All articles tagged with #scams
Over three days in Clallam County, Washington, scammers posing as Microsoft and FTC employees swindled residents of more than $670,000, including an 84-year-old who handed roughly $420,000 in gold after being told banks were under investigation; authorities urge pausing, verifying with trusted contacts, and avoiding payment with gold or gift cards or giving remote access.
An ICU nurse’s viral TikTok reveals a Facebook Marketplace couch sale trick: scammers claim a $300 Zelle payment was flagged as fraudulent and push the buyer to send another $300 after a spoofed Zelle email, with transfers being irreversible. The incident underscores a broader rise in peer‑to‑peer fraud; Zelle warns to only send money to people you know, and Facebook suggests using Facebook Pay (which offers protections) instead of Zelle for Marketplace transactions.
UK Finance reports a record 4 million fraud cases last year, and the article outlines three common scams: phishing attempts that steal bank details via text messages and delivery links; romance scams where fraudsters pose as potential partners to extract money; and AI-assisted investment scams that use generated images or voice to push bogus opportunities. Protect yourself by typing URLs manually, never tapping unknown links or sharing One-Time Passcodes, performing reverse-image searches on dating profiles, and verifying investments through FCA’s official tools and resources like Take Five to Stop Fraud.
Criminals are exploiting GTA 6 hype with fake beta invitations and counterfeit websites to steal personal data or install malware. There is no legitimate pre-release beta, so gamers should verify announcements through official Rockstar Games channels or platform stores, and if exposed, change passwords and contact banks to report any fraud.
Minnesota is banning cryptocurrency ATMs after scammers used the machines to drain nearly $1 million from residents; the ban takes effect August 1, 2026, with kiosks to be removed by year-end. Officials say crypto kiosks enable fast, fear-driven payments that are hard to reverse, and the move follows nationwide scam losses tied to crypto kiosks.
Advocacy groups NIVA and Fan Alliance sent a joint letter urging Congress to ban speculative and ghost tickets, push universal resale protections, price caps, and stricter penalties, plus a data-reporting requirement for secondary ticketing platforms, after numerous fans report being scammed out of thousands for World Cup tickets. StubHub blames FIFA tech and transfer limits for issues; FIFA defends official channels. Missouri’s attorney general and the FBI have warned fans about fraud. The push is part of broader coverage of World Cup ticketing integrity and consumer protection.
Retirement groups are urging Congress to investigate Meta over a surge of fraudulent Medicare ads targeting older Americans, alleging Meta slow to remove scams and profiting from them; Meta says it fights scams and cites law-enforcement collaboration. The push follows a Center for Countering Digital Hate report and previous bipartisan scrutiny of Meta. The update also rounds up other Capitol Hill news of the day, including movement on a housing affordability bill toward President Trump, a bid to bar lawmakers from playing prediction markets, ongoing AI safety legislation, the NO FAKES Act advancing in the Senate, and Iran deal developments.
Check-washing is a rising, low-tech form of fraud where criminals chemically erase a recipient’s name and dollar amount from mailed checks and rewrite them for themselves. A California couple lost about $12,000 and were reimbursed by Chase, highlighting how difficult it can be to recover stolen funds. The piece urges abandoning or limiting paper checks in favor of safer payment methods and following FBI/Postal Service guidance to protect against check fraud, including safer payment options, vigilant mail handling, and monitoring bank activity.
Valve will no longer restock physical Steam Gift Cards, with stock in retailers expected to run out by the end of 2026 due to ongoing gift-card scams. Steam Digital Gift Cards will continue to be offered, and existing physical cards can be redeemed where permitted by local laws. Valve says it has worked with retailers and law enforcement to counter scams, but acknowledges that scammers will continue to adapt. The move follows other recent actions to curb abuse, including a PayPal-era fiasco and anticipated steps regarding future Steam hardware.
Valve will discontinue physical Steam gift cards, with current stock not being replenished and expected to run out by the end of 2026. Digital Steam gift cards will remain available and will be the only option after that date. Existing physical cards can still be used for now, but the move comes after scammers repeatedly exploited physical cards despite Valve’s anti-scam efforts with retailers and law enforcement.
Valve has confirmed it will stop restocking physical Steam Gift Cards at retailers due to ongoing gift-card scams; existing stock will be honored, but no new physical cards will be produced, while digital Steam Gift Cards remain available to reduce fraud risk. Valve expects current physical stock to last through 2026 before being discontinued, reflecting a broader shift to safer digital options and ongoing anti-scam measures.
A Center for Countering Digital Hate study, provided to NBC News, says Meta allows repeat scam advertisers to run ads on Facebook and Instagram that target seniors, generating about 215 million impressions from 30 active scam accounts, with 73% of viewers over 65; ads often feature fake celebrity imagery and prompt clicks or calls that harvest data or steer victims into worse Medicare plans. Meta contends it fights scams aggressively and removed over 159 million scam ads last year, but the report argues scammers reappear after removal and enforcement is inconsistent, a point highlighted amid several ongoing lawsuits alleging Meta profits from online scams.
A new wave of scams is powered by real-time deepfake software developed in China that can swap faces during live video calls, enabling scammers to impersonate individuals in real time on platforms like Microsoft Teams and potentially defraud victims worldwide.
BuzzFeed’s community post surveys 19 industries—ranging from soda and eyewear to mattresses, weddings, olive oil, diamonds, and packaged ice—sharing consumer concerns that pricing, branding, and opaque practices inflate costs or obscure value, with claims of over-markups, limited competition, and marketing-driven narratives across sectors.
Phishing emails impersonating Apple warn that iCloud storage is full and threaten immediate deletion unless users upgrade, guiding victims to malicious links designed to steal bank details. Which? warned of the scam, which resembles legitimate messages and uses dubious sender addresses and grammar. Do not click any links—verify storage via Settings, report suspected phishing, and contact your bank if details were shared.