A heartfelt thank you to Jeanette Voss and Martha “Mickey” Pullen for sharing your stories in a recent Seven Days article, Cyber Scams Are Leaving Older Vermonters Destitute, Frustrated and Saddled with Tax Debt. Your stories help us understand that scams are malicious criminal operations that succeed through thievery. You have helped others to see that responding to a scam is deeply human and natural. Scams are crimes. Scams are never the fault of the people they harm.
Author: Crystal Baldwin
Crystal manages the publication and distribution of the CAP Connection blog.
Email Extortion Using Photos of Home
In a new twist in the email extortion scam a photo of your home is sent with the threat to send compromising photos and videos of you to your contacts. Threats like these instill great fear and worry. The scammer advises you to scan a QR code, directing you to pay with Bitcoin or provide… Continue reading Email Extortion Using Photos of Home
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Help in Your Community
By Crystal Baldwin As we prepare for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day this Saturday, please read and share: “Finding Help,” a guide on help options for Vermonters experiencing elder abuse, exploitation and neglect. When considering care for our loved ones, there is a lot to think about . Who should help manage their money? Should someone live with them, and who? Can we afford… Continue reading World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Help in Your Community
Social Media Scams Hope to Elicit Funds from Grieving Families
Scammers are targeting grieving families, hosting fake funeral live stream Facebook posts and asking for payment to access the service. Scammers may further make fake social media pages of loved ones to post the funeral livestream.
The livestream option for funeral services is typically free to guests. If you are asked to provide payment, disengage and contact the organizer directly, such as the funeral home or the person who arranged the funeral services.
The array of scams that can occur on social media is virtually limitless.
Buying Stuff You LOVE Online
Find something you love online? Protect your money. Take steps to verify the website is valid and perform online searches about others’ interactions with the site before buying. There is a chance the new thing you have come to love does not exist. So, what do you do when the thing you committed to purchasing from a website never arrives as a package at your door as promised? The Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule is a Federal Rule that protects your mail, internet, or telephone orders of merchandise.