Social Security scams costing Americans

[mathjak107]

Wow! Thanks for the head's up on this, @mathjak107. I'll tell my hubby & friends to beware.

that is a scam many will fall victim to because you don't suspect it is not the front desk calling.

 

[StarSong]

I just found out a friend of mine had just been "catfished". She fell so deeply in love with a photo of a man on a dating site. They talked on the phone and he sweet-talked her into sending him money to Europe so he could leave and be with her! He told her he finally got his money back and if she gives him her bank acct. info he will pay her back and wire the money to her account right away! She did! She called the bank to see if the money had been returned yet and found ALL her accounts had been cleaned out and sent to an account in Nigeria! I can't believe anyone could actually do this!

I'm so sorry for your friend, @Gaer. She has to be devastated to have been so heartlessly scammed.

When it comes to being scammed, never say it can never happen to you. That arrogance is the first step toward letting your guard down and becoming a victim.

These creeps are professionals who spend years honing their skills. They're experts at reading what will work, whether it's tugging on people's heartstrings (fake charities), frightening them (grandson is in jail), appealing to their greed (lottery or sweepstakes winner), offering friendships or romances to the lonely (no matter how unlikely), etc.

Scamming Americans, particularly older Americans, out of their money is big business in Nigeria, Jamaica and other countries.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

One of the cutest things I have seen to deal with these scam callers is an automated voice recording from someone named “Lenny” There are a series of phrases that he repeats at random, and it totally baffles the scam caller.

If you look on YouTube for “scam phone calls, Lenny”, there is a whole list of these calls. This is just a short one to give you an idea of how it works.

 

[Kaila]

This article is on MSN News, today, and is fascinating and informative and educational,
for any/all of us,

on the many ways that current scammers make their scams LOOK and seem, very legitimate and beneficial,
so that some people, could be tricked by them. Even those who research, to check on them.

The scammers begin by assuming an identity of a true lawyer, whose credentials are online....

The article is easy reading and valuable, to look at, imo.

Title of the article could be googled, I assume, or look for it in your own method.
On MSN News. Feb. 18, 2020:

Fake lawyer sends scam inheritance letter to real lawyer

author: David Lazarus

 

[StarSong]

This article is on MSN News, today, and is fascinating and informative and educational,
for any/all of us,

on the many ways that current scammers make their scams LOOK and seem, very legitimate and beneficial,
so that some people, could be tricked by them. Even those who research, to check on them.

The scammers begin by assuming an identity of a true lawyer, whose credentials are online....

The article is easy reading and valuable, to look at, imo.

Title of the article could be googled, I assume, or look for it in your own method.
On MSN News. Feb. 18, 2020:

Fake lawyer sends scam inheritance letter to real lawyer

author: David Lazarus

This is a link to the article:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-02-18/column-inheritance-scam