Posts Tagged ‘ scam ’

Great Tips to Avoid Being a Fraud Victim

November 1st, 2010. By admin

The US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is sending out flyers with some great tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of mail fraud—a type of consumer fraud. For those of you who may not have received it, I’ve shared some of the tips below.

The video above is from the USPIS website, deliveringtrust.com, where you can find further information about fraud—specifically cross-border fraud which is happening more frequently. It is a longer video—12 minutes—but there are some good tips at the end, and quite frankly, the USPIS did a pretty good job of channeling some sort of CSI episode to make the subject matter here more entertaining (if it’s possible to even make fraud “entertaining”).

You’ll also find a quiz over at deliveringtrust.com to test your scam radar savvy, and also information about fake checks, cross-border fraud, internet fraud, foreign lottery scams, work-at-home scams, identity theft, telemarketing fraud, and what to do if you’re a victim of fraud. Of course it’s a good idea to contact a consumer fraud attorney if you’ve been a fraud victim as well.

Warning Signs that may indicate a scam:

1. It sounds too good to be true.

2. You’re being pressured to act “right away”.

3. It guarantees success.

4. It promises unusually high returns.

5. It requires an upfront investment—even for a “free” prize.

6. It doesn’t have the look of a real business.

7. Something about it just doesn’t feel right.

Tags: Consumer Fraud, Cross Border Fraud, Mail Fraud, scam, US Postal Service, USPIS
Posted in Consumer Fraud, Emerging Issues | 5324No Comments »2010-11-01+14%3A58%3A39admin

Classic Scam: Just How Does 3 Card Monte Work?

August 26th, 2010. By AbiK

Now here’s a scam we don’t talk about much, but on any given day in city (NYC that is) in the summer, you’re bound to run across a small group of folks who are wowing the crowd with some slick moving 3-Card Monte.

Given that we report about scams quite a bit here at LawyersAndSettlements.com, this video caught my eye. Sure, you’ve always known it was a scam, but c’mon, I bet you’ve stopped to look at the action–and maybe you’ve lost a few quid after getting sucked into playing…?

Regardless, in the spirit of “buyer beware”, check out the video above–it’s one of the best I’ve seen for giving an explanation about 3-Card Monte–how it works and how you lose…

Tags: 3 Card Monte, scam
Posted in Consumer Fraud | 4657No Comments »2010-08-26+13%3A17%3A58AbiK

Lawyers Beware – Devious Scam Can Cost You Big Time

July 15th, 2010. By AbiK

Seems there’s a new and not-so-little lawyer scam going on. No calling a law firm about a package found on a subway, here. This one’s more devious and it involves some big cash.

According to a report out of wbztv.comin NH, two lawyers were targets of an international internet scam recently. The scammers used internet messages, fake companies and counterfeit checks in order to retain–albeit fraudulently–the lawyers.

Here’s how it worked:

It’s sort of like a Moneygram scam, actually. The lawyers were told that the fake checks were either settlement money or retainer fees. The lawyers were then instructed deposit the “money” and to then wire some money to someone else involved with the case.

The scammers were even doing things like using faux law firm stationery to make it look like it was opposing counsel who had sent the check.

One of the lawyers targeted was fortunate enough to have raised an eyebrow—he did some snooping around and found out that the check was counterfeit. He then contacted the attorney general’s office and state banking officials.

The other lawyer was not so lucky. He went and deposited the check and wired half the amount of it, a whopping $240,000, to a fake client of the company that retained him. Guess what? The $240k was yanked from his account and now it’s bye-bye. His loss. And a big one it is.

According to wbztv.com, Assistant Attorney General Karen Gorham said no arrests are anticipated.

No surprise.

Unfortunately, with scams like these—just as withMoneygram scams—it’s very difficult to track down the perpetrator.

So lawyers beware…

Tags: Fraud, Lawyers, scam
Posted in Consumer Fraud | 44182 Comments »2010-07-15+21%3A25%3A44AbiK

How to Scam A Lawyer…?

July 2nd, 2010. By AbiK

This is priceless. I’m doing my morning download/debrief from all the media and legal sites I follow and I come across a gem from over at ABAJournal.com. It’s a story about a 50-year old con artist who—and here’s the priceless part—was SCAMMING LAW FIRMS.

You have to take pause with this one.

Not because the perp was charged with second-degree forgery and petit larceny—hopefully he wasn’t engaging in such activity as his catch-up plan for boosting retirement savings—but because of the nature of the scam itself.

Here’s the deal: apparently this guy calls law firms, says he’s “Jimmy” (aka James Hill) and that he “found” a package—on the subway–that was addressed to the aforementioned firm. Ok, perhaps Good Samaritan, right? But here’s where the scam part comes in. He tells whoever’s on the phone at the law firm that he will deliver the package if the firm pays for his cab fare.

Now, no, this is not some case of “please get a Moneygram wired to me at the corner of Walk and Don’t Walk” (yes, a nod to Lily Tomlin). No—this guy actually had a package that he would deliver. And then the law firm would reimburse “Jimmy” for his cab fare—and according the the abajournal post, sometimes that included tips!

That’s the low-down, and here’s my list of what’s wrong with this picture…

1. Crime scene is NYC. Is there any true, native New Yorker that would not raise an eyebrow upon receiving such a call?

2. It’s a law firm. These guys litigate this stuff all the time. Hello?

3. “Jimmy” “finds” the package on a subway. Ok, you could argue Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: law firms, New York, package scam, scam
Posted in Consumer Fraud, Emerging Issues | 4287No Comments »How+to+Scam+A+Lawyer...%3F2010-07-02+15%3A12%3A46AbiK

Watch what you Click: Black Friday Shopping Scam

November 24th, 2009. By AbiK

popup coupon scam comp Watch what you Click: Black Friday Shopping Scam Retailers are on to me. And others of my ilk who avoid shopping malls on Black Friday like H1N1. While you used to have to drive bumper-to-bumper and play kamikaze-style musical chairs to snag a parking space—all for the reward of standing in long checkout lines and eating something “a la king” with a side of onion rings—now you can just tap your keyboard and click away (“Shipping address same as billing address?” Why, it sure is!) and still get the same deals as those loonies who actually drive to get them. Completely hassle-free! Or is it?

Unfortunately, some of the more popular sites that folks find themselves on—such as Orbitz, Priceline.com, Buy.com, 1-800 Flowers.com, Continental Airlines, Fandango, and Classmates.com—have had this little pop-up window every now and then that has you thinking you’re that lucky customer today! You (yes YOU!) can reap your reward—a coupon or that special cash-back deal—if you just click and enter your email address right there!

And it looks so sincere—after all, it appears to be a nice little “thank you for your purchase” from the company’s website you’re on, right? Well, it’s not.

The pop-up ad is actually from a third-party—and most likely from one of 3 companies: Affinion, Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Affinia, Buy.com, Internet Shopping, Orbitz, Priceline, scam, Vertrue, Webloyalty
Posted in Emerging Issues, Internet/E-commerce | 1976No Comments »2009-11-24+19%3A25%3A52AbiK