fraud
Scammers are Likely Ahead of the Curve
The Federal Trade Commission is expressing concern that, even while Congress is hammering out the details on financial relief for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, crooks and scammers are busily plotting how they’re going to bilk unsuspecting folks out of…
Scammer Alert: The Crooks Are Taking Advantage of Coronavirus Hysteria
Even as the U.S. Senate scrambles to construct an appropriate package to combat the coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact, the scammers are busy looking for ways to fleece the unsuspecting. This post by the Federal Trade Commission’s Jennifer Leach leads with this…
The Capital One Breach…Understanding the Implications
By now, the massive security breach at Capital One is old news for many, leaving the 100 million or so affected U.S. customers to wonder what will happen next. Well, the investigations are starting, and the media pundits are aggressively…
H.R. 4005 – Tax Identity Protection Act Proposed to Address Computer System Shortfalls
Citing known deficiencies in the computer systems supporting the Taxpayer Identification Number Perfection Program, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), and nine Republican co-sponsors late last week submitted H.R.4005, the Tax Identity Protection Act. The Act calls for the Internal Revenue Service to provide evidence…
Social Security Scams Hit the Top of the List in AZ
The scam going around that says your Social Security account has been suspended continues to plague Americans, so much so that www.abc15.com in Arizona has it in their top three most reported rip-offs. And it’s not only hitting seniors, as the…
Caller ID Says Social Security…But is it Real?
The criminals these days are expanding their criteria these days, using clever tricks to con unsuspecting folks and draw them into their web. As explained in this Washington Times post by reporter Stephen Dinan, the crooks have honed their technique…
Pitfalls and Trapdoors, and How They Can Derail Retirement plans
Although there’s been a slight dip in reported cases, the Federal Trade Commission still reports that 2017 produced 2.68 million fraud, identity theft, and similar reports. With over 40% of these being outright fraud situations, it’s not surprising that the…
Synthetic Identity Fraud and Social Security Numbers–Yet Another Battle to be Fought
It sounds like a strange title for a vulnerability–“synthetic identity fraud”–but it’s not really that far-fetched. In simple terms the concept is used to describe situations where a “genuine social security number is used alongside a false name and date of…
Submitting Fraud Allegations to the OIG
(Source: Social Security Administration) The SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has determined that, due to a computer error, it did not receive any fraud allegations submitted through its online fraud-reporting form from 3:30 p.m. on Monday, September 10 to 9:30…
Don’t fall for Social Security scams
It seems there is no end to the number and kind of fraud attempts that criminals will use to try to get at your money, and targeting seniors seems to be a very popular type of scam these days. Those…