Scams

Consumers lose millions of dollars each year to people who appear friendly but who are scheming to take advantage of you. Common scenarios include:

1. Scammers PRETEND to be from an organization you know.

Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official.

Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations.

They use technology to change the number that appears on your caller ID. So the name and number you see might not be real.

2. Scammers say there’s a PROBLEM or a PRIZE.

They might say you’re in trouble with the government. Or you owe money. Or someone in your family had an emergency. Or that there’s a virus on your computer.

Some scammers say there’s a problem with one of your accounts and that you need to verify some information. Others will lie and say you won money in a lottery or sweepstakes but have to pay a fee to get it.

3. Scammers PRESSURE you to act immediately.

Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you’re on the phone, they might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story.

They might threaten to arrest you, sue you, take away your driver’s or business license, or deport you. They might say your computer is about to be corrupted.

4. Scammers tell you to PAY in a specific way.

They often insist that you pay by sending money through a money transfer company or by putting money on a gift card and then giving them the number on the back.

Some will send you a check (that will later turn out to be fake), tell you to deposit it, and then send them money.

Nobody legitimate will require you to buy cryptocurrency (Bitcoin). Not to sort out a problem or to protect your money. That’s a scam. Reports to the Federal Trade Commission show cryptocurrency scams are an alarmingly common method for fraudsters to get peoples’ money. The mix of online dating and investment advice is also quite dangerous. If a new person of interest wants to show you how to invest in cryptocurrency, or asks you to send it to them, that’s a scam. Please take care to spot these danger signs prior to transacting on your account for cryptocurrency related purposes. With consumer protection in mind we encourage transparency prior to engaging in these transactions to allow for the assessment of safety, stability and soundness of action.

If anyone has presented himself to you as an FBI agent, bank examiner, police officer, detective, or bank official, and requested any information about your account, or asked you to withdraw any amount from your account, whether to help them “catch someone” or to show “good faith,” or for any other such reason, you are very possibly being swindled.

If any of these circumstances exist, please contact your local police department and have them investigate, before you withdraw your money. Remember, swindlers nearly always are friendly and have “honest” faces. They particularly tend to take advantage of older people.

Gift Card Scams

Gift cards are popular gifts. They’re also a popular way for scammers to steal money from you. That’s because gift cards are like cash—if you buy a gift card and someone uses it, you probably can’t get your money back. Remember: Gift cards are for gifts, not payments. Anyone who demands payment by gift card is a scammer.

How It Happens

The scammer poses as someone claiming it’s urgent for you to send money right away. They’ll often tell you to buy a best-selling gift card such as iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon at a particular store near you, like Walmart, Target, Walgreens, or CVS. They may even have you buy several cards at several stores. Sometimes, the caller will actually stay on the phone with you while you go to the store.

Once you buy the card, the caller will demand the gift card number and PIN on the back. With those numbers, they immediately steal the money you loaded onto the card. And once they do, the scammers and your money are gone, usually without a trace. Note: Imposters will sometimes ask you to wire money instead of a gift card.

Common Phone Scammer Stories

• Claims to be from the IRS, collecting back taxes or fines
• Poses as “tech support” asking for money to fix your computer
• Poses as a family member with an emergency and urgent need of money
• Pretends to be from a utility company, telling you to pay your bill by gift card or risk losing your power or water
• Asks for gift cards as payment for big items like cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs, tractors and electronics on online auction sites
• Poses as a service member (to get your sympathy) with something to sell before deployment and needs payment by gift card
• Claims you’ve won a sweepstakes prize and need to use a gift card to pay fees to receive it
• Purchases something from you, sends a check for more than the purchase price and asks for the difference on a gift card (P.S. That check will turn out to be fake.)

How to Protect Yourself

• Keep your money – and your information – to yourself. Never share your financial information with someone who contacts you and claims to need it. And never wire money to anyone who asks you to.
• Hang up or delete the text. If anyone unknown to you calls or texts urging you to purchase gift cards or provide another form of payment, hang up or delete the text and report spam.
• Pass this information on to a friend. Even when you’re savvy and know how to avoid these scams, you probably know someone who could use a friendly reminder.

Commonly Used Gift Cards

Amazon
Keep the Amazon card and your receipt for it. Call 1-888-280-4331 to report fraud. Learn about Amazon gift card scams and how to report them.

Ebay
Keep the Ebay card and your receipt for it. Call 1-866-305-3229 to report fraud. Say “representative” after the first prompt, then “gift card” to connect with a representative. Forward suspicious emails about Ebay gift cards to spoof@ebay.com. Include the first 9 digits of your gift card. Learn about Ebay gift card scams and how to report them.

Google Play
Keep the Google Play card and your receipt for it. Call 1-855-466-4438 to report fraud or
report scams online. Learn more about Google Play scams and how to report them.

iTunes
Keep the iTunes card and your receipt for it. Call Apple Support at 1-800-275-2273 to report fraud. Say “gift card” to connect with a live representative. Ask if the money is still on the iTunes card. If so, Apple can put a freeze on it and may be able to refund your money. Learn about iTunes gift card scams and how to report them.

Steam
Keep the Steam card and your receipt for it. If you have a Steam account, you can report gift card scams online. Learn about Steam gift card scams and how to report them.

MoneyPak
Keep the MoneyPak card and your receipt for it. Call 1-866-795-7969 to report fraud.
Learn about MoneyPak gift card scams and how to report them.

If the card you purchased is not on this list, look for contact information on the card or do some research online.

Gift Card Safety Tips

• Purchase gift cards from sources you know and trust. Avoid buying gift cards from online auction sites, because the cards may be counterfeit or stolen.
• Inspect a gift card before you buy it. Check that none of the protective stickers have been removed. Make sure the codes on the back haven’t been scratched off to show the PIN number. Report any damaged cards to the store selling the cards.
• Keep the receipt with the gift card. Whether you’re giving or getting, keep the original purchase receipt or the card’s ID number with the gift card.
• Read the gift card terms and conditions. Is there an expiration date? Are there fees for use or shipping and handling? Will you incur fees every time you use the card or if it’s unused for some period of time?
• Use the card as soon as you can. It’s not unusual to misplace gift cards or forget you have them. Using them early will help you get the full value.
• Treat gift cards like cash. If your card is lost or stolen, report it to the card’s issuer immediately. You may get back some or all of the money left on the card for a fee. You might need to show the receipt and the ID number on the card.

How to Report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Online: ftc.gov/complaint

Then report the scam to your state Attorney General. Visit naag.org for a list of state offices. Your complaint can help protect others by helping FTC investigators identify and stop the scammers from acting again.

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You get a card, call, text, or email with news that you won a trip, prize, lottery or sweepstakes. The person calling is excited and can’t wait for you to get your winnings.

Next, they ask for fees, taxes, or customs duties and your credit card number, bank account information, or wire transfer for payment. Either way, you lose, not win.

How to Protect Yourself

• Keep your money – and your information – to yourself. Never share your financial information with someone claiming to need it or wire them money.
• Verify before you trust. If someone you don’t know claims you’ve won a contest, hang up immediately. Then verify the legitimacy of the contest on your own.
• Pass this information on to a friend. Even when you’re savvy and know how to avoid these scams, you probably know someone who could use a friendly reminder.

How to Report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Online: ftc.gov/complaint

Then report the scam to your state Attorney General. Visit naag.org for a list of state offices. Your complaint can help protect others by helping FTC investigators identify and stop the scammers from acting again.

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You get a call from someone who sounds like your grandchild asking for money for bail, a medical bill, or other emergency. The caller says it’s urgent and tells you to keep it a secret. Note: Scammers are good at impersonating others. They hack into social media or email account details to be more convincing, then pressure you to send money before you have time to think.

How to Protect Yourself

• Stop and check it out. Look up your grandchild’s phone number or call another family member.
• Pass it on to a friend. You may not have gotten one of these calls, but chances are you know someone who will get one — if they haven’t already.

How to Report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Online: ftc.gov/complaint

Then report the scam to your state Attorney General. Visit naag.org for a list of state offices. Your complaint can help protect others by helping FTC investigators identify and stop the scammers from acting again.

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You meet someone special on a dating app or website who urges you to switch to email or phone calls. They tell you they love you but live far away because of business or military service. Then they ask for money for a plane ticket to visit you or emergency surgery or another urgent need.

Scammers make fake dating profiles, sometimes using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They build relationships or even fake wedding plans before disappearing with your money.

How to Protect Yourself

• Stop and never send money. Never wire money, put it on a prepaid debit card, or send cash to an online love interest.
• Report the incident to the dating website or app on which you met the scammer.
• Pass this information on to a friend. Even when you’re savvy and know how to avoid these scams, you probably know someone who could use a friendly reminder.

How to Report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Online: ftc.gov/complaint

Then report the scam to your state Attorney General. Visit naag.org for a list of state offices. Your complaint can help protect others by helping FTC investigators identify and stop the scammers from acting again.

Sign Up for Scam Alerts

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You get a pop-up or other urgent message that your computer is infected. It might seem to come from Microsoft, Apple or your internet service provider asking you to report viruses or malware or risk losing your personal data. Note: According to the FTC, these scammers want to sell you useless services, steal your credit card number, or get access to your computer to install malware.

How to Protect Yourself

• Stop. Don’t call a phone number or click a link. Don’t send money, give your credit card number or give control of your computer to anyone who contacts you.
• Pass this information on to a friend. You might know these pop-ups are fake, but chances are you know someone who doesn’t.

How to Report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Online: ftc.gov/complaint

Then report the scam to your state Attorney General. Visit naag.org for a list of state offices. Your complaint can help protect others by helping FTC investigators identify and stop the scammers from acting again.

Sign Up for Scam Alerts

Download and Share