You receive a call. You’ve won the lottery and a Mercedes-Benz. You don’t recall entering a contest for either, but it sounds exciting. Who wouldn’t want a ton of extra cash and a new car? The person on the other line tells you that all you need to do is pay a one-time processing fee. … Read more
Marla Grayson. If you are not shuddering at the sound of her name, you haven’t refreshed your Netflix cue lately. I Care a Lot follows con artist Marla Grayson as she is fraudulently granted court-appointed guardianships over wealthy, elderly individuals. Within Marla’s predatory circle are unethical physicians who help identify these elderly “cherries” and testify … Read more
It’s a fact of life nowadays that you have to always be on the lookout for financial fraud and scams. Even while sitting in the comfort of your living room and making an online order, you could find yourself getting bilked out of your hard-earned money. Although financial scams often target older adults, they’re not … Read more
Scammers often prey on senior citizens. Older adults tend to be good-natured and not as tech-savvy as their kids and grandkids. But no generation is immune from fraudsters, as one Texas school teacher recently learned. Charee Mobley, 37, noticed an incorrect charge on her Cash App account and called what she thought was a helpline. … Read more
With new opportunities often comes new scams that target your pocketbook. The introduction of COVID-19 vaccines to our world is no exception to this. In just a few months, scammers have found ways to try and lure those earnestly searching to get a vaccine. Want to know how to protect yourself from COVID-19 vaccine scams? … Read more
For many of us, fraud attempts are part of our daily lives. We receive emails with suspicious links and see random numbers pop up on our caller IDs. In 2020, scammers placed more than 38 million robocalls — that means each American received more than 116 of these calls. These things are annoying, but we often … Read more
Finding love online went from being a tad taboo to more common. Three in 10 Americans say they have used an online dating app, and one in 10 Americans say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they met online, according to PEW Research. But though it would be nice to … Read more
Romance scams are on the rise. In 2019, people lost $201 million to romance scams — a nearly 40 percent increase from 2018, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). But this number may only scratch the surface. The FBI estimates that only 15 percent of romance scams ever get reported. Romance scams happen when … Read more
You would think that the stress and the tragedy going on around the world now would prompt scammers to take a break from trying to dupe people. In fact, it’s the opposite. Scammers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to find new ways to convince people to part with their hard-earned money. Scammers are using several … Read more
The flush of a new romance is exciting, but not when someone wants to scam you. With the proliferation of dating apps, romance scams are far too common. In 2020, $304 million was lost to romance scams, the Federal Trade Commission reports—a 50% increase compared with 2019. Money losses from romance scams have increased six-fold … Read more