The Santa Letter scam takes the No. 1 spot on this list for several reasons. First, it victimizes parents just trying to do something special for their kids for Christmas, as well as the kids, who'll get bupkus from the Big Guy in the Furry Suit. Not only are people paying for a service the…
As the holidays roll in, some people get lonely. With our emotions out of control, online dating scams are one of the easiest cons to fall for. Just last month, and not that long after having attended a presentation on how to avoid scams and cons, I heard from a guy in North San Diego…
Nobody's merry about this year's data breaches… nobody. If you have a credit card—and who doesn’t?—you’ve probably been affected by at least one of the infamous data breaches at Home Depot, Michaels, Neiman Marcus, or Target—need I go on? What many people might not realize is that the stolen credit card information is eventually sold…
Dear Customer, Your parcel arrived on December 17. Courier was unable to deliver the parcel to you. To receive your parcel, print this label and go to the nearest office. During the holidays, “phishing” emails like this can catch many off guard. This scam is used by crooks pretending to be virtually every package delivery…
Remember the good old days when the holidays were approaching, we went to our mailboxes everyday, checked for greeting cards, then rushed inside to see what our friends had written to us in the card? Maybe you even snuck a peek at the back of the card to see which brand your friends had chosen.…
The holidays are the season of giving. Unfortunately, there are those who think charity begins at their homes and goes no further. On a large scale, online scammers set up fake charitable websites designed to collect donations and personal information for those who visit the site. However, sometimes, that conman is waiting for you at…
A few years ago, online security firm McAfee began compiling their 12 holiday cyberscams, including “not-so-merry-mobile apps.” Call these little collections of computer code apps and they don’t sound so bad. Use the names surveillanceware, ransomware, or adware, and they start to sound more grinch-like than helpful. Surveillanceware? According to an Assistan Attorney General, via…
The unbeatable bargain has been a lure used by con artists since even before 19th-century Europeans recognized the commercial value of a topical preparation used by foreign laborers, an oily substance derived from the Chinese Water Snake. Fast forward and you can get a brand new iPad for $20! A Louis Vuitton purse for 90%…
’Tis the season for saving money. That’s what coupons are for—assuming those coupons are legitimate. But, alas, “phishing” scammers are also using this tried-and-true consumer favorite as a lure to bring prospective victims to their websites. There are also those coupons that seek to turn you into the culprit, and some estimate these fake coupon…
Ever since the days of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, we’ve associated Scrooge with money-grubbers. But alas, in this case, Scrooge is being unfairly maligned, because we have no reason to think he couldn’t spell. Familiar banks, credit card companies, and even money-saving rewards or points programs are being used as easy ways to lure…
