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Phony Amazon Messages Target Shoppers With New Tricks: What To Know Now Phony Amazon Messages Target Shoppers With New Tricks: What To Know Now
Phony Amazon Messages Target Shoppers With New Tricks: What To Know Now That email claiming to be from Amazon about a mysterious order or urgent account issue? It could be a scammer’s trap waiting for you to click. Amazon users are being warned about a fresh wave of sophisticated scams hitting inboxes.  Fraudsters are sending emails and texts that look like they're from Amazon, often claiming something’s wrong with your account or a suspicious purchase has been made.  The messages urge you to click a link or call a customer service numbe, leading you straight into a scam. According to online security firm ExpressVPN, these phishing emails are design…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Impostor Scams Skyrocket Among Older Adults, FTC Warns: What To Do Impostor Scams Skyrocket Among Older Adults, FTC Warns: What To Do
Impostor Scams Skyrocket Among Older Adults, FTC Warns: What To Do Scams targeting older Americans are surging, causing victims to lose millions of dollars to scammers posing as government officials or trusted companies. The number of victims age 60 and older who lost more than $100,000 has increased by more than 700%, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday, Aug. 7. Those high-value thefts jumped from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024. Older adults who lost at least $10,000 also dramatically rose by more than 300%. "While younger consumers also have reported these scams, older adults were much more likely to report these ex…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Florida Man Hits Montgomery County With Tech Scam Targeting Elderly Woman, Police Say Florida Man Hits Montgomery County With Tech Scam Targeting Elderly Woman, Police Say
Florida Man Hits Montgomery County With Tech Scam Targeting Elderly Woman, Police Say A Florida man drove all the way to Maryland — just to scam an elderly woman out of $20,000, police say. A 31-year-old Florida man is facing charges after allegedly scamming an elderly Montgomery County woman out of $20,000 in a bogus tech support refund scheme, police said. Charles Horlesen, of Kissimmee, FL, was arrested Wednesday, July 23, in Queen Anne’s County, according to Montgomery County Police. The investigation began on Monday, July 21, when Horlesen allegedly met with the woman, who believed she had a problem with her Norton antivirus software. Police said she was told she had …

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by Zak Failla
Business
Fake Facebook Ads Promote Bogus ‘Tariff Relief’ Offers, FBI Warns Fake Facebook Ads Promote Bogus ‘Tariff Relief’ Offers, FBI Warns
Fake Facebook Ads Promote Bogus ‘Tariff Relief’ Offers, FBI Warns Scammers are once again turning hot-button headlines into bait — this time with bogus offers of “tariff relief” payments showing up in Facebook and Instagram ads. The fraudulent posts have promised $750 in “tariff relief credit” or as much as $5,600 in “tariff relief benefits.”  But the promised payouts don’t exist. Instead, these ads are believed to be attempts to gather personal information or steer unsuspecting users into marketing calls where they could be targeted by spammers. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, confirmed that it removed the ads after being alerte…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Fraudulent Texts Pretend To Be From USPS Fraudulent Texts Pretend To Be From USPS
Fraudulent Texts Pretend To Be From USPS A new scam is targeting people with fraudulent text messages pretending to be from the United States Postal Service (USPS) — and officials are urging caution. The US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is warning customers about a rise in phishing and smishing attacks, where fraudsters send fake texts and emails that appear to come from USPS. The messages often claim that a package is delayed or that a payment is due, directing recipients to click a link that steals personal information. Postal inspectors say these scams are becoming more advanced, but there are clear warning signs: Smishi…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Delete These Suspicious Texts Immediately, FBI Warns Delete These Suspicious Texts Immediately, FBI Warns
Delete These Suspicious Texts Immediately, FBI Warns The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an urgent warning about a widespread text message scam designed to steal personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. Known as “smishing” (SMS phishing), the scam involves fraudulent texts impersonating toll and package delivery services to trick recipients into clicking malicious links or revealing sensitive data. According to cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42, cybercriminals have registered over 10,000 fraudulent domains as part of this operation, targeting at least 11 states and one Canadian province. Key…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Holiday Deals Or Fraud? IRS Issues Warning For These Scams Holiday Deals Or Fraud? IRS Issues Warning For These Scams
Holiday Deals Or Fraud? IRS Issues Warning For These Scams As the holiday shopping season begins, the IRS reminds everyone that it’s not just your credit card balance you need to watch — it’s also your personal information. As part of its ninth annual National Tax Security Awareness Week, the IRS is warning taxpayers about a rise in holiday scams.  The scammers aren’t interested in gifts under your tree; they’re after your Social Security number and financial information instead. Here’s how scammers are getting creative—and how you can stay safe: Phishing Emails: Be wary of emails pretending to be from reputable retailers, shipping companie…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Charged In Montgomery County's First $2.3M Gold Bar Scam, Police Say Long Island Man Charged In Montgomery County's First $2.3M Gold Bar Scam, Police Say
Long Island Man Charged In Montgomery County's First $2.3M Gold Bar Scam, Police Say A Long Island man is accused of orchestrating a $2.3 million gold bar scam that targeted an elderly Montgomery County mother and her daughter, police say.  Montgomery County police have charged 26-year-old Yash Shah of Baldwin, New York, in a government-imposter scam that defrauded an 88-year-old woman and her 61-year-old daughter out of millions worth of gold bars. Authorities said this is the first reported scam of its kind in the county. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, the scheme began in February 2023, when the victims were contacted by someone claiming to…

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by Zak Failla
News
Courier Involved In Gold Bar Scam Targeting Maryland Elder Arrested Boarding Flight To Ireland Courier Involved In Gold Bar Scam Targeting Maryland Elder Arrested Boarding Flight To Ireland
Courier Involved In Gold Bar Scam Targeting Maryland Elder Arrested Boarding Flight To Ireland A 23-year-old man from Illinois has become the second apprehended for his role in a government-imposter-related gold bar scam targeting a Montgomery County resident. Neel Patel, of Carol Stream, joined California native Wenhui Sun behind bars after a woman was bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the scheme, according to police. In March, a woman advised investigators that she had been contacted by a fraudster alleging to be with  Office of the Inspector General – Federal Trade Commission. She was instructed that she was the victim of identity theft that laun…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Teen Demanded Gold Bars From Elderly Maryland Woman To Keep Russia Away From Her Assets: Police Teen Demanded Gold Bars From Elderly Maryland Woman To Keep Russia Away From Her Assets: Police
Teen Demanded Gold Bars From Elderly Maryland Woman To Keep Russia Away From Her Assets: Police A 19-year-old New Yorker implicated in a government-imposter-related scam received nearly a million dollars in gold bars from an elderly Maryland woman who sought to keep Russia away from her money, authorities announced on Tuesday. Brooklyn resident Zhenyong Weng has been arrested for allegedly targeting an 82-year-old Silver Spring woman who reached out to her and allegedly instructed her to transfer her assets into gold bars to keep Russian hands off. The woman complied, police say, and handed off several packages worth an estimated $900,000 in gold bars. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. o…

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by Zak Failla