ALERT – New online consumer safety alert
Posted by admin on Aug 17, 2009 in Online Safety | 0 comments
I know a lot of you are most likely are getting some of these. Also save the import links and numbers in your bookmarks and contact lists for future use if needed.
Alert
ALERT - New online consumer safety alert
Be Cautious when using Wire Transfer Services.
A new group of scams is going around by paper mail, telephone and the Internet. They involve things as different as a new job, a second chance at an Internet auction, a loan or a new credit card. Look closely and you will see they have something very dangerous in common.
They all tell you to send money by wire transfer before you receive anything.
Do not wire money to someone you don't know. This can be a way to lose money quickly. Once the money is paid out you cannot get it back.
Some current scams:
- A caller from a sweepstakes, prize or lottery company tells you to transfer money to them before you claim your prize. Many companies run fraudulent contests that take your money but give you nothing in return.
- An unexpected letter or e-mail offers you an expensive, rare or hard to find item for an unbelievable low price.
- A surprise letter or e-mail comes from Nigeria or another foreign country. The writer wants you to transfer a large sum of money out of his foreign bank account and into your personal bank account.
- You are offered a loan or credit card, but the company says you must pay a fee by wire transfer before you get the loan or credit card.
- You get a call from someone who claims to be from a police or emergency services department. They say your friend or loved one had an accident or was arrested and tell you to transfer money immediately to help them.
- You answer a Help Wanted ad but the company says you must transfer money to pay for uniforms or other fees before you can start work.
Fake checks and wire fraud
Other scams start with a fake check.
Suppose you offer an item for sale in the newspaper or on the Internet. A buyer calls and offers to buy your item with a cashier's check, personal check, or corporate check. You accept. Then, the buyer sends you a fake check or money order made out for more than the cost of your item. The check might be from a bank outside the U.S., but some scammers make fake postal orders too. The buyer might say the check is so large because he made a mistake, or added extra money to cover the shipping cost, or for some other reason.
Next, the buyer asks you to deposit the fake check into your bank account and quickly wire the excess money back to him. If you deposit the check and quickly wire money to the buyer you may be in for a big shock.
By law, banks must make deposits available to you in just a few days,
before they know if a check has fully cleared. When a bank gives you money it does
not prove the check is good. It can take one month or longer for a bank to find out a check is counterfeit. If you send money based on a counterfeit check before the bank finds out the check is counterfeit, you must reimburse the bank for
all the money you sent. The check was counterfeit, and fooled the bank tellers, but you pay the penalty.
Other criminals don't pretend to buy things. They send e-mails or visit Internet chat rooms and ask for help to cash a money order. They say they don't trust their bank, or don't have a proper account and offer to pay for your help. If you cash their fake money order and send them money before the bank finds out the money order is counterfeit, you must repay
all the money you sent.
If you get an unusual request to send money, take a minute to check it out.
If you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, paper mail or email-solicitation contact your local or state consumer protection agency or State Attorney General, listed in your phone book.
Many criminals tell you to send money to Canada. If you are concerned about a Canadian company, call PhoneBusters toll-free at 1-888495-8501. They are a Canadian anti-fraud call center.
Learn about the security features in postal money orders. The maximum value for US and Canadian postal money orders is $1,000. The maximum value for International postal money orders is $700. If you have doubts about a postal money order, hold it up to the light to see a watermark of Benjamin Franklin.
Tips for Consumers
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Do not send money if a caller requires you to send money "right now!"
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Do not send money to someone who tells you what to say to the wire transfer agent, or says you should hide information or lie to the wire transfer agent.
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The Federal Trade Commission says:
Do not send money through a money transfer company or wire money directly into a seller's bank account unless you know the seller personally or are positive of the seller's identity.
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Do not wire money to pay for an item you bought from an online auction. If the seller demands to get paid by wire transfer, it's safer to stop the transaction.
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Ignore the messages that tell you to send money to claim your lottery prize, surprise inheritance or dream job overseas. If you send money for 'fees' or 'taxes' you will get nothing in return.
~ Don't play a foreign lottery over the phone or by mail - it is illegal.
Reporting fraud
If you ever send a money transfer and think you might be a victim of fraud, ask the clerk to stop your transaction immediately.
If you think you have been the victim of internet fraud, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at
www.ic3.gov. or the Federal Trade Commission at
www.ftc.gov, or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
If you lost money to people who say they are outside the United States, call your local Secret Service field office. It is listed in the government pages of your phone book.
Go to http:; jpostalinspectors.uspis.gov to file a complaint about mail fraud, mail theft or identity theft. Check with your local post office for the address of the nearest Postal Inspection Service office.
Report a fraudulent online auction to the Federal Trade Commission at
www.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
If you get an email from someone who wants your help to transfer money out of their country, forward it to the Federal Trade Commission at
spam@uce.gov.
Protect your privacy
Criminals want your money and your
personal information. A thief who steals your social security, bank or credit card number can sell
it to another criminal or use it to empty your account, run up debts, or start new accounts. Criminals may call and pretend to be from a familiar business or government agency. If they ask for your account or social security number, don't answer! Remember - if you do business with a company they already have your account number and will not ask you to repeat it.
Your
credit report is a history of your debts and how you have paid them.
It shows your accounts, addresses, and if you were ever sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy.
Call 1-877-322-8228 to order a free report or go to
www.annualcreditreport.com. You must answer security questions to get the report. Read your report to be sure the information about you is correct and that no one has used your information to get credit, a job or a loan. Report any mistakes to the company that sent you the report.
To
stop unwanted phone calls, join the National Do Not Call Registry.
Call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you want to register or go to
www.donotcall.gov. You can register your home phone and cell phone.
Source: AARP
