Now that tax season is in full swing, it’s time to be especially wary of taxpayer scams. I began thinking about this after I got a seemingly urgent warning from TurboTax stating “Action Required: Review and Sign Your Document #1035322.” Then, under the banner which said “TurboTax sent you a…

When I started Scammed on Facebook, I set it up as an informational site to provide information on scams and how to avoid being a victim. I created the site after writing a book The Big Con, based on a book-to-film scam I discovered, since one of the companies I…

Ironically, in the scam world, it seems that the more things change with new technologies the more things stay the same with very similar methods. I thought of this while packing to move after I discovered an article I wrote back in 2015 about the Jamaican lottery scam, which has…

For one couple, it started out as an 11-minute Yellow Cab ride for 1.1 miles to a birthday dinner in San Francisco. But then that ride turned into a $10,000 overcharge nightmare, according to an article I read in the January 15, 2022 San Francisco Chronicle. What happened is that…

Using coupons is perfectly legal when you or your family obtain them yourself, usually from a newspaper, magazine, retailer, local mailer. or publication which features coupons or ads with discounts for products or services. I get these all the time, such as from the Sunday paper and a local coupon…

Couponing is a close cousin to using gift cards, which can be perfectly legitimate when you buy a gift card which hasn’t been tampered with from a local or online store. Likewise, if you get a coupon at a store, in a mailer, or clip them from a newspaper or…

The gift card scam has become a big business, especially during the holiday season, when many people are thinking of giving gift cards family members and friends. After all, a gift card enables the recipient to get whatever gift desired, while it saves the buyer from having to find a…

Do you think you’re a winner? Instead you’ll be a loser if you fall for these scams. These phony prize scams take various forms. You can be invited to enter a contest; you can be advised you won a contest, sweepstakes, or lottery. You just have to send some money…

You get a phone call or email with a request to be a speaker or panelist at a conference. It sounds like a great opportunity to share your message, sell your books or services, add to your prestige, or otherwise reap great benefits. Well, maybe. But increasingly, these messages are…