Monday, January 29, 2018 Tax time is upon us, and that means the identity thieves who specialize in tax-related crimes are cranking up for their busy season.These crooks steal money from all of us by pretending to be taxpayers or businesses, filing false tax returns in their names, and claiming big refunds from the government. […]
Category: Alerts
Thursday, December 28, 2017 When crooks try to trick you with an imposter scam, they usually use scare tactics. In grandparent scams, also known as family emergency scams, the fear is that your grandchild or relative is in trouble and needs your help in a hurry. A variation of this scam targets grandparents of those […]
Wednesday, December 20, 2017 Scammers know that many of us will make charitable donations as the year comes to a close, and they target our heartstrings as they attempt to fatten their wallets. This year we’ve partnered with a number of agencies and organizations, including the Better Business Bureau and the North Carolina Department of […]
Friday, December 15, 2017 As the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Unfortunately that’s true for crooks too, because the holidays provide seasonal avenues for them separate you from your money and belongings. This year we’ve partnered with a number of agencies and organizations, including AARP North Carolina, to help you […]
Tuesday, December 12, 2017 The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office is teaming up with other agencies and organizations to help consumers avoid scams this holiday season. For the next few weeks we’ll be sharing advice and suggestions from folks who are in the know.We start with some tips of our own, gathered and presented on […]
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Once a scammer has convinced you to pay, how do they get their hands on your money?Wire transfers used to be the only game in town. Crooks used companies like Western Union and MoneyGram so often that authorities caught on and required those firms to do more to prevent this kind […]
Friday, October 13, 2017 Scammers are trying to capitalize on people’s fears about GenX in their water. Beware of companies that offer free water testing and claim that sending them a sample of your water “may spread the GenX contamination” so they have to visit your home to do the water analysis. And be on […]
Friday, September 22, 2017 It’s an old scam with a new twist – con artists know that most grandparents would do anything to help their grandkids. They attempt to exploit that love in the “Hey Grandma, it’s me!” scam by pretending to be a grandchild in distress.We’ve seen a significant uptick in these scams lately, […]
Friday, September 08, 2017 As you may have read by now, data giant Equifax has suffered a massive security breach. Hackers accessed private information (including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, etc.) about 143 million Americans. The company collects data and financial information and it may hold information about you even if you’ve never dealt […]
Wednesday, September 06, 2017 Sometimes scammers threaten to cut off your gas or electricity unless you immediately pay overdue bills they claim you owe. But a new utility scam takes a different approach. Now the crooks are trying to trick you into providing your confidential information. They are publicizing their scam widely, using hi-tech means […]