News Wires

Avoid these Scams:

1. Jury duty scam- confirmed Sept 2005
   The scammer calls claiming to work for the local court and claims you've failed to report for jury duty. He tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. You know you never received a jury duty notification. The scammer then asks the victim for confidential information for "verification" purposes. Specifically, the scammer asks for the victim's Social Security number, birth date, and sometimes even for credit card numbers and other private information - exactly what the scammer needs to commit identity theft. So far, this jury duty scam has been reported in 10 states. Court workers will NEVER call and ask for your SSN or other private information. In fact, most courts follow up by postal mail and never call. Do not give out your SSN, credit card numbers or any other private information about yourself via telephone. Verify that any follow-up notices come from the jury commissioner and are not scams.

2. Western Union Scam- confirmed by Wells Fargo (and easily recognized because they ask for your SSN)

   DEPOSIT YOUR CREDIT CARD BALANCE WITH 20% DISCOUNT By East Payment Team

   We are glad to inform you, that in May all our clients have an amazing chance to use our new service. Why amazing? Because we are going to give you an amazing discount. Now you can easy deposit your credit card by Western Union transaction if you have indebtedness on credit. And we'll add to your transaction 20% of its face value. Transaction amount must be not more then credit indebtedness.

   Example: Simply e-mail us your information - your credit card number, ssn number and how much you want to deposit. Receive our acknowledgement and instruction. Just relax. Receive our 100% transaction on your credit card. Pay for this transaction only 80% of its value by Western Union system.

   For example, if you pay us 8000$ (80%) - we'll put on your credit card balance 10000 (100%). But we pay you first and in the next day of our transaction you pay us. The minimal sum of our payment: 2000$. It is a special offer, which works only in April - May (for our first clients). Hurry and receive the amazing discount.

   Send your confirmation letter with your full name, credit card number and ssn number and any questions to: (email addresss)

3. DISASTER RELIEF SCAMS: Natural and man-made disasters bring out the best and worst in people. In every disaster (hurricane, earthquake, etc) there are people who either call you for donations or set up fake websites. To avoid falling victim to these scams watch CNN or another news channel for information on correct phone numbers to call or addresses where disaster money is being collected. The FTC usually also has information on where to send disaster relief money as does the Red Cross on their websites. Do not respond to someone calling you or emailing you. Initiate the contact directly yourself, using verified information provided by television news channels or the FTC.
   
   
4. URGENT- EBAY AND PAYPAL and other ACCT. VERIFICATION/Phisher SCAMS
   July 18, 2003
   
   Do not respond to emails from E-Bay or PayPal that ask for credit information, SSN and other personal data. ITRC is aware that many of these are scams and the country is being blanketed with them currently. The email may even threaten that your account or service will be discontinued.
   Prior to responding, contact the company directly via phone or email to verify that the email was sent to you. Do not be fooled by logos and even the TRUSTe seal.
   You may also get an email stating that a certain amount of money has been credited to your account (currently for "money laundering"). Clearly this is a scam. They will ask you to click yes or no to indicate if you ordered the service. DO NOT RESPOND but rather forward to ITRC so that we can send it to the federal authorities for possible investigation.
   
   
5. FTC WARNING-DO NOT CALL REGISTRY, confirmed May 9, 2003
   Companies and websites have been making deceptive claims that they can register consumers in advance for the FTC's do-not-call list. Two are being sued by the FTC at this time. These sites include: Free-Do-Not-Call-List.org and National-Do-Not-Call-List.us. Neither of these are official governmental sites. One of them is even charging a service fee. The FTC's registry will be free and will make the actual information on how to sign up available on July 1st. The ITRC site will carry details.
   
   
6. IRS Scams:
   ITRC would again like to warn consumers not to provide information on the telephone or via Internet to people claiming to be from banks or governmental agencies that need information for IRS audits or any other purpose.
   
   
7. Unauthorized "hospital personnel" asking for info, Dec 2002 (from a victim/consumer)
   There are some scam artists posing as hospital employees (and we can assume this goes on in nursing homes) asking patients to either verify information or to help fill in some blanks. They carry clipboards and may even wear hospital or lab coats. Hospital personnel must be on the lookout for these con artists and patients (and family members) must require identification prior to giving out any information. This is especially important to monitor when the patient is drugged or elderly. When in doubt, call the floor nurse prior to divulging information. A scam artist will not stick around.
   
   
8. Bogus email picks up credit card numbers, Oct 17, 2002. (Reuters)
   Yahoo said Thursday that some of its customers had been tricked into giving their credit card numbers to an unaffiliated third party that had posed as Yahoo in a mass e-mail. Yahoo, which has a billing relationship with more than one million customers who pay for such services as expanded e-mail and online matchmaking, sent out its own mass e-mail Thursday morning advising customers not to respond to the bogus request.
   
   
9. New PayPal Scam, received 10/02 ScamBusters (verified)
   If you're a PayPal user, you may receive an email titled "URGENT: PayPal System Problems." The email then goes on to say that, because of computer glitches, all users should log in to the PayPal URL given in the email and re-enter their information. But the PayPal login URL given is not the real PayPal web site which is www.paypal.com. It's a URL starting with http://www.paypalsys.com -- a bogus site where the scammer steals your PayPal identity, and possibly your money.
   
   
10. Order or Gift Confirmation, received 10/02 ITRC
    Should you receive an email from a vendor that you have not contacted, do not respond. The company is fishing for live emails and may be trying to gather credit card numbers to use for other purposes. ITRC offers this email which our office received as an example: If you are having dificulty reading this email please visit this address: www.menuts.net/jw1.html Dear Menuts User, Please correct your address on our system today so we can ship your gift the J Win Stereo Cassette Player with Bass Boost! Don't miss out. (Click here) now to supply your correct address and claim your gift. Sincerely,
    Lori Anderson
    YourFreePresent.com
    
    
    
11. Criminals pose as government employees, press release August 19, 2002 (SACRAMENTO) - Attorney General Bill Lockyer today urged Californians to beware of identity thieves claiming to be employees of the Attorney General's Office - or any other governmental agency. "We have recently received a number of disturbing reports from consumers who have been called by con artists who claim to work for the 'Attorney General's Office' or the 'California Department of Justice,'" Lockyer said. "I urge all Californians to avoid giving out personal financial information to unknown solicitors who want this information so they can use your identity to run up credit cards or other debts in your name." The callers reportedly tell the consumer that he or she has been a victim of 'identity theft' and that, as employees of the Attorney General's Office, the callers can help. They then ask the consumer to provide or 'confirm' information such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, or other personal or financial information. Similar scams involving the "Do Not Call" registry and even Internal Revenue Service tax audits also have been reported recently. The Attorney General advised consumers to be vigilant. If consumers have a question about the identity and legitimacy of the person who is requesting sensitive financial information, they should not provide that person with their social security number, credit card number or any other personal financial information. Instead, they should get the caller's name, governmental agency and location and then use a web site, phone book or directory assistance to independently contact that agency and confirm that the person works there in an official capacity.
    Consumers who think they may have been contacted by someone attempting to perpetrate this kind of scam should report the details of the incident to the local District Attorney's Office, the Attorney General's Public Inquiry Unit at (800) 952?5225, or the Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 952?5210. Electronic complaint forms and other information also are available on the Attorney General's web page at www.ag.ca.gov/consumers and the Department of Consumer Affair's site at www.dca.ca.gov.
    
    
12. CRA's to Give Out Your Information Email: ITRC/FTC report - June 02 For the past year an email has been circulated stating that on July 1, 2002 the major credit reporting agencies (CRA) will be allowed to give out your credit information to anyone who requests it. It also provides a telephone number to "opt-out." The first part of that letter is incorrect. The CRAs are not changing policies and have specific guidelines for information requests. However, the phone number to "opt-out" is correct (888-5OPT OUT or 888-567-8688). This is an automated program that is regulated by the CRAs and the FTC. By "opting-out" you will be removing your name from some of the marketing lists generated for "pre-approved credit card offers." They will request your SS#.
    
    
13. FTC Warns on Telemarketing Scheme, Washington (AP) - June 02 Identity thieves posing as federal officials working on "do not call'' telemarketing lists are calling consumers in attempts to trick them into volunteering personal information, Federal Trade Commission officials said Tuesday The con artists, who pretend to be with the FTC or some other organization, call saying they want to verify that consumers are on a list of people who don't want to receive telemarketing calls, the agency said. The callers ask for information such as Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers....
    
    
14. "Get Out Of Debt" Emails, received from Mari Frank, privacy expert This email was received from a consumer/attorney who has the computer know-how to check it out. There are many of these emails floating around. This is just one site that has been verified as a fraud. This shows you just how easy it is for crooks to steal your ID. When you click on the "click here" a form comes up for the reader to fill out. Research showed that the form went to China. There is a good chance this information would be used to assume the person's ID."
    Email Text: (without the fancy graphics)
    Subject: Let us eliminate your debt
    Get out of debt NOW!
    (Click here)
    Are you in debt? Cut your payments in half and fix your credit at the same time with our FREE debt relief service. It costs you nothing. Just click on the link and fill out this short form and end your problems today! We can solve your problems NOW! Simply click on this link and let us stop creditors from harassing you: (click here) If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please send an email to: (address)
    
    
15. Social Security Services Scam, received from CA Dept. of Consumer Affairs 6/24/02
    This is an old scam that has been updated using a website. It used to only go on through the postal mails. In this scam, they are requesting money for Social Security Administration services that are free. It gives you an impression that it is the official governmental website for the Social Security Administration. It charges a $12.00 fee for the form which the Social Security Administration provides for free. The charge is via a credit card, and so security issues are a concern. AVOID THIS SITE or similar websites: http://www.socialsecurityonline.us/index.html
    
    
16. Retail Store Scam, issued by Seattle Times, 3/7/02 In this scam, a thief wanders the aisles of a retail store looking for a customer about to make a purchase. Using a cell phone, he/she calls the cashier, claims to be store security and asks for additional information on the customer. The warning: Should a cashier be interrupted by a telephone call during a transaction and then ask you for information or begin to read any information from a credit card or driver's license over the phone to that third party, immediately ask for the card back and request to see store security. Furthermore, stores should be training personnel not to give information to another person by phone or unless they provide a badge/ID card showing they are store security.
    
    
17. VISA USA Fraud, issued by FTC 3/02
    VISA USA Fraud Control has learned of a scam designed to obtain cardholders personal data and account information. VISA reports this activity in Canada, but suspects it may spread to the United States. Anyone with a VISA credit card may receive the following letter:
    "Dear (.....) We regret to inform you that your credit card is cancelled until further notice and this in accordance with Article 205 of Chapter 210 of the international fraud department. We suspect that your card has been involved in criminal activity. In the next two days one of our investigators will contact you on the phone and proceed to verify your customer information. The violation of this law is a serious criminal act and could bring you before the courts. Your bank will not be able to assist you until our investigation is over. We are advising you that our offices are open 24 hrs a day.
    VISA advises they have not issued this letter, and anyone receiving such correspondence should treat it as a scam/fraud. Please report any such contact to Visa at www.VisaFraud.com or to the financial institution which issued you the card. (Information forwarded to Department of Banking and Finance by the Tallahassee Police Department.)
    
    
18. IRS Audit, issued 2/02
    Some taxpayers have received e-mail from a non-IRS source indicating that the taxpayer is under audit and needs to complete a questionnaire within 48 hours to avoid the assessment of penalties and interest. The e-mail refers to an "e-audit" and references the IRS Form 1040. The taxpayer is asked for social security numbers, bank account numbers and other confidential information. T
    HE IRS DOES NOT CONDUCT E-AUDITS, NOR DOES IT NOTIFY TAXPAYERS OF A PENDING AUDIT VIA E-MAIL. THIS E-MAIL IS NOT FROM THE IRS.
    Should you receive such a request, do not provide the requested information. This may be an identity theft attempt. If you receive an e-mail of this nature, please contact the nearest IRS office.
    
    
19. e-Bay Scam, reported 1/02
    The E-Bay scam techniques is an interesting one. They send you a letter by email that your order has been completed and mailed. If you wish to cancel the order, you need to go to a specific web site and enter the required information. This is how they get your account info and Social Security number. It might look like this:

    Dear eBay Customer,
    Your order has been completed and will be mailed within 24-48 hours. Your credit card has been charged $1460.50 for the following purchase...

    ( Micron Pentium III Computer )

    Plus shipping and handling. If you feel that your credit card has been billed wrongly, please visit our site and fill out all the needed information to cancel the following order. http://ebayservices-cancelorder.cjb.net

    Thank you,
    eBay Services.
    DO NOT use this web site to cancel the order. Contact e-Bay directly by telephone and find out if an order has been placed in your name.