Category: scams

What Red Flags Should I Look out For?

By Paul F. P. Pogue From Ask Angi Nearly all contracting jobs go smoothly. You hire them, they do the work, you pay them, everyone moves on happily. Nonetheless, every so often, you run into an unscrupulous contractor who only has dollar signs in their eyes and thinks you’re the perfect mark. And in times…


Expert Taskforce to Tackle Growing ‘Scamdemic’ in Australia

Australia will launch a temporary task force known as a “fusion cell” to combat the growing issue of investment scams. Led by the competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and the financial services regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the fusion cell will draw experts from both public and private…


You Are Being Scammed

Commentary Even in good economic times, scams, rackets, and cons always threaten regular people. But in bad economic times such as our own, they swarm around us like never before. These days, it’s extremely difficult to tell real from fake. Even for sophisticated people who believe themselves to be beyond this, there is always a…


Is Cash App Safe? 

Many cash apps make it easy to purchase or transfer money. Their convenience makes them popular, and may offer ways to invest your money with just the touch of a few buttons. The ease of use, unfortunately, may also make it just as easy for someone to steal the money you have in your cash…


Text and Online Scammers Targeted in £30 Million Government Crackdown

Text and online scammers will be targeted by a new government-backed fraud squad made up of 400 elite investigators. The intelligence-led division will be part of a £30 million fightback against scammers that aims to block fraudulent communications at their source and allow suspect bank payments to be delayed. The new fraud strategy, announced by…


The Latest Internet Scams and How to Avoid Them

Online scammers have gotten so sneaky lately that it’s not just your elderly grandparents at risk—boomers, millennials, and even Gen Zers can get taken advantage of if they’re not careful. That’s because these shady weirdos keep switching up their scamming tactics based on current events and our constantly changing digital culture. But the good news…


Regulators Focus on Frauds Targeting Seniors

By Lisa Gerstner From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Andrew Hartnett, deputy commissioner of the Iowa Insurance Division and president of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), explains how to best protect vulnerable seniors. Question: Protecting seniors from fraud and exploitation is part of NASAA’s mission. What types of scams are targeting seniors lately? Answer: States…


Canada’s Crypto Scams Target Young Adults, Losses Up 40%

Losses to cryptocurrency scams have risen nationwide, but British Columbia has had a particularly large spike with scams almost tripling in one year. B.C. residents lost a combined $24 million in crypto scams in 2022, up from $8.5 million in 2021, reported the B.C. RCMP on March 22. “Scammers are using the popularity and complexity…


IRS Issues Fresh Warning in ‘Dirty Dozen’ List of Tax Scams

The IRS has issued a warning to taxpayers and businesses about unscrupulous promoters who are falsely advertising the availability of Employee Retention Credits (ERCs) in order to gain fraudulent refunds. Taxpayers have been bombarded with inaccurate information on eligibility and computation of the credit, according to an IRS notice that adds ERC schemes as a…


Beware Debt-Settlement Schemes and Scam Artists

The ads are compelling. “If you have at least $10,000 of credit card debt, you are eligible to have half of it forgiven!” “Debt-settlement solutions!” I see these ads nailed to telephone poles, plastered all over the internet and broadcast over radio and television. Even though I know what’s going on, they grab my attention…