[Master "Scams" Thread] The SCAM Report [merged threads]

[Ontarkie 14,218]

4 hours ago, millefleur said:

Unfortunately found out recently my aunt is being scammed by a guy posing as Tom Selleck. I think he's specifically targeting older women with cognitive issues because the "video" he shared with her is beyond fake looking (AI generated in the laziest way possible, robot voice etc). It's extremely sad and upsetting because my aunt won't listen to her friends and family about this. We believe she "met" this scammer on Facebook. The scam appears to be her buying gift cards and then giving him the information although we don't know for sure, it could be worse than that. I think she's already been scammed out of at least a thousand dollars. 

 

She clearly has some kind of dementia or cognitive issue but she is in denial and refusing help. If anyone knows any resources for someone in this situation, would appreciate it.   

I think you can report him. YOu can also look him up on your FB or post the FB link here and everyone who comes across his account can report him to FB too. I thought a saw something about how to protect seniors from these guys somewhere. I'll try to find it. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Ontarkie

[Ontarkie 14,218]

Also report it to Tom Selleck himself. Should be a PR person monitoring his social media and they would probably shut him down. 

[millefleur 5,046]

Thanks for the recs. Her children are looking into a conservatorship so that her funds will not be so readily available to scammers. The video was so obviously fake it makes me think they target cognitively challenged victims on purpose, as they would be the ones to fall for it. 

[Ontarkie 14,218]

Scammers suck. I hope there is a special place down below for them.

[millefleur 5,046]

I talked with another friend and apparently these "gift card scammers" are very common. They got her dad, who also struggled with cognitive issues, had him running all over town buying gift cards.

 

I never buy gift cards (I don't know anyone who does either) so this is all very baffling to me. I don't even know how the scammers are using the gift cards, I assume some of them must work like cash.

 

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams

[Ontarkie 14,218]

Gift card scam is old, it came about after western union and money order scams became too well known about. Bank tellers would warn their customers not to send money to strangers.

I'm totally guessing here but I think the gift cards are in turn sold for cash since US gift cards the store kind cannot be used outside the US. I bet they are asking for the kids that are visa only, not store or restaurant kind. 

We actually get gift cards all the time for the inlaws. 

[mam521 2,062]

On 12/13/2023 at 7:13 PM, millefleur said:

Thanks for the recs. Her children are looking into a conservatorship so that her funds will not be so readily available to scammers. The video was so obviously fake it makes me think they target cognitively challenged victims on purpose, as they would be the ones to fall for it. 

Good call.  My grandmother got scammed pretty badly.  My dad and uncle worked it out and now do have conservatorship over her accounts.  It is pretty disgusting how scammers take advantage of people.  

 

My other grandmother asked me to look for some essential oils she wanted to buy for my aunt.  She told me they kept coming up in adverts on her social media.  I checked into it and, of course, it's garbage and a MLM scheme.  At least she asked before she bought it!

 

My annoyance of late is text scams.  I received the ole Google Authenticator scam text the other day.  Claims "here's your code" but yet, I wasn't even accessing any of my accounts at the time.  Did a search - yup, a scam.  Delete and report.  My e-mail junk folder is FULL of scam garbage, from "FedEx attempts to deliver" and "Temu Customer Support - you're our contest winner" to the classic "I'm Mr. So and So and I have been instructed to award you $2million dollars" garbage.  

[TBoneTX 45,267]

12 hours ago, mam521 said:

My e-mail junk folder is FULL of scam garbage

It won't be truly full until you get some from Nigerian barristers who are representing deposed princes.

[mam521 2,062]

On 12/15/2023 at 11:09 PM, TBoneTX said:

It won't be truly full until you get some from Nigerian barristers who are representing deposed princes.

Oh, I get those.  Along with how to enlarge my (non existent) manhood and mini chain saws and hearing aids and anti snoring solutions and how to kill fungus...

[TBoneTX 45,267]

5 hours ago, mam521 said:

my (non existent) manhood

Trans is hip now -- get with the times, mam ma'am!

Edited December 20, 2023 by TBoneTX

[millefleur 5,046]

I've changed email addresses over the years since my old ones became spam magnets. This is a helpful site to check if your email has been involved in a data breach:

 

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

 

[millefleur 5,046]

This reminded me of the scam my aunt is a victim of, someone impersonating a celebrity:

 

US woman allegedly poisoned husband’s soup at urging of scammer

 

A Massachusetts woman has found herself in hot water after she allegedly poisoned her husband’s soup because someone pretending to be a soap opera star told her to.

Roxanne Doucette of Townsend, Massachusetts, has been charged with attempted murder, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer.

It all started when someone claiming to be an actor on the TV show The Bold and The Beautiful contacted Doucette. The two struck up a conversation over the phone and eventually, the scammer allegedly asked Doucette for money and told her to leave her husband.

 

Read more here: 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/10/massachusetts-woman-arrested-poison-soup-soap-opera-star-scam

 

My hunch is assuming it's true, this scammer would have been after some kind of life insurance money she had on the husband? Scammers are truly getting bolder and stranger these days so I wouldn't be shocked if it's true.

[Family 3,988]

Suspect tries to rob Sandusky bank using translator app

 

Video released to the FOX 8 I-Teamshows Sandusky police arresting a man they say used a translator app to try and rob a local bank.

The attempted robbery happened April 4 around 11:30 a.m. A man called police saying the suspect was in the bank, not talking and trying to get around the counter.

The I-Team obtained bank security video that police says shows the suspect holding up his phone to the tellers. Police say the suspect did not speak English and was using a translator app to tell tellers “get the money” and “put the money in the bag.”

When the tellers did not give him any money, he left.

https://fox8.com/news/i-team/suspect-tries-to-rob-sandusky-bank-using-translator-app/

[Family 3,988]

Steve Baker, a former Federal Trade Commission official now publishes the Baker Fraud Report newsletter

 

https://mailchi.mp/ee2efd23d4e2/baker-fraud-report-7914491?e=115aca7ac6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22 by Family

[TBoneTX 45,267]

3 hours ago, Family said:

the tellers did not give him any money

The language barrier can be daunting.

E.g., whenever I try to say anything in Spanish, the natives look terrified and urgently point me toward the nearest restroom.