KDKA.com Consumer Web Extras
Apr 29, 2009 6:22 pm US/Eastern
Scams: New Ways To Trick You Out Of Money
(KDKA)
With the tough economic times, it seems like scam artists have gone into overdrive, finding new ways to trick you out of your hard-earned money.
Whether it's something you get in the mail, a text message, even an email – beware – because scam artists have found new ways to get to you.
Many of the new scams are actually variations on old ones.
However, these con artists may be finding new ways to contact you.
The Email Hijack:
In this scam, experts say the victim won't lose any money, but their friends easily could.
Betty Fraley, of Ben Avon, says she is just one of the people who has fallen victim to this scam.
"I get a phone call, first from my son saying, 'Do you know that someone has hijacked your email?'" said Fraley.
She says someone managed to take over her email account and sent out an email to 200 of her contacts. It claimed she was stranded in London and it asked to send money.
"They wanted $1,500 to pay a hotel bill and $700 for food," said Fraley.
Fortunately, Fraley says none of her contacts fell for it.
The Fake Publishers Clearing House Letter:
Experts say the letters claim that you've won $1 million, but in reality the letter is just a phony.
The Better Business Bureau in our area has gotten numerous complaints over this one - they say they have even put out a warning.
"Publishers Clearing House, their identity is being stolen by these con artists," says the Better Business Bureau's Warren King.
The winning letter is accompanied by a check for a few thousand dollars and some instruction.
"Cash the check, put it in your savings or your checking account and send us back $4,000," King explains the scam.
But the problem is that the check is bad and once you send the scam artists the money, it's gone.
Officials say a woman in Westmoreland County lost $16,000 to this particular scam.
The Bank Alert Scam:
Experts say in this scam, victims get a text message, which is supposedly from your bank.
It alerts you to possible trouble with your account and asks you to call a number.
State police say this scam is similar to one they have recently warned people about. In that one, scam artists pretended to be from Farmer's National Bank.
They call to tell you of possible trouble, and then ask for your account numbers.
The Jury Duty Scam:
Experts say this scam begins with a phone call telling the victim that because they didn't show up for jury duty, a warrant has been issued for their arrest.
Once the victim becomes a bit flustered, experts say the caller tries to get personal information.
"What an individual should do if they get a call along that line is they should call the county and say, 'I got this call, and I need to verify this is legitimate,'" says U.S. Postal Inspector Andrew Richards.
This scam has actually been around for a while and it continues to pop up periodically in Allegheny County and elsewhere.
Job Scams:
Beware of work-at-home offers where victims are asked to buy instruction materials or pay a fee.
Experts say if you have to pay for a job, then someone is trying to steal your money.
Also, it's important to be cautious for quick responses if you post your resume online. Experts say scam artists are just looking to steal your identity.
So, many of these scams use the same formulas with a new twist, maybe it's a trick to get you to give up personal information or it's giving you a bad check and then asking you to send money back.
But experts say it's very important to follow your gut - if something doesn't feel right - it's probably not.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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