Legitimate notice of inheritance? Not via email

Did you know that one of the latest scams out there is contacting someone by way of email to let them know that they are to inherit a large sum of money? The scam is complete when the victim hands over funds to pay the supposed taxes and fees on the non-existent inheritance.

To read an article about this, click here.

In this article, the author argues that one of the ways we can tell this is a scam is that email addresses are not public knowledge. This is true. Unfortunately the lure of possible free money seems to blunt a person's common sense. It should also be obvious that if someone you know died, you'd probably hear about it before receiving an email message from a law firm. Also, estates involve wills, inventories, and many other documents, none of which are attached to these phony email messages.

I received one of these emails myself a while ago. I noticed that although it was supposedly sent from a law firm, it had several spelling and grammatical errors. Even if I weren't as skeptical as I am, the poor language skills would have alerted me. A decent law firm rarely sends out anything with errors like that. I very much enjoyed composing a suitable reply.

Please don't fall for one of these! I echo the advice given in the attached article that if you receive something like this, and it seems to you after thinking it over that it just might be legitimate, take it to a wills lawyer to have it investigated.

VIsa & Mastercard scam alert

This is an alert I received internally at work, and thought it important to share with all of you.

"Visa / MasterCard FRAUD

　

Just a heads up for everyone regarding the latest in Visa fraud. Royal Bank

received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in

southern Alberta right now and moving.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information,

except the one piece they want..

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.

This information is worth reading By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard

telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect

yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was

called on Thursday from 'MasterCard'.

The scam works like this:

Person calling says - 'This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and

Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, Your card has been flagged

for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on

your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an

Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona

?' When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a

credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges

range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most

cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your

address), is that correct?' You say 'yes'.

The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have

any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your

card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control

Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it

again?'

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works - The caller then says, 'I need

to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your

card over and look for some numbers'. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part

of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are

the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make

Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read

the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say,

'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or

stolen, and that you still have your card Do you have any other questions?'

After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to

call back if you do', and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they

never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on

Wednesday, we called back. Within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we were

glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in

the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card. We made

a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new

number.. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the

card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master

Card directly for verification of their conversation..

The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they

already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the

scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit; however,

by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't

make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a

fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a 'Jason

Richardson of MasterCard' with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This

time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as

instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports

daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is

happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller

telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to

Spain , and so on through the above routine..

It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful.

Pass this on to all your family and friends."

Canada Revenue Agency warns Canadians of mail scam

The Canada Revenue Agency warns Canadians of mail scam

(this article from the CRA webpage)
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is warning taxpayers to beware of a recent scam where some Canadians are receiving a letter fraudulently identified as coming from the CRA and asking for personal information. The letter is not from the CRA. A PDF version of the letter is available on the CRA Web site at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/alert/index.html.
The letter claims that there is “insufficient information” for the individual’s tax return and that in order to receive any “claims,” they will have to update their records. The letter attaches a form specifically requesting the individual’s personal information in writing, via fax or email, including information on bank accounts and passports. This letter is not from the CRA and Canadians should not provide their personal information to the sender.
All taxpayers should be vigilant when divulging any confidential information to third parties. The CRA has well established practices to protect the confidentiality of taxpayers’ information.
The CRA has notified the proper law enforcement authorities of this scam.
For information about this and other similar scams, or to report deceptive telemarketing activity, visit http://www.phonebusters.com/, send an email to info@phonebusters.com, or call 1-888-495-8501.

Scams and cons that target seniors

This lengthy and very informative article from Boomerator discusses why seniors are the targets of so many scams. It also explains a number of scams (one of which, I admit, I hadn't heard of before). This article is worth printing out and giving to a senior you know and love. Click here to read it.

Holiday charity scams

This article from Global Edmonton has several tips to help avoid being scammed by fraudulent fundraisers. Click here to read it.

Watch out for scammers: protect your parent's money and assets

This blog post by Audrey Miller gives some ideas about helping to protect the seniors in our lives from telephone and other scammers, many of whom are targeting seniors during the holiday season. Click here to read the article.

What you need to know about check scammers

Financial abuse of seniors is rampant. This article from Seniors for Living talks about check scammers - how they work and how to spot them. The more seniors know about this, the safer they'll be. Click here to read the article.

Scams even you could fall for - and how to avoid them

This article talks about the latest scams and how to spot them. It has a lot of emphasis on online scams (social networking, phishing, shady sellers) but also covers fake charities and fake vacation rentals. It's amazing how much effort some people will put into ripping off other people. Why they don't channel all that thought, time and effort into an honest job is beyond me. In any event, click here to read the article.

Funeral fraud case in court

You know, I've heard of people targeting seniors with scams, but this guy really takes the cake. I'm glad he's been busted. Click here to read the story.

Scammers target doughnut-hole seniors' rebate

This is an American story, but it could happen anywhere. The government is sending a one-time payment to seniors to help cover the cost of medication. Scammers are calling seniors and telling them they have to give personal information to get the money. Then of course they are using that information to defraud the seniors. Never give out personal information to anyone who calls you like that.

Read the story here.