The Season of Changing Leaves and Ripening Scams: Consumer Awareness Tips for Fall

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By Amrutaa Vibho, AGO Intern

With the changing of the leaves and the shorter days, fall brings a host of seasonal activities and purchases. Whether it’s Halloween costumes or season passes to ski resorts, consumers will be looking to save money on their seasonal purchases. However, this season is also ripe for scams. Here are  some tips to help you avoid falling for seasonal scams and schemes.

Beware of counterfeit or knockoff Halloween costumes. When searching online for a deal, beware too-good-to-be-true prices – it could be a trick! Unscrupulous retailers may list costumes at a discount to get you to fall for a listing using stolen photos, then send you a cheap imitation costume instead of the real thing. Avoid this tactic by buying in-person or from a trusted online retailer.

Skiers looking for deals on lift tickets: Watch out for steep, third-party discounts, which could be a sign of fraudulent tickets. Buying tickets from trusted resorts and standard channels is the best way to avoid scams.

Drivers preparing for the winter season may be spooked by the price of snow tires. When searching for a deal, do your research! Sellers offering “too good to be true” prices, subpar, and worn winter tires aren’t heroes. Avoid getting tricked by inspecting tires before you drive away.

Finally, as you plan your holiday vacations, don’t fall for counterfeit family vacation packages. While it is possible for sales to either inflate or be lower on some days than others, prices that are completely undervalued and look overly convenient could be a scam. Avoid holiday disappointment by purchasing directly from the business or online at their official website.

Remember these tips:

  • Research Before You Buy
  • Use Secure Payment Methods
  • Check the URL before clicking: Hover over links to see the actual URL. (look for “https://” in the URL)
  • Be Cautious with Personal Information

As always, contact the Consumer Assistance Program to report scams and get help. Call 1-800-649-2424 or email AGO.CAP@vermont.gov.

Join us in the fight to be #ScamAware and #StopScamsVT. Share this with someone you trust.

Scams are crimes that we can try to avoid

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By Crystal Baldwin

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.

Findings by the Federal Trade Commission as well as AARP support that we humans are most likely to respond to scams when our emotions (positive and negative) are elevated—from anger to love, we have recently experienced two or more stressful life events, are living in isolation, and have increased exposure to scam encounters.

It could look like this: A new mom on maternity leave who lost her beloved father receives a call about an unpaid IRS tax debt. When scammers use carefully scripted dialog, the notion of unpaid taxes seems plausible. One may question whether claimed dependents had been properly updated, or if a burial tax was overlooked.

This new mom receiving an unwanted call from the IRS was me. During the call, I felt panic rise as I readied myself to engage. My sleep deprivation and my baby saved me. Upon receipt of the call, I was rushing out the door with my crying child. I decided I was too tired and overwhelmed to engage in a meaningful conversation. Exasperated, I said, “I just can’t right now,” and hung up. Once I was seated in my car, I expressed a long exhale. In that moment, I started laughing as I said aloud, “That was a scam!” My baby was not amused.  

When involved in a scam our brains are likely to experience an “amygdala hijack” —a term defined by Emotional Intelligence expert Daniel Goleman. This hijack is a natural response to emotional stimuli. When it is triggered, our response bypasses the orderly and fact-checking part of our brain. Scammers trigger this hijack by using manipulative psychological tactics. In the recent experience I shared above, my emotions helped me out of a tough situation. But I have experienced scams before where my emotion-based actions led me to monetary loss.

Scams frequently occur in isolation. Because of this, one of our best prevention strategies is to stay connected with our communities. That way, whenever you encounter something that is unexpected, urgent, unsettling, or unknown, you can engage a trusted contact, or community organization. This trusted support serves as your sounding board. They will help you to ask questions and expose the scam. Regularly engaging your trusted contact, such as when thinking about buying from a new website or making a high-dollar purchase, helps you to form scam avoidance habits. As burdensome as it may seem to activate a prevention strategy involving others, think of it like locking your door. It is a safety measure that will hopefully stop a thief from stealing from you.

Key Prevention Tip: When it's unexpected, urgent, unsettling, or unfamiliar: Slow down, Take steps to verify, Get community support.

If you have responded to a scam, know that you are not alone. Please report all scams to the FBI’s IC3.gov so that they can aggregate data to identify scam activity.

Steps when funds or personal information have been jeopardized:

STEP 1:
Immediately contact the Financial Institution’s Fraud Department.

STEP 2:
Immediately report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI
If personal information may have been stolen or compromised:  IdentityTheft.gov provides step-by-step recovery guidance or call 1-877-438-4338

STEP 3:
Consider engaging a trusted contact who will support you through the process.

STEP 4:
Engage Vermont supports when you need additional help:

VT Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program:
 ago.Vermont.gov/cap

VT Department of Financial Regulation:
dfr.Vermont.gov

Local law enforcement

United Ways of Vermont 2-1-1 Information and Referral Hotline

Stay safe and be well, Vermont.

Scam Targeting Wedding Officiants and Venders

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Do you officiate, photograph, cater or provide other wedding services? If so, scammers may try to steal your money by claiming to be potential clients.

Several Vermont Justices of the Peace reported to the Consumer Assistance Program a scam in which fake wedding planners reached out to them using fake email addresses. First they asked about their rates for service. Next, they sent a check for a large overpayment and requested a refund.

Wedding officiants are not the only businesses to encounter these fake orders of services. Photographers, caterers, as well as non-wedding related businesses have reported receiving fake requests for services or goods. The end result is always the same. The scammers claim they sent too much money (sometimes drawn on actual accounts fraudulently) and ask businesses to send the claimed overpayment back.

When businesses comply, they lose large sums of money. When the business remits funds by check, the business checking account and routing numbers are provided to the scammer, making businesses susceptible to possible identity theft.

Safeguard business funds by establishing internal protocols to prevent scams:

  • Consider how the email was sent. Was it sent to multiple parties? Was the email address itself an odd combination of letters and numbers? Does it look like a form letter? Are there spelling errors? These are usually scams.
  • Complete online searches to help make an informed decision . An online email verification checker can give you feedback on how the email address has been used. Cross-reference the information provided with information on wedding planning websites.
  • Call the event location and confirm whether there is an event registration under the parties’ names.
  • Require a video call and interview the parties before completing a written contract.
  • Plan to accept payment for the contractually agreed upon amount. The sender can cancel the overpayment and resend payment for the correct amount.
  • Add a multi-step verification process for abnormal payments (consult colleagues, do online research, talk to your bank’s fraud department about potential scams).

Please help stop scams by sharing this information with someone you know. If you have questions about this scam or have provided personal information or money to the scammers, please contact the Consumer Assistance Program at 1-800-649-2424 or https://ago.vermont.gov/cap/recover-scams.

Computer Tech Support Scam Alert

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Vermonters have reported an uptick of the Computer Tech Support phishing scam, specifically claiming to be from “V-Tech Solutions”. This scam usually comes as a robocall claiming that the recipient will be charged for antivirus software and instructing them to call back to cancel the charge.

Scam Alert issued by Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark

This scam uses a common scare tactic of an unauthorized charge made to one of your accounts. When you receive this or similar calls, hang up and take steps to verify.

  • Check with your financial institution directly to determine whether a charge has been made.
  • If you notice unauthorized charges on your account, dispute them through your financial institution.
  • Even if you get a call from a company that you do business with, call them back on a number you know to be valid, such as the number referenced on your contract or statement.

If you receive this or other scam calls, report it to the Consumer Assistance Program, at 1-800-649-2424 or online at ago.vermont.gov/cap

Small Business Flood Relief Resources and Action Steps

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Update August, 20, 2024: “FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Vermont to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storm, flooding, landslides and mudslides from July 9-11, 2024” (https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20240820/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-major-disaster-declaration-vermont).

As businesses rebuild what was lost and purchase new items after the floods, we urge businesses to engage trusted contacts to help consider the next steps and to help make informed decisions. Businesses with concerns can reach out to the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) for help. Vermont businesses are covered by our state’s consumer protection law and CAP is a helpful resource available to businesses. CAP’s Small Business Advocate can assist businesses with any questions relating to consumer purchases and consumer complaint mediation.

Small business flood relief: Resources and action steps. Document everything, apply for relief, beware of scams. ago.vermont.gov/cap

First and foremost, businesses must document everything. Take pictures and write down all actions you are taking. This step will be integral in applying for relief and insurance claims down the road.

Making Repairs to your Business:

Below are a few tips to follow before making changes to your business as you repair and rebuild what was damaged in the flood.

  1. Contact your insurance company as soon as possible and do not make any permanent changes to your business until you get approval from your insurance company.
  2. Beware of dubious contractors that may appear with promises to restore damages immediately in exchange for immediate payment. Never pay in full upfront for a commercial project. Make sure you have a contract. Before working with a contractor, always check the Attorney General’s Home Improvement Fraud Registry and residential contractor registration status with the Office of Professional Regulation in the Vermont Secretary of State’s office.
  3. Contact the Consumer Assistance Program by phone at (800) 649-2424 or by email at ago.smallbusiness@vermont.gov for questions relating to hiring a commercial contractor.

Legal Assistance:

Small businesses may also need the advice or services of an attorney. Below are legal resources available to small businesses during this time.

  • Vermont Bar Association (VBA) offers low-cost consultations. A lawyer will provide a 30-minute consultation for $25 to help answer questions.  You can reach the Lawyer Referral Service at (800) 639-7036 Monday-Friday 8am – 4pm. Please visit vtbar.org for updates.
  • Small Business Legal Assistance Project offers support and outreach on legal topics impacting diverse and disadvantaged businesses and business owners in Vermont.

Beware of Disaster Relief Scams:

The Consumer Assistance Program is warning Vermonters and small businesses to beware of disaster-relief scams and price gouging. Scammers may impersonate FEMA or the State of Vermont. To learn more about these scams, please review CAP’s Avoid Scams and Fraud During Flood Recovery blog post.

How to Contact the Small Business Advocate:

If you have any questions on the above related material, please contact Emily McDonnell, Small Business Advocate at ago.smallbusiness@vermont.gov or call CAP at (800) 649-2424.

Many Vermonters are going through a traumatic period. If you or someone you know is having a hard time with the emotional impact of this crisis, you can call or text the National Disaster Stress Hotline, (800) 985-5990, or 9-8-8. You are not alone.