This article was originally posted by the FTC. See the original article here.
According to the newest Data Spotlight, 40,000 people reported losing a whopping $148 million in gift cards to scammers during the first nine months of 2021. Those are staggering numbers which have increased each year for the past several years. Since 2018, gift cards have been the most frequently reported payment method for fraud. But which gift card brand do scammers ask people to buy, and lose the most money on? Google Play, Apple, eBay, and Walmart cards remain popular with scammers. But this year, Target gift cards are scammers’ top choice.
Most gift card scams start with a phone call from someone impersonating a branch of the government like the Social Security Administration, or a business. The caller might threaten to freeze your bank account and tell you that you must buy gift cards to avoid arrest or to keep access to your money in your bank account. They will tell you to stay on the phone as you head to the store to buy gift cards to, they often claim, solve the “problem” they are calling about. They will also ask you to provide the numbers on the back of the card you buy. These are all signs of a gift card scam.
If you find yourself heading to the store to buy gift cards because someone on the phone told you so, stop. No matter who calls, texts, or emails you telling you to pay with a gift card, it is always a scammer. The government and legitimate businesses will never call you demanding payment with a gift card.
As we head into the holidays, remember: Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments. Report gift card scams to the gift card issuer, and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Visit ftc.gov/giftcards for more information and check out this quick video.
Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Mozilla has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in Firefox, Firefox ESR, and Thunderbird. An attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.
This article was originally posted by the FTC. See the original article here.
A recent FTC staff report shows what we’ve known for some time — that different communities report to the FTC about different concerns. Yesterday, we told you about how fraud affects the Latino community. Today, we’re highlighting some of the scams and other consumer problems that affect people living in majority Black communities.
The top report to the FTC was about credit bureaus, such as people in majority Black communities having trouble correcting inaccurate information on their credit reports.
Auto sales are a big concern. People living in majority Black communities filed a significantly higher percentage of reports about used auto sales than majority Latino and White communities did.
People living in majority Black communities also filed a larger percentage of their reports about issues with banks, lenders, and debt collection than people living in White communities.
Similar to reports from the Latino community, people living in majority Black communities reported paying scammers with payment methods that have little or no fraud protections — such as cash, cryptocurrency, money orders, and debit cards. People living in majority Black communities also filed more reports about payment apps or services and gift card or reload cards than people living in the other communities.
FTC cases also show some of the scams and unfair practices targeting or negatively affecting Black communities — cases involving money-making opportunities, for-profit schools, payday lending, and student debt relief programs. Check out the Serving Communities of Color Report to find out more.
It’s important for the FTC and other law enforcement agencies to know how fraud and other consumer problems affect different communities. That information helps us focus our work to bring more cases to combat those problems. It also helps us learn what topics we should cover in our outreach campaigns to help people avoid losing money.
Everyone can help by talking about fraud and sharing information in their communities. You can also help by reporting the scams you see. Tell us your story so the FTC knows how people are being affected and who is scamming people in your community. It’s easy to report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Zoho has released a security advisory to address an authentication bypass vulnerability in ManageEngine Desktop Central and Desktop Central MSP. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to take control of an affected system. According to Zoho, this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.
This article was originally posted by the FTC. See the original article here.
FTC research confirms what we’ve known for some time: that we hear from people in Latino communities less frequently than the general population. But reporting and experiencing fraud are two different things.
When people report to the FTC, it helps us understand and respond to what’s happening in the Latino community. Based on new analysis of the FTC’s report data, we know that:
The top consumer problem reported to the FTC by people living in majority Latino communities is impersonator scams. This scam happens when someone pretends to be someone they’re not — like a representative from the government or a well-known business — and tries to get you to pay them money or give them sensitive information.
Bogus business opportunities and job scams are a problem. People living in majority Latino communities filed a higher share of reports to the FTC about business opportunities and job scams than people living in majority Black or White communities.
Latinos report paying scammers with payment methods that have little or no fraud protections. And they’re not alone. Reports to the FTC from majority Black and Latino communities show that people are more likely to pay scammers in ways that have few, if any, fraud protections ― so: cash, cryptocurrency, money orders, and debit cards. People living in majority Latino communities also reported paying scammers with bank transfers, bank payments, and wire transfers.
FTC cases also reflect the types of scams targeting Latino communities — cases involving auto buying, for-profit school advertising, and prepaid card marketing. But we know that more reports from Latino communities would give the FTC a better look at the scams and bad business practices people face every day. And give the FTC the chance to bring more cases to shut them down.
Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.
FTC research confirms
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