Beware of these dangerous hi-tech scams
By now, most of us know about the most obvious scams -- we avoid phishing emails, letters from Nigerian princes, phone calls from guys claiming to represent Microsoft's tech support, and we sometimes even remember to check the ATM for the presence of a skimmer. But there's a whole new generation of scams out there, with criminals hoping to catch you unaware with an innovative con. Here are some dangerous ruses to watch out for.
One-ring phone calls. If you've ever heard your phone ring once or twice and stop and then return the call to see who it was, then you're the target audience for this particular con. Scammers use auto-dialers to randomly call vast banks of phones, but they only allow the target phones to ring once or twice before disconnecting. The expectation is that some people will return the call to see what they missed. And though the Caller ID might look like a typical U.S. number, The Federal Trade Commission says that in reality, they're connecting to a premium service (like an adult entertainment number) that charges an exorbitant per-minute fee -- as much as $9 per minute, plus a $20 international calling charge. The remedy? Don't call back a number you don't recognize. But be especially wary of area codes that include 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849 and 876, since these are known offenders from the Caribbean.
Sticky ATMs. Skimmers are old news. There's a new way criminals are trying to get at your credit card, and it's at least as challenging to detect. Instead of inserting a device into the mechanism that swipes your card, criminals are starting to use adhesive to inhibit the operation of certain buttons on the keypad, meaning you can't complete your transaction after inserting the card -- and using foil in the mechanism to block the credit card from popping back out. Customers who run into these machines leave their card behind, and criminals waiting nearby then use a tool to complete the transaction and take your card as well. The good news, though, is that often there is a solution. According to police, the scam works because many people don't realize they can perform many of the same actions on the touch screen as on the keypad. So if you're stymied by the hardware try the screen instead.
Fake funerals. Fake funerals notices are the newest breed of email scam that include poisoned links. Once again, the FTC is on hand to provide a warning: In a nutshell, criminals send fake funeral notices, often mimicking real funeral homes. The email doesn't indicate whom the service is for, so recipients have to open the included link for details. And of course, the link is malicious and pushes malware onto the PC.
Scam Refunds. If you've been bitten by ransomware or a similar crime, in which your PC is held hostage by malware unless you pay a ransom fee, you might now be targeted by a new scam -- this time, promising to refund your money. As reported by Identify Theft 911, an ID theft management company, emails have been found in the wild that purport to be from Microsoft or other large tech companies and offer a refund for any losses you had from previous malware. The catch? You need to provide financial information so the refund can be direct deposited. Criminals assume that if you fell for malware once, you might be naive enough to pay a second time.
