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You can find out the most recent scam in full bloom - in your area?

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How to Avoid the Most Elaborate Travel Scam I’ve Ever Seen.

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The biggest scams today and how you can protect yourself from them.

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Did you know?

To avoid phishing scams currently in 'vogue', go straight to the site in question by entering the correct URL instead of clicking on the link in the e-mail.

For rock people, what that means is freaking this:

You get an e-mail from your bank stating your account has been compromised or some such BS and that you should click on the link below to rectify the problem. The link will take you to a site that will look EXACTLY like your bank (these clowns are really good) and will ask you to enter your username, password and other sensitive information.

The bad guys will use that information for obvious purposes.

Solution: Instead of clicking on the link, open a new window and type in your bank's URL that will take you to your bank's legit site. If there is a problem with your account, it will be flagged on the front page in big bold letters. You can then take corrective action with confidence.

Sextortion Scam Uses Recipient’s Hacked Passwords.

Here’s a clever new twist on an old email scam that could serve to make the con far more believable. The message purports to have been sent from a hacker who’s compromised your computer and used your webcam to record a video of you while you were watching porn. The missive threatens to release the video to all your contacts unless you pay a Bitcoin ransom. The new twist? The email now references a real password previously tied to the recipient’s email address.

The basic elements of this sextortion scam email have been around for some time, and usually the only thing that changes with this particular message is the Bitcoin address that frightened targets can use to pay the amount demanded. But this one begins with an unusual opening salvo:

“I’m aware that <substitute password formerly used by recipient here> is your password,” reads the salutation.

The rest is formulaic:

You don’t know me and you’re thinking why you received this e mail, right?

Well, I actually placed a malware on the porn website and guess what, you visited this web site to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were watching the video, your web browser acted as a RDP (Remote Desktop) and a keylogger which provided me access to your display screen and webcam. Right after that, my software gathered all your contacts from your Messenger, Facebook account, and email account.

What exactly did I do?

I made a split-screen video. First part recorded the video you were viewing (you’ve got a fine taste haha), and next part recorded your webcam (Yep! It’s you doing nasty things!).

What should you do?

Well, I believe, $1400 is a fair price for our little secret. You’ll make the payment via Bitcoin to the below address (if you don’t know this, search “how to buy bitcoin” in Google).

BTC Address: 1Dvd7Wb72JBTbAcfTrxSJCZZuf4tsT8V72
(It is cAsE sensitive, so copy and paste it)

Important:

You have 24 hours in order to make the payment. (I have an unique pixel within this email message, and right now I know that you have read this email). If I don’t get the payment, I will send your video to all of your contacts including relatives, coworkers, and so forth. Nonetheless, if I do get paid, I will erase the video immidiately. If you want evidence, reply with “Yes!” and I will send your video recording to your 5 friends. This is a non-negotiable offer, so don’t waste my time and yours by replying to this email.

KrebsOnSecurity heard from three different readers who received a similar email in the past 72 hours. In every case, the recipients said the password referenced in the email’s opening sentence was in fact a password they had previously used at an account online that was tied to their email address.

However, all three recipients said the password was close to ten years old, and that none of the passwords cited in the sextortion email they received had been used anytime on their current computers.

It is likely that this improved sextortion attempt is at least semi-automated: My guess is that the perpetrator has created some kind of script that draws directly from the usernames and passwords from a given data breach at a popular Web site that happened more than a decade ago, and that every victim who had their password compromised as part of that breach is getting this same email at the address used to sign up at that hacked Web site.

I suspect that as this scam gets refined even more, perpetrators will begin using more recent and relevant passwords — and perhaps other personal data that can be found online — to convince people that the hacking threat is real. That’s because there are a number of shady password lookup services online that index billions of usernames (i.e. email addresses) and passwords stolen in some of the biggest data breaches to date.

Alternatively, an industrious scammer could simply execute this scheme using a customer database from a freshly hacked Web site, emailing all users of that hacked site with a similar message and a current, working password. Tech support scammers also may begin latching onto this method as well.

Sextortion — even semi-automated scams like this one with no actual physical leverage to backstop the extortion demand — is a serious crime that can lead to devastating consequences for victims. Sextortion occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t provide them with images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money.

According to the FBI, here are some things you can do to avoid becoming a victim:

-Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are — or who they say they are.
-Don’t open attachments from people you don’t know, and in general be wary of opening attachments even from those you do know.
-Turn off [and/or cover] any web cameras when you are not using them.

The FBI says in many sextortion cases, the perpetrator is an adult pretending to be a teenager, and you are just one of the many victims being targeted by the same person. If you believe you’re a victim of sextortion, or know someone else who is, the FBI wants to hear from you: Contact your local FBI office (or toll-free at 1-800-CALL-FBI).

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/07/sextortion-scam-uses-recipients-hacked-passwords/

Expect to get the following call soon as April 15 approaches.

 

 

10 Big Scams That Put Your Holidays In Jeopardy.

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How ATM skimmers work.

20 Tourist Scams to Watch Out for When Abroad.

3. The Falling Lady:

Also known as “the tumbling woman,” the falling lady scam is common in London, but can happen anywhere in the world, reported Travel+Leisure. This is another type of distraction scam — a woman, typically an elderly woman, will make a huge commotion by falling down. Accomplices will then quickly move throughout the crowd, pickpocketing and grabbing purses.

It’s important to remain as attentive and cautious as possible to avoid distractions scams like this. If you see any suspicious activity and suspect a tumbling woman scam, step aside and keep an eye on your valuables.

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Did you know?

Cashier's checks and money orders are not safe.

Scam Type	Scam Reports	Percentage
Tax Scams (IRS and CRA)	2,413	24.0
Debt Collections	835	8.3
Sweepstakes/Prizes/Gifts	811	8.0
Tech Support	608	6.0
Government Grant	574	5.7
Advanced Fee Loan	388	3.8
Credit Cards	306	3.0
Work from Home	261	2.6
Fake Check/Money Order	242	2.4
Lottery	241	2.4

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Did you know?

ID thieves are targeting your car’s glove box.

If you’ve ever been stopped for a traffic citation, you know to have your vehicle registration and proof of insurance ready.

But authorities now caution that those documents could help a thief steal your identity, a crime for which Arizona leads the nation, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Law enforcement officials are warning drivers to remove identifying information or addressed documents when exiting the car, said Lt. Giles Tipsword of Phoenix Police’s technical investigations unit, which includes auto theft and document crimes.

A recent Dodge survey had 44 percent of respondents nationwide say they leave their automobile titles in the glove box, where a thief could change the name on the title, then sell the vehicle or legally put the keys in his or her pocket.

“I think people would be surprised to see what they’ve left in their vehicle and, potentially, what other crimes they’ve left themselves open to,” said Ann Armstrong, an Arizona Automobile Theft Authority spokeswoman. The authority is a state agency created by the Legislature in 1992 to combat auto theft in the state.

“Some people leave documents with Social Security numbers and all sorts of crazy things. In this day and age, it’s so important for people to go through and make sure there’s no identifying information in their vehicles or even in their glove box. Stolen cars and ID theft go hand in hand.”

Last year, metropolitan Phoenix ranked fourth in the nation for auto theft, with one vehicle stolen per 91 residents. Tucson was ranked 10th.

Tipsword said Phoenix police are seeing more crimes in which thieves break into a car to take documents, sometimes snagging a remote garage-door opener to pillage the vehicle owner’s home.

“Maybe you get a broken window and you think, ‘All they did was break my window,’” Tipsword said. “Maybe they just opened up your glove box and wrote down all your information. . . . The less information you have in the vehicle, the better it is for you.”

About 1,000 adults participated in the Dodge survey, and respondents were interviewed by phone from May 22-24. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

———

Cars can be a great place for thieves to get crucial information about you.

Phoenix police and the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority offer the following tips:

● Take your vehicle registration, insurance cards or any other identifying information with you.

● Remove garage-door openers.

● Do not leave your purse or wallet in the glove box or under the seat.

● Routinely clean out your car to remove identifying papers and other items.

● As a backup, set up a P.O. box to receive mail on vehicles, insurance and other important documents; it safeguards your address.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/2007/07/21/58012-id-thieves-targeting-your-car-s-glove-box/

New Scams to Avoid in 2016.

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Did you know?

.............that Better Business Bureau site that tracks the scams. So if you are throwing your money away also called freaking shopping this holiday season going over the list may not be a bad idea.

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Jury duty scam.

Scammers are targeting people with claims that they missed jury duty and will be arrested.

On Friday, San Joaquin Superior Court issued a news release revealing details of the bogus calls. Victims get a phone call from someone claiming to be a law enforcement official. The caller then claims that the victim has a warrant for their arrest because they failed to appear for jury duty. The caller then requests payment to have the warrant cleared so the victim can avoid arrest.

According to the court news release, law enforcement officers and court officials will never call people to ask them for money or their personal financial information.

The court recommends that people never provide that information over the phone and that you call the Tracy Police Department or San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office immediately if you get such a call.

http://www.goldenstatenewspapers.com/tracy_press/news/court-warns-of-jury-duty-scam-call/article_d0f9d812-298f-11e5-a37b-bfed5b54aabd.html

Think you are too smart to fall for any scam? Yeah? Try this (you are defenseless):

For this fraud all you need is a laptop, someone's social security number, date of birth, not even their name. They can do it from their kitchen table. They can do it at a fast-food chain restaurant. Or they can do it on the beach, as long as they have Wi-Fi access.

Actually Corey Williams says you don't even need a laptop, you can file phony returns on your cell phone, if you have the right app. He used to be a legitimate tax preparer until his boss turned him on to the scam. Before he was arrested and sentenced to 40 months in prison, he had made millions and millions of dollars.

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Scam alert.

"I am calling from IRS. You have ignored all our previous notices to collect tax bill you owe. We are now left with no option but to call and collect it over the phone. If you fail to pay now, police will show up at your door within a few minutes to take you to jail. Which credit card would you like to use?".

Popular Scams.

Jokers spoof the caller-ID. So you think you are getting a call from say your bank or some other institution. Not only do you decide to take the call, you also feel comfortable giving out sensitive information like your username, password etc.

And rest is history.

Will add more such Scams soon. If you know of some (sure, you would!!!) add them here.