How often do you use your face to unlock your phone? Gain access to your bank account? Turn on your car? With the evolution of technology, facial recognition software has become essential in our everyday activities. A simple scan of your facial features can provide access to so much. This realization came to me as a consumer reported an incident where a scammer asked her to download a facial recognition app and submit a scan of her face.
“Criminals who have collected enough personal information on you could commit identity fraud.”
Your face can be used in crimes, either targeting you or as an accomplice to one. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on synthetic identity fraud: “a fast-growing type of financial crime where fraudsters use an amalgamation of real and fake information to create a new identity.” Thanks to your facial features, a scammer can bypass facial authentication systems, making the scammer’s face challenging to identify, because “attackers are typically unwilling to use their real face when committing a crime.” And who’s to say you didn’t commit a crime when your face is all over the issue?
There are numerous concerns about the fraudulent activity that can occur because of criminals gaining access to your face. Thankfully there are already a few companies working on this issue:
Apple’s camera projects more than 30,000 invisible dots to create depth maps of a person’s face while also capturing an infrared image of the face making it the most difficult to fool, and it’s also good to note that a user’s Face ID never leaves the iPhone.
Some banks and financial service companies use third-party facial identification services and request additional verification information; if it so happens that the facial ID is not recognized and gets flagged, a human reviewer will take a look and conclude the analysis.
Your face can be captured anywhere; all that is needed is a clear image. There’s a lack of privacy on how individuals can gain access to your face because your face can be captured just by walking past a camera outside—you likely aren’t aware of it.
What can you do?
Always be careful about who you allow access to your face.
Avoid Facial Identity Fraud – Tips from the VT Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program
Navigating the identity theft recovery process can be overwhelming. Vermonters with questions about the process can call the Consumer Assistance Program at 1-800-649-2424 or the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338.
“I need help…” “I’m in prison…” “I’m in the hospital. I need help…” “I had a bad car accident, and people are injured…”
No matter what the scammers say when they initiate the family imposter/ emergency scam, it is sure to spike emotion. Scammers call, claiming to be one of your most cherished loved ones—your grandchild—and ignite fear that those you care about are in dire need. With emotions running high, how can you not engage with the call, stay on the line, and find out more? You are worried and feel helpless because all you have to validate this story is the phone in your hand and the fear of what if.
What if you do nothing and your grandchild really is in trouble?
I considered these very questions when writing the script for the newly released Avoiding the Family Emergency Scam videos. I recalled the stories of actual Vermont families receiving such alarming calls in the middle of the night with nothing to go on but the urgency of the call, the deep love for their family member, and the desire to resolve the issue at hand. As our volunteer actress, Ruth Wallman, relays as the unsuspecting grandparent in the video, “What was I supposed to do? He needed my help!…I like to be there for my family. But, this just went too far.”
The SLOW method. Share this strategy with someone you care about.
In creating this video series, I hoped to help Vermont families find a way to still be there for their families when emergencies arise by arming them with useful verification strategies to decipher between a scam and an actual family crisis. Verification of the family imposter scam starts with the SLOW method, a scam response strategy I created specifically to pause and identify scams. It urges people to Slow Down, Log the Contact, make One Call to a primary contact to discuss the incident. Warn others by sharing your scam story and report scams to help prevent them. The Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) at 1-800-649-2424 is your local Vermont resource for scam prevention.
Engaging with others is a crucial verification step, because scammers often demand secrecy in family emergency scams and make would-be valid claims that they would be too embarrassed or ashamed, or afraid of ensuing punishment if other family members were made aware of the damning incident.
Family support and open, frequent communication among families is essential to putting an end to the family imposter/emergency scam. If questions remain, family cannot be reached or communications are limited, contacting a third-party organization, like CAP is the next best step. CAP is familiar with scams and can help to identify them. By contacting CAP, you can also make a scam report, which helps our office identify and alert the public about scam trends.
Help protect yourself and others by taking time to watch the video. Review the information on our website, and encourage those you care about to learn more about scams and prevention strategies to stop them.
Anyone who has overheard the conversation of online streaming video game players on opposite sides of the globe knows that real and true friendships can form online between parties that have never met before. As shared in the following open letter, this is how scam prevention advocate Pat McCarty’s online relationship began just two years ago.
From Pat McCarty: Until it happens to you, it’s impossible to understand; a man or woman freely sending money to someone they’ve never met in person. But I’m here to tell you, even the most cynical, worldly, educated, and discerning person can, and does, get scammed!
There are hundreds of different scams out there, I got caught up ‘catfished’ into a ‘Romance Scam’ that crippled me financially, undermined my self-confidence, and ended up breaking my heart. I was a 58-year-old, recent divorcée after a 30 year marriage, living on my own for the first time in my life. I’m a college graduate, fairly bright, cynic, who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. But, I’m also a Christian woman, who tries to help those in need, and THAT is what my scammer preyed upon—my compassion for others.
I was not out looking for a mate, date, or companion on some dating site. I was playing Words With Friends online, which I often did. And that is where this scammer targeted me. The conversation was very generic at first, but slowly, over weeks, developed into an online friendship. From there, it took a turn into a private chat room, and then he had me right where he wanted me! It’s a long twisting story, but ended with me selling all my gold jewelry, sending every spare cent I had to him, as these scammers are polished and sophisticated, they have a plausible story for EVERYTHING! At the point I actually sold my car, my only transportation, to “help” him. I knew I’d ‘jumped the shark,’ and started doing some digging myself!
What I found was heartbreaking, infuriating, and devastating.
That was 2 years ago. After some time, good therapy, and scam-specific education, I no longer see myself as a victim, but as a SURVIVOR! My life is mine again, my finances are healthy again, and I’ve taken back my power by volunteering at a Fraud Watch call-in center, advising others how to get out of scams like mine and so much more. With literally hundreds of scams out there, and new ones popping up daily, I’m so honored to help others get out of their scams and find THEIR power again. And, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that literally ANYONE can be scammed! I hear stories every day of those who thought it would NEVER happen to them. Knowledge is power. Learn all the red flags and warnings….BEFORE it happens to you!
As Pat relays, enlisting in a scam-specific education to learn more about scams in order to stop them, is the best defense against scams. Today, our office announced the release of the Avoiding the Romance Scam prevention video (embedded throughout this post in varying lengths), an effort produced here in Vermont, based on true accounts of scams experienced by our neighbors like Pat. Help protect yourself and others by taking time to watch the video. Review the information on our website and encourage those you care about to learn more about scams and prevention strategies to stop them.
For scam interactions and consumer transactions generally, you can apply the SLOW method to disrupt the unpredictable reaction response you are likely to experience by substituting a planned response instead. At the onset of the first communication, start with SLOW as a strategy to help you take steps to verify.
Stop scams with SLOW
S – Slow down – scammers pressure you to react urgently. Don’t! Instead, take a breath and find your calm by doing what is immediately natural to you.
L – Log the contact – write down the information of the email, or phone call. If they are on the phone, you can tell them you will call them back, even if you don’t intend to. Then, disengage.
O – One call – make one call to a primary contact, such as a friend or family member and discuss the incident. It works best if you have pre-established who this will be; someone you can trust no matter what. The contact is a sounding board, who will ask questions and help you get curious about the interaction. Some questions might include:
How do I know the contact is who they say they are? –What proof is there? Where can I verify their contact information that is not part of the communication I received? –Was my credit card charged? What other parties can I contact that might know more about this? How can I be sure this is not a scam?
W – Who cares? Contact another party or organization in your life who cares. The Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) can help you identify scams and report them: 1-800-649-2424 and ago.vermont.gov/cap
In the age of the internet and free flowing technology, scammers hope to capitalize at every turn. You can prevent scams by practicing SLOW in all your consumer transactions now—and commit to being a primary contact for others. Everyone can help stop scams by following a scam prevention plan and sharing scam knowledge with your community.
When I searched to purchase my first used car as a freshly licensed teenager in the late ‘90’s, I was fortunate to have an experienced mechanic and negotiator with me. Our first stop was a used car dealership that was holding a huge blowout event complete with flag garland and free large-print calculators and five salespeople per customer. I can remember the swarm of eager dealers approaching to this day. We showed up in our ten-year-old Ford LTD. One salesman approached so daringly that he might have opened the door for me had I not willingly exited the vehicle. My dad held up the flyer he received at home as he promptly asked about the promised freebie. The dealer took the flyer from his hand and then pointed to a long line. He advised us to look at cars while we waited.
I wanted something simple. The criteria I stated was, “Four doors and not a hatchback.” It went without saying that I wanted a reliable car to get me around town to my job and all my activities. We were led to a seven-year-old white Ford Tempo marked $2,000. For all appearance purposes, it seemed perfect. I could see myself driving that kind of car. While the dealer encouraged us to buy it based on price alone, my dad pushed back as if speaking straight from a consumer protection advice manual, “We aren’t putting any money down without thoroughly looking it over and having a test drive.”
That’s when he crouched down in the crowded dealer lot, nearly pushing his entire body under the car. From what he could see externally, it looked good enough for a drive, but confirmed that we wouldn’t have a clear sense of the car until it was put up on a lift. Then, I drove it. It handled okay in the lot and on the main road. But, when the dealer called from the back seat for me to take a right turn on another neighborhood road, my dad advised me to take a left onto the thruway. The car could not reach highway speed and sounded as though it might combust at any moment. “How does it feel?” my dad asked.
I called back in my loudest octave, “Like it doesn’t want to go anywhere.”
He followed, “Do you want this car?”
“No,” I said flatly.
He turned to the dealer, “We won’t be buying this car.”
When we got back to the dealership, we quickly got out and were ready to leave, but my dad still wanted his calculator. The salesman said he would go get it. When he came back, he did not bring the calculator. Instead, he brought three more salesmen that encircled us with shaming jabs aimed at my father that he was letting me down. While my heart raced with anxiety and anger, my dad remained calm. At one point, I heard my dad reply, “I can’t believe you are selling this car. It sounds like it could break at any minute. I am not letting my daughter in that thing again.” By the end of their banter, we walked away with three things:
My dad was offered a job at the dealership—he did so well saying “No” they wanted him to work for them.
A large-print calculator (My dad did not stop asking for it).
An etched lesson: Purchasing a quality used car is best done with backup and calm shrewdness.
Car buying is something most of us will do only a handful of times in our lives. How can we properly prepare for the moment we come face to face with a car seller? While you may not have the benefit of having my father present, there are some things consumers can do to prepare for the big purchase. The Consumer Assistance Program’s Assistant Director Lisa Jensen recently appeared on Across the Fence to share car buying tips.
Across the Fence 10/15/2021 – Car Buying Tips from the Vermont Attorney General’s Office
Here are some of the used car purchasing tips highlighted in the show:
Secure financing ahead of time.
Do thorough research on the make/model of the car; search reliability and ratings.
Look up the Kelly Blue Book and NADA and online marketplace values
Check out similar vehicles at multiple dealerships.
Scrutinize the car: Test drive, get an independent pre-purchase mechanical inspection
Look for the Buyer’s Guide and decipher warranty information; there may be none.
Buying a car can be complex, time consuming, costly, and emotionally taxing. Because buying a car is not something we do frequently, having a supportive person present who understands your financial picture and supports your interests can be beneficial. If you are in the market for a car, consider bringing a trusted companion with you to the sale, such as a friend/family member, who understands your financial picture and supports your interests.
The Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) is another resource that you can call for tips before car buying. If you do experience a problem with the purchase of a dealer purchased vehicle, new or used, CAP provides a letter mediation service for Vermonters and works in partnership with the Vermont Auto Dealers Association’s mediation/arbitration program.
Did I ever get my first car? Why, yes. Yes, I did. It took another week or two, but in time, we found the perfect car for me for half the price. A metallic blue Mercury Topaz—the off-brand twin of the Ford Tempo. A test drive and thorough check-up proved the car to be a worthy fit for me. After many reliable miles, the car was repurposed for parts in the early 2000’s.
My best friend riding in style in my Mercury. Circa 1998.
