Holiday SCAMS COMING TO YOU! MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE OF CONSUMER PROTECTION CONSUMER@MONTGOMERYCOUNTYM D.GOV WHAT WE DO • Handle disputes between merchants and consumers • Provide consumer specialists by phone or in-person • Enforce the County’s consumer protec<on laws • Educaon and Outreach to the Community • License and Regulate certain businesses GENERAL STATISTICS • In 2019, es<mate 50% of all calls to cell phones are from robo- dialers. • In 2019, econsumer.gov had 40,432 reports of internaonal scams, with reported losses exceeding $151 million. •Also in 2019, the Consumer Sen<nel database revealed that 91,560 people reported losing more than $276.5 million to scams based outside the U.S. COVID SCAM STATISTICS • In June 2020, Hetherington Group reported that in NY and NJ alone, ~100 seniors paid over $1M for the grandparent scam (emergency funds to pay for a hospital bill or bail to avoid jail infested with COVID-19). • Per Checkphish, 180k fake IRS websites created to steal your smulus money. • FTC has issued over 200 warning leaers for bogus preven<on and cures. • KY reported fake drive-up COVID tes<ng for insurance data. • MD issued a warning on fake charity scams. • FTC issued warnings about popup websites selling PPE but never shipping. • WSSC issued alert about unnecessary water filters WHO’S TARGETED? Seniors have historically been targeted because: • Seniors have a “nest egg” • Seniors were raised to be polite and trus<ng • Seniors are less likely to report a fraud • Seniors are more likely to live alone “Millennials” are a rapidly increasing fraud target because: • Too comfortable online • Trust websites too easily • Lack of financial literacy educaon in formave years COMMON TYPES OF SCAMS • Healthcare: Medicare ID thei is on the rise • Investment: Invest in bogus cures and preventaves • IRS: S<mulus checks and tax iden<ty thei • Mail Fraud: work-from-home scams on the rise • Grandparent: usual scheme now focuses on fear of COVID-19 • VA Benefits • Funeral / Cemetery • Financial exploitaon • Woodchucks • SSN “inac<vaon” • Mortgage assistance fraud: Schemes to “help” you with debt • U<lity cut off Common Holiday Scams ! Online Shopping " Don’t use P2P and limit debit card ! Gii card scams ! Shipping no<ficaon ! Coupons and special offers ! Porch pirates ! Mail marauders ! Charity SCRIPTING OF FRAUD One of the most common ways • Boy, do we have a deal for you! fraudsters target people is thru • You will be arrested if you do not pay phone, mass-mailings or email. now • Many of your friends / neighbors are No maer the method or the doing this. scam, the fraudsters will follow a • Price isn’t right? I can offer you a script discount. • This deal won’t last forever! • To get started we just need some informaon from you….. TELEPHO NE SCAMS JUST HANG UP! KNOW THE TRICKS • Spoofing/Cloning • With VoIP, callers can disguise their true number • Calls from IRS, Sherriff’s Office, Chinese Embassy, PEPCO, cardmember services, your neighborhood • Hide: private, unavailable or unknown •Turn off your brain, turn on your heart • The first 3 seconds is to scare you • Don’t engage The Stats #Phone scams are underreported #According the the FBI’s Internet Crime Report for 2018 $26,379 people reported being a vic<m $$50 million reported in losses # Report calls to FTC and FCC # Report losses to FBI’s IC3.gov # FCC warned 12 VoIP companies re “assis<ng and facilitaon” AVOIDANCE TIPS: Trust your instincts • Screen your calls • If you don’t recognize the number, let the voicemail or machine pick up • Beware of cloned telephone numbers • Just hang up! • Empty air = machine calling you. • Hang up as soon as you know it’s a solicitaon, a threat, or possible harassment • Remember IT support never called you when there was a problem. • Don’t close the deal • If you haven’t hung up yet and you think this might be legi<mate, hang up and call back on a number you had before the call. • Do your own research. No offer is truly off the table if it came to you. • Avoid saying “yes” because they could record your voice and “slam” you • Gi cards are for gis! TECHNOLOGY AIDS Call blocking technology* Regulatory Changes " Apps for cell phones • “STIR/SHAKEN” protocols on certain models. " NoMoRoBo • STIR (Secure Telephony Iden<ty Revisited) and SHAKEN (Secure Handling of Asserted informaon using toKENs) " TrueCaller • Tells you the call is from a “verified” number NOT that the caller is " Free apps by major carriers “safe” • Carriers permiaed to block calls from invalid or unassigned " Equipment for landline numbers " Digitone •TRACED Act " HQ Telecom • voice service providers must implement SHAKEN/STIR at no " Sentry addi<onal cost to consumers • increases penal<es and provides other tools for cracking down " Ask phone company to block “anonymous” on robocalls calls • requires the FCC to ini<ate a rulemaking to further help protect consumers from spam calls and texts COVID-19 % COVID-19 Phone Scams " Insurance " Loan modificaon (OAG alert) " Smulus checks " Free tests " Travel cancellaon " Charity: cure, preven<on, unemployed and wildfire " Bogus cures or prevenon " Contact tracers " Work at home " Student loans haps://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OCP/consumer_covid19_news.html CYBERSECU RITY HOW TO AVOID IDENTITY THEFT AND STAY SAFE ONLINE WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT? %Iden<ty thei happens when somebody steals your personal informaon and then USES IT without your permission. %It’s just the opposite of a Power-of Aaorney %Iden<ty thei can disrupt your finances, medical care, credit history and take substan<al <me and money to resolve. Phishing, Smishing Vishing, & Hacking Phishing: Phony + Fishing ◦ You give access through emails ◦ Beware of “sextor<on” schemes Smishing: SMS + Fishing ◦ You give access through text and social media messaging Vishing: Voice + Fishing Hacking: Misuse of system to steal data ◦ Access is taken without your permission Holiday Cyberscams ! Shipping no<ficaon " Virus/malware " Steal PII ! Fake coupons and special offers " Junk products " Virus/malware " Steal PII ! Fake websites " No products to sell " Send empty envelope for shipping ! Fake chari<es COVID-19 Cyberscams • Phishing and Smishing • Cures • Preven<ons • Hot spots & virus tracking • Hoax • Contact tracing • Selling Bogus or Unavailable Products • PPE, cures, preven<ons, test kits, vaccinaons • Free to Breath Agency “mask exemp<on” cards • S<mulus: scams claiming to speed up payment • Fake websites Deter " Shred documents " Don’t give out personal information (SSN, DL, Medicare) " Don’t click on unsolicited emails " Phishing, pharming, spear-phishing, whaling " Password phrases " Update computer OS " Virus and malware software " Don’t put checks in the mail: Check washing Detect BE ALERT! ◦ Bills (missing or new) ◦ Unexpected account statements or purchases ◦ Denials of credit or insurance or medical care ◦ Unrecognized financial statements INSPECT: ◦ Credit report ◦ Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, Innovis, NCTUE … ◦ www.AnnualCreditReport.com ◦ If information is inaccurate, contact reporting company. More info at www.ftc.gov/idtheft Kids & Cybersafety Kids spending more <me online " Teach them to • Share less • Connect less • Prune “friends” and “followers” • Set stricter privacy sengs " Passwords: know them • Review history, apps and games " Manual circulang on exploi<ng kids during pandemic " Fairfax County s<ng arrests 30 men Defend " Fraud Alert/Credit Freeze/Credit Locks " Contact security or fraud departments " File a police report " Apply for a driver’s license restriction code from MVA " Report to FTC and FBI " If Medicare # compromised, call 1-800-MEDICARE " If SSN # compromised, call the SSA 1-800-772-1213 ROMANCE SCAMS MORE THAN A BROKEN HEART “Catfishing” Con-Game •use social media, dang websites/apps, or other venues to create a false iden<ty. •use public data to find the hook to reel you in • Your interests, faith, etc. • ul<mate goal is usually money • 2018 alone over $210,000,000 stolen • Scams on dang apps thriving on pandemic Tips to Avoid & Protect Script Where to Report? • Contact: Find you and sell themselves and press you to communicate off plaorm • Federal Bureau of Invesgaon • Groom express strong emo<ons in a relavely • www.ic3.gov short period of <me • may claim to be in a foreign country making skype • Federal Trade Commission or other video chat features “difficult” • www.ic.gov/idthei • gain your trust and propose marriage • FTC on Nigerian Scams [email protected] • ask for “in<mate” pictures (for later blackmail) • Western Union • Sng: suddenly need money • www.westernunion.com (if you wired money) • May ask for you to wire overseas because they are stuck behind closed borders • Repeat: come back for more, or a friend poses as a helper to get your money back DOOR-TO- DOOR SCAMS WHEN SCAMMERS COME KNOCKING SCAM vs LEGITIMATE Scam Types Legimate Knocks %Magazine, candy, etc. % Home Accessories " Underpaid child labor " Windows/Doors/Siding " May never get the magazine " Solar % Home improvement: they claim % Religious " your neighbors have already used them % Census takers " they have extra material to offer a good deal " Ask to see the ID and verify the watermark " slow schedule % Always ask the merchant’s rep to see the %Energy Scam Peddler’s License issued by Dep’t of Perming " Compeng suppliers pretend to be PEPCO or Services Washington Gas wan<ng to save you money " If no license, say goodbye and shut the door! % Coronavirus Scam %Report scams to OCP for future alerts. " WHO or CDC is not tes<ng door-to-door (NJ) " Social distancing fines (Scotland) WOODCHUCKS: