BEWARE! Scammers are Experts at Making Fake Connections Look Real

SAN ANTONIO - Imposters are calling.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost some $488 million to imposter scams, more than any other fraud.

Cons impersonating government agencies are the biggest trend.

"All day long, we are fielding calls (about) spoofed IRS, spoofed IRS agents," said Jason Meza, of San Antonio's Better Business Bureau office.

Fraudsters pretending to be from the IRS or the Social Security Administration are prevalent. 

Now, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a fraud alert warning that scammers are manipulating the caller ID so it appears Homeland Security headquarters is calling. The callers typically claim to be from immigration and use various tactics, including threats of arrest, to extort money.

"A lot of threats," Meza said. "They play on the emotion tactics and really try to get some money out of you right away."

The scammers have also emailed victims from addresses ending in "uscis.org" so it appears to come from Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General.

Anyone who believes they been a victim of the scam is urged to call the DHS OIG hotline at 1-800-323-8603 or file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC said American consumers lost $1.48 billion to fraud last year in a variety of schemes, including the tech support scheme that has made a resurgence.

Fake tech support purporting to be with well-known companies contact people through computer pop-ups or phone calls. They attempt to convince the consumer that there is a problem with the computer that they can fix. What they want is money and/or access to your computer.

"Once that happens, a lot of things can happen," Meza said. "Malware can be installed. They can hold your computer ransom."

Consumers should not click on any pop-ups or give any information to tech support solicitors.

Scammers also target victims through social media by offering various coupons or deals. 

A recent coupon appearing to be from Little Caesar's Pizza offered three free large pizzas.

Little Caesar's officials have said it is a fraudulent coupon and advise people not to click on it, as it could infect their device. 

Copyright 2019 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

Who’s crying now? Two Men Busted in Tennessee with Counterfeit Baby Formula Coupons→

Baby formula is a high-ticket item that’s in high demand, which is why you often see it stocked behind store counters, in locked cases or on shelves with conspicuous video cameras nearby. But all of that hasn’t stopped many enterprising criminals looking for a lower-risk way of loading up on formula. Why go through the hassle of trying to steal formula, when you can confidently fill up your cart, head to the checkout and pay for it all – with fake coupons?

It’s a scam that’s been going on for years, and many people get away with it. But sometimes, people get caught – like two men in Tennessee just did.

28-year-old Jinbin Weng (pictured above, at left) and 33-year-old Ouyang Xushou (at right), both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were arraigned Friday on charges of theft and fraud. The two men were arrested on Wednesday far from home, in Knox County, Tennessee.

The sheriff’s office there says a local retailer alerted them that the two men had allegedly used counterfeit coupons to purchase baby formula. Investigators questioned the men and searched their vehicle, a rental van. Inside, they found $13,500 worth of counterfeit formula coupons, $17,500 in cash and gift cards, and $4,500 worth of baby formula.

“Evidence suggests the pair made stops in multiple states over the previous days before being captured,” the sheriff’s office said.

Baby formula is a hot ticket on the black market, where it’s often sold in flea markets, in inner-city bodegas or in private transactions. Sellers can offer the formula at deep discounts, since they get it for next to nothing by stealing it or by using fake coupons.

So it’s not unheard of for thieves to travel the country, hitting up stores in town after town, hoping that by the time the stores realize they’ve been handed counterfeit coupons, the thieves are long gone.

But some suspect that individuals who are committing these crimes may not be acting alone. While Tennessee police have not connected Weng and Xushou to any larger scheme at this point, they fit a curious profile – men from the Northeast, of Chinese descent, who travel in pairs, using counterfeit coupons to buy baby formula wherever they go.

Back in 2014, Wenqiang Wu and Zhouxing Dong of Brooklyn, New York were arrested in New Jersey with hundreds of counterfeit baby formula coupons in their car, along with a map showing the location of hundreds of Walmart stores. Just two days later, Win Lin and Long Yang of Fairfield, Ohio were arrested at the very same Walmart, with 1,000 fake formula coupons in their possession.

And earlier this year, Dejun Yan and Xu Zhang of Flushing, New York were arrested in Stuart, Florida, after they tried to go through a Walmart self-checkout with more than 100 cans of Enfamil powdered formula, and more than 100 fake coupons offering $10 off each can. Upon further investigation, police there found the duo had scammed stores in at least three Florida counties. Each man was ultimately convicted of third-degree grand theft, and sentenced about six weeks ago to eight months behind bars.

So far, investigators haven’t been able to connect the dots among all of these cases or any others that may lead them to blow the lid off a fraudulent coupon/formula theft organized crime ring. But there are hundreds of different listings for counterfeit baby formula coupons on the Coupon Information Corporation’s list of known counterfeits, which suggests that there may be even more examples that haven’t been discovered yet – and many more fraudsters who are using them and haven’t been caught yet.

Weng and Xushou were not so lucky. They’re due back in court two days after Christmas for a preliminary hearing. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of one to six years in prison, and a $3,000 fine.

Looks like their “formula” for success didn’t quite work out this time.

Article sourced from http://couponsinthenews.com

BBB Tips to Avoid Shopping Scams this Black Friday & Cyber Monday→

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/BBB) – The Better Business Bureau is offering tips to help avoid scams this holiday shopping season.

For Black Friday:

• Learn about advertising tricks and gimmicks. Pay close attention to phrases like “beat competitors’ prices”, “up to __ % off”, or “free with purchase,” that require careful examination of terms and conditions. Watch for “asterisks” next to words or phrases, indicating there are conditions to the offer.

• Read the fine print. Some stores only honor sale ads during a certain time frame, or on certain days. Some stores may only allow you to purchase one item, particularly large, popular and/or deeply discounted products.

• Know the seller. Some of the best deals are only available online, but be careful. It’s easy for a fake site to mimic a famous retailer’s website, so make sure you are shopping on a legitimate site. Check unfamiliar stores or websites at bbb.org.

• Ask for gift receipts and save warranty information. A gift receipt can be tucked into a gift item so that the recipient can return or exchange a gift if it’s not quite right. Be sure to pass along any information about returns, exchanges, repairs, and warranties to the recipient. Keep in mind that retailers are permitted to set their own return/exchange policies.

For Cyber Monday:

• Be a savvy shopper. When shopping online, take your time, and read the fine print before submitting your order. Look for the return policy during the holidays, as some stores have different return policies depending on the item you purchase. If the online merchant also has bricks-and-mortar locations, ask if it is possible to return items to the physical location. Some online orders can be returned for a full refund; others have re-stocking fees.

• Trust but verify. When shopping online, use retail websites that you trust. Use common sense and avoid deals that seem “too good to be true.” Always check to see where the business is physically located. If the only way to contact it is via email, that’s a red flag. If you’re shopping with an unfamiliar retailer, check it out at bbb.org.

• Use anti-virus software. To ensure your computer and personal information are safe, use anti-virus software on your computer or mobile device and keep it up-to-date. If in public, don’t use websites containing personal information (bank, credit card) on public wi-fi, as that information could be picked up by an identity thief.

• Shop with a credit card. A credit card provides additional protections over a debit card in case of fraudulent transactions. If your card number is compromised, it’s easier to dispute any charges that you didn’t approve. Prepaid cards or gift cards don’t have the same protections as a credit card, but you’ll never lose more than the value of the card itself.

• Make sure websites are secure. Only share personal information and your credit card number with websites that are https (the extra “s” stands for secure) and that have a security lock icon in the task bar.

• Be careful of phishing scams. A popular one at this time of year is an email claiming to be from a package- delivery company with links to tracking information (clicking on unfamiliar links can place you at risk for malware and/or identity theft).

For more information on holiday season topics, visit bbb.org/holidayhelper .

FACT CHECK: Costco $75 Coupon for Survey Completion is a Complete Fraud→

In November 2018, a survey scam was spread via Facebook purporting to offer free $75 Costco coupons in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary to users who clicked particular links and then followed the instructions found there. The scam provided links which led to web pages (which were not operated or sponsored by Costco) that displayed a Costco logo along with entreaties such as “You have been selected to take part in our short survey to get a Free $75 Costco Coupon! We only have 332 Coupons remaining so hurry up!”

Users who followed instructions were then led into a set of pages prompting them to input a fair amount of personal information (including name, address, e-mail address, date of birth, and phone numbers), complete a lengthy series of surveys, and finally sign up (and commit to paying) for at least six “Reward Offers” that usually involve applying for a credit card or signing up for some sort of paid subscription service. Those intent upon snapping up free stuff via such lures should keep in mind that there is often a further downside to the process beyond their personal disappointment and the financial enrichment of the scam artists preying upon their gullibility: All too often such adventures in clickjacking also result in the download of trojans and other viruses onto the computers of those looking to score the promised goodies.

Costco themselves says of such schemes that:

There are numerous posts circulating on Facebook stating that we are giving away $100 to $1,000 Costco Cash Cards to all Facebook users. While we love our fans and members, Costco is not giving away Costco Cash Cards to Facebook users, and is not associated with this program.

The $50 Costco coupon offer is a variation of the company anniversary survey scam, a ploy that also depends on the unwary unwittingly promoting the phony coupon to their social media friends:

These web pages (which are not operated or sponsored by the companies they reference) typically ask the unwary to click what appear to be Facebook “share” buttons and post comments to the scammer’s site (which is really a ruse to dupe users into spreading the scam by sharing it with all of their Facebook friends). Those who follow such instructions are then led into a set of pages prompting them to input a fair amount of personal information (including name, age, address, and phone numbers), complete a lengthy series of surveys, and finally sign up (and commit to paying) for at least two “Reward Offers” (e.g., Netflix subscriptions, credit report monitoring services, prepaid credit cards)[.]

BY DAVID MIKKELSON

Consumer Watch: Watch out for fake coupons→

by Mireya GarciaMonday, November 5th 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Fake Coupons — it might sound like a strange scam, but a scam nonetheless. Sometimes it's about scamming a store out of money, and other times it's an attempt at getting your information online.

We are in the middle of one of the biggest spending seasons of the year. There is a lot of shopping, a lot of sales, and many of us want to get the best deal possible—which is why scammers know it is prime time to strike.

“Because we are all bargain hunters. We love a good deal and you see something online that says, you know, save 50 percent off here, print out this coupon,” says Dave Moore, a local IT Consultant.

Moore is also the founder of the Internet Safety Group. He says the problem is that many of these fakes are easy to make. Often, scammers just need a decent printer and a bar code generator online. Many stores likely don't realize they've been defrauded right away.

“It won't scan, ok-- they are trying to be nice and they will go ahead and give you the discount anyway, but then they find out later, that oh, it was a fake, “says Moore.

It's not just a problem for stores, but also for you. You might think you are searching for a good deal, but really, it's an internet baddie stealing your information.

“A lot of websites out there are designed just to have a hook-- to hook you and lure you in-- to make you look and to make you click on something,” say Moore.

There is a national database that can help track fake coupons. It is called the Coupon Information Center.

It also includes wanted posters when police nationwide are looking for fraud suspects in counterfeit coupon rings.

We've got your back with three simple tips before you sign up for what could be a fake coupon service.

1. If the coupon looks too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Coupons normally come from the manufacturer or store.

3. Check for incorrect or expired dates on coupon, that is a major red flag.