy pets online or send money to an unknown person.

To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson reminds our listeners about the many different forms of scams that take place. In a scam, what separates victims from non-victims? A recent study suggests that out of 1400 people who reported a scam, about half did not engage the scammer at all. Around 30% of people engaged the scammer but did not lose money. 23% of people engaged the scammer and lost money. Above all else, if something ‘just doesn’t feel right’ about an email or letter you received – especially if you are being asked to send money somewhere – trust your instinct and do not engage with the message. Even Social Media platforms are full of potential scams, so practice mindful browsing. The victim of a scam will frequently lose money if they believe they are being contacted by a legitimate agency, such as the IRS. Remember, legitimate government agencies will not ask you to provide personal, sensitive information over the phone.

Deputy district Attorney Vicki Johnson interviews a guest, Paulie, about an Amazon Credit Card Fraud Scam. Paulie, received an ‘order confirmation’ email from what appeared to be an Amazon Order. Paulie and her husband never placed the reported order from Amazon and proceeded to contact the listed phone number for the fraud department. This was an elaborate scam that our professional fraud investigator Vicki Johnson had never heard of and is quite a story!

This episode of Scam Squad features Senior Fraud Specialist at Montecito Bank and Trust, Shawn Dyer. Shawn talks about a few familiar scams that seem to continuously reoccur. E-mail compromise and tech-support scams continuously plague the market. Luckily for consumers, scams are easily recognized and avoided when proper precautions are taken. E-mail compromise happens when a scammer sends an email to a person, posing as a familiar contact. We see perpetrators posing as church pastors or charity organizations, in an attempt to obtain money or gift cards. If you receive an email from what appears to be a trusted contact asking for monetary compensation, be aware, it could be a scam!