“I Will Send An Uber To Collect The Money” In New Money Collection Scams
How Seniors Are Being Saved From Money Collection Scams Thanks To New Technology
Major courier companies are developing tracking algorithms to spot fraudulent money collection scams and report these pickups to local policeLocal Police The Local Police is your first responder in most countries. In most English-speaking countries and in Europe report to them first. In other countries look for your national cybercrime police units to report scams to. In the U.S., Canada, & Australia, you must report to the local police first..
Portion Courtesy of Florida’s FOX35
The Evolution Of New Money Collection Scams
Scammers are constantly evolving their tactics to trick people out of their hard-earned money. One of the latest trends is using real or fake couriers like Federal Express and Uber to pick up money from scamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. victims.
This type of scam typically involves a fraudulent call or email from someone pretending to be a government official, law enforcement officer, or even a family member in distress. The scammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. will claim that the victim owes money for taxes, a fine, bail, emergency medical care, or some other type of urgent debt. They will then instruct the victim to withdraw cash and have them ready to be picked up at the victim’s residence.
Once the victim has the cash, the scammer will provide instructions to have the money picked up by a courier (real or fake). They will claim that this is necessary to expedite the payment and avoid any further legal action.
The victim of these Money Collection Scams will then receive a call or message from someone who is or claims to be a courier from a reputable company like Federal Express or Uber. The courier will instruct the victim to hand over the cash, and they will provide a receipt for the payment. In the case of real couriers, they will not know that it is money, they think they are just picking up a parcel.
In the case of fake couriers, the courier is working with the scammer and is not affiliated with any legitimate company. They will take the money and disappear, leaving the victim with no way to recover their funds. However, often the scammers are using real services, such as UPS, FedEx, and even Uber to take the money to the scammer or to a money muleMoney Mule A money mule sometimes called a "smurfer," is a person who transfers money acquired illegally (e.g., stolen) in person, through a courier service, or electronically, on behalf of others (usually criminals that they are knowingly or unknowingly affiliated). Typically, the mule is paid for services with a small part of the money transferred - but not always. Mules may or may not be aware that they are performing these actions. Money mules are often dupes recruited online for what they think is legitimate employment, not aware that the money they are transferring is the product of crime. The money is transferred from the mule's account to the scam operator, typically in another country. Similar techniques are used to transfer illegal merchandise. Mules can be prosecuted for numerous crimes..
Money Collection Scams victims now have a new tool helping crack down on scammers and get people their money back.
How These New Money Collection Scams Work
A recent scam happened in Micco, Florida, and started with a phone call. An elderly couple in their late 80s and early 90s was told a family member was in trouble and needed money, so they fell for this common scam – often referred to this as the “grandparents scam.” The couple ended up sending what could have been their life savings to the scammer.
Most stories like this end with the money gone, but now with new technology created by the worldwide car services Uber. Because of their engineers, these victims have a chance at fighting back.
“We just turned the alert on, and one popped up,” said Vince Lisi who’s the Head of Global Security and Investigations for Uber.
Lisi’s team has been tracking these Money Collection Scams for a while now – where a scammer will use ride-share services to send a driver and pick up the money that the victims have been tricked into handing over. Uber engineers just created a new system to track suspicious rides that could be scams, and the first one the technology found happened in Brevard County, Florida.
“It’s sickening what they’re doing,” Lisi added. “If we’re able to support law enforcement and stop it from happening or even help law enforcement solve these crimes, that’s what we’re going to do.”
How Does Uber Intercept These Money Collection Scams?
The company won’t reveal the exact equation/algorithm, so as not to tip off the scammers, but it’s a combination of how the ride was requested, and where it’s going. The fact that it’s not for driving people but a package helped to set off alarm bells in this situation.
How It Happened
In this case, the Uber driver got a call while he was in the car mid-delivery with the package and was told to stop immediately and drive straight to the nearest police station.
“In this case, we were successful in stopping that money drop and actually getting that money back to the victims,” said Tod Goodyear, the public information officer for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
By intercepting the scam so early on, deputies did get the couple’s money back.
“With it happening on the front end and the ride-share company contacting us on the front end, it’s going to really make it a lot easier for us to stop the money from actually getting to the bad guy,” Goodyear concluded.
While there still isn’t an arrest in this specific scam case, deputies are still investigating and have more to go off of since they learned of the crime so early.
Why Do The Scammers Do It?
Scammers may use real couriers like FedEx and Uber to collect and deliver money taken from scam victims because it adds a level of legitimacy and credibility to their scam. By using a well-known and trusted company, scammers can create the impression that the transaction is legitimate and above board, which may help to convince the victim to part with their money.
Furthermore, using a courier service may also help to distance the scammers from the victim and reduce the risk of being caught. If the victim is required to hand over cash in person, the scammers would need to physically meet with the victim, which increases the risk of being identified or caught. By using a courier, the scammers can avoid this risk and maintain a greater degree of anonymity.
Additionally, some couriers may not be aware that they are being used as part of Money Collection Scams. Scammers may pose as legitimate customers and provide fake pickup and delivery instructions to the courier, leading them to believe that they are simply completing a routine delivery.
Overall, using real couriers may be seen as a calculated risk for scammers. While it adds an element of legitimacy and can help to distance the scammer from the victim, it also increases the risk of being caught and prosecuted for fraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim..
How To Avoid Money Collection Scams
To avoid falling victim to these Money Collection Scams, it is important to be aware of the red flags. Government agencies and law enforcement officers will never demand payment over the phone or ask for cash as payment. If you receive a call or message requesting payment, take the time to verify the legitimacy of the request before taking any action. Even call your local police and ask them!
If you do fall victim to this type of scam, it is important to report it to your local police immediately. This can help to keep the door open for the recovery of the money, and prevent others from falling victim to the same Money Collection Scams.
What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment below!
-/ 30 /-
Do You Need Support?
Get It Now!
SCARS provides the leading Support & Recovery program for relationship scamRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? victims – completely FREE!
Our managed peer supportPeer support Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, reflective listening (reflecting content and/or feelings), or in a support group. Peer support is also used to refer to initiatives where colleagues, members of self-help organizations and others meet, in person or online, to give each other connection and support on a reciprocal basis. Peer support is distinct from other forms of social support in that the source of support is a peer, a person who is similar in fundamental ways to the recipient of the support; their relationship is one of equality. A peer is in a position to offer support by virtue of relevant experience: he or she has "been there, done that" and can relate to others who are now in a similar situation. Trained peer support workers such as SCARS Volunteers receive special training and may be required to obtain Continuing Education Units, similar to clinical staff. Some other trained peer support workers may also be law-enforcement personnel and firefighters as well as emergency medical responders. groups allow victims to talk to other survivorsSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com and recover in the most experienced environment possible, for as long as they need. Recovery takes as long as it takes – we put no limits on our support!
SCARS is the most trusted support & education provider in the world. Our team is certified in trauma-informedTrauma-Informed Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care needs to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective care services with a healing orientation. Adopting trauma-informed practices can potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes. care, grief counselingCounseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. They may also work with "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists". SCARS does not provide mental health counseling., and so much more!
To apply to join our groups visit support.AgainstScams.org
We also offer separate support groupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers. for family & friends too.
Become a
SCARS STAR™ Member
SCARS offers memberships in our STAR program, which includes many benefits for a very low annual membership fee!
SCARS STAR Membership benefits include:
- FREE Counseling or Therapy Benefit from our partner BetterHelp.com
- Exclusive members-only content & publications
- Discounts on SCARS Self-Help Books Save
- And more!
To learn more about the SCARS STAR Membership visit membership.AgainstScams.org
To become a SCARS STAR Member right now visit join.AgainstScams.org
To Learn More Also Look At Our Article Catalogs
SCARS Printed Books For Every Scam SurvivorSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com From SCARS Publishing
Visit shop.AgainstScams.org
Each is based on our SCARS Team’s 32 plus years of experience.
SCARS Website Visitors get an Extra 10% Discount
Use Discount Code “romanacescamsnow” at Checkout
SCARS GREEN BOOK
Self-Help Self-Paced Recovery Program Guide
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN
This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. counseling or therapy, qualified support groups, or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
SCARS SLATE BOOK – Let Us Explain What Happened!
A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scams work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
SCARS RED BOOK
Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Organizer
ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION TO MAKE THE REPORTING PROCESS SIMPLE!
Helps you get and stay organized. This publication is to help Scam Victims organize their crime information. Complete this information before reporting to the police then bring this book with you
Before or after reporting to the police the RED BOOK gives you a dedicated tool to record all the essential facts of this crime. The Victim, the Scammers, the Money, and your Police interactions. Everything that really matters can be easily recorded for your immediate use and for the future!
As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
The Official SCARS RED BOOK is your way of recording all the important facts of this crime so that you do not lose essential information, Complete the RED BOOK then put it away with the confidence that you will have it if or when it is needed.
100% of all profit goes to help SCARS help more scam victims worldwide.
Your generous purchase allows us to maintain our scam avoidance, support, and recovery services. Please help SCARS and stand proud.
PLEASE SHARE OUR ARTICLES WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY
HELP OTHERS STAY SAFE ONLINE – YOUR KNOWLEDGE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
THE NEXT VICTIM MIGHT BE YOUR OWN FAMILY MEMBER OR BEST FRIEND!
Leave A Comment