Scams – Gregory M. Schmidt, CPP, PSP, CHPA

Scam alert: If your own number is calling you, don’t pick up

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – A new, disturbing twist on a spoofing scam call could do a number on you.

By now, you’ve likely heard of scams calls spoofed from a real number where that person has no clue his digits are being used. But, what about seeing your own number pop up on your caller ID?

Kiara Milks got a a call Monday night from her own number, and was curious.

“So, I answered and they said,’Hey, this is so and so from the phone company and I’m just calling to tell you that your account has been hacked and I want to verify a few things with you to let you know.'”

Those few little things: your Social Security number and telephone account number.

“It definitely would be one of our top scams, spoofing. It sounds like it’s pretty easy for scammers to do. And it’s pretty easy for consumers to fall for,” said Vee Daniel with the Better Business Bureau.

She is specially concerned about seniors falling for this latest twist, one that’s blanketing the area.

“Some of my friends from church had also had an encounter last night around 10:30,” said Milks.

Through social media she found out in recent days people have been getting that call across the Upstate.

Imposter scams, including this latest spoofing call, account for nearly 50 percent of the 1,400 scams reported to the Department of Consumer Affairs in 2017 alone.

Some other scams to watch out for right now:

Bogus job offers that try to steal your personal information.
Rental scams that post stolen photos of real homes and make off with your down payment.

As for Milks, they might have known her number, but she wasn’t about to let the scammers do a number on her.

“It’s kind of scary to be honest because you don’t know how many people are actually giving their account information,” she said.

Urgent- New Email Scam Targeting REALTORS®

From the National Association of REALTORS®

A phishing email, purportedly from the “REALTOR® Party via DocuSign,” has been sent to some NAR members. NAR says the email, which contains an attachment, is a phishing attempt, and recipients should delete it. If you’ve opened the email and entered your DocuSign credentials, you should log into DocuSign and change your password immediately. Remember never to take action on or click on any links in emails that appear suspicious or for which you cannot verify the sender via a telephone call. It’s a good idea to provide this advice to clients, too. Learn about other actions you can take to secure your network and sensitive information.

IBM Report Details 2017 Tax Scams as IRS Filing Deadline Nears

From “IBM Report Details 2017 Tax Scams as IRS Filing Deadline Nears”
eWeek (04/05/17) Kerner, Sean Michael. Printed by ASIS International.

IBM Security is warning of an increase in tax-related spam email and related fraud scams that aim to exploit tax filers as the April 18 tax filing deadline nears. IBM’s “Cybercrime Riding Tax Season Tides: Trending Spam and Dark Web Findings” report, released on April 5, details how attackers are increasing their efforts ahead of the deadline. IBM X-Force security researchers have tracked a 6,000 percent increase in tax-related spam emails from December 2016 to February 2017. Limor Kessem, executive security advisor at IBM Security, says that this is the first year that IBM is seeing campaigns targeting businesses. “Last year, consumer tax fraud was the most common illicit activity linked with compromised taxpayer information,” she says. “This year, things are getting bigger and bolder.” She went on to say that attackers have several different ways to get taxpayer information, depending on their technical skill levels. “The more technically inclined may breach a company’s infrastructure to steal data directly from their internal servers,” she explains.

Can You Hear Me? Just Say “NO!” (Or Hang Up)

Reports have surfaced about a new scam using a familiar line. Scammers call, identify themselves by name and company and during the momentary pause that follows, the scammer says, “Can you hear me?” Of course we all respond, “yes,” and then we hang up or say we’re not interested or let loose a string of expletives. You get my point. But no matter how you respond– the damage is done.

The scammer records your yes response and neatly places it in a recording making it sound like you answered yes to ordering various goods. When you later call to complain, you are met with the sound of your own voice verifying the purchase. As a matter of fact, these folks are bold enough to threaten to sue you if you don’t pay for your “order.”

There are so many creative scams out there it is important to remember a few simple rules that might eliminate a great deal of inconvenience (or money loss) later:

DO NOT answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize.

DO NOT verify your phone number with anyone you didn’t call.

DO NOT give out personal information on any call you did not initiate.

It is not likely we can avoid all scammers– but let’s not make it easy for them!