Port Hueneme criminologist warns of common scams
It's a new year, but scammers are still up to the same old schemes.
Judy Yates, a criminologist who lives in Port Hueneme, compiles a monthly newsletter on the latest and most significant scam trends to help protect the public from falling victim to them.
To kick off 2022, she highlighted the most common scams of late.
Scammers use many mediums, Yates writes, from in-person conversations to phone calls, text messages and emails, and use a wide variety of techniques. No matter the scheme, however, they're all designed to swindle personal information and money.
Along with the "if sounds too good to be true" dictum, Yates says there are a few other red flags to watch out for, such as requesting payments in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers.
Other warning signs include demands for an immediate response or decision, asking for personal identifying information and requesting money in advance for winning a prize or to pay someone you have never met.
Yates finds the most common scams fall into these categories, which are not always mutually exclusive:
Fake officials: The person pulling the scam impersonates a public official, such as a representative from Social Security, the IRS or local law enforcement, or a business, such as a bank or credit card company. They say there's something wrong with your account and threatens to take action against you if you do not pay them or provide personal information like a credit card number.
Sweepstakes, prizes, gifts and lotteries: The swindler says you've won a prize and can receive it if you pay them the taxes and or shipping fees. "Remember it is illegal to be asked to give money in advance to receive a prize," Yates writes.
Romance or sympathy: The scammer makes an emotional appeal to gain trust or sympathy, only to ask for money later. They say they need funds for an emergency, fell on hard times or are in the midst of legal issues, but they are in fact preying on a victim's sympathy. In an online romance scam, the scammer always has a reason or excuse to never meet in person.
Computers: The fraud occurs when a user clicks on a pop-up advertisement or downloads a file with a virus or malware in it. This sometimes causes a computer to freeze and show a phone number to call for help — a ploy to gain remote access and steal personal information.
Vehicles: These scams typically warn the target that their car’s warranty is going to expire or that they have an opportunity to extend its warranty.
Internet merchandise: The schemer creates a seemingly real online retail store to sell merchandise, but instead uses it to harvest personal information and financial data. Common iterations of this scam involve fraudulent N95 mask retailers or counterfeit COVID test kits.
If you think you may be a victim of a scam, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov; the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov; or the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-372-8311. The AARP offers a Fraud Watch for Seniors program at aarp.org.
Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Top scams to watch out for in 2022
