FAQs

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Fortnite Scam   Fortnite: Battle Royale has more than 125 million players worldwide, and that tremendous pull extends to hackers and scammers too. Players and parents should pay attention as Fortnite creator Epic Games is warning gamers about the most common Fornite scam involving "free V-bucks." Scammers offer free or discounted v-bucks, the in-game currency, to help players elevate their game. What can result in identity theft, downloading malware on a device [...]

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Airbnb Scam This scam takes advantage of travelers renting an apartment or house through Airbnb by featuring fake homes on the site and directing the renter to a fraudulent or "spoof" website to finalize payment. Scammers will often even trick real owners, who don't know their property is being spoofed. Potential travelers end up paying money for a rental property that either doesn't exist or isn't available.  

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Amazon Fake Order Cancellation Emails If you get an email about an order cancellation from Amazon.com, there's a good chance it's a scam. Click on links in the email and you could unintentionally download malware onto your device. Or you might be sent to a site that aims to collect your Amazon account information, like your username and password. If you receive such an email and recently placed an order, go to Amazon.com [...]

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Apple Care Scam This new smartphone scam uses phishing emails to send Apple users to a fake Apple website. iPhone users receive a pop-up image of a system dialog box that tells users their phone has been "locked for illegal activity." When users click on the link, scammers enroll them into a fraudulent "mobile device management service" that allows scammers to send malware apps to iPhones. Read more here about phishing scams and how to spot them. [...]

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Car Scams The FBI shared information on a growing scam in which crooks target people looking to buy cars and other vehicles online. The FBI has received 26,967 complaints with losses totaling $54,032,396 since tracking this issue from May 2014 through December 2017. This car scamstarts with a criminal posting an online advertisement with a low price to get the attention of a buyer, including photos of the vehicle and contact information. When a [...]

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Cryptocurrency Scams As the price and popularity of Bitcoin and other cyber-currencies skyrocketed in late 2017, scammers eagerly sought to take advantage of the frenzy. The Japanese Bitcoin exchange Coincheck was hacked in January, and the thieves were able to steal more than $500 million in cryptocurrencies. This is the largest cryptocurrency hack to date. Facebook and Instagram have banned advertisements for certain bitcoin, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and some other cryptocurrency-related products because of deceptive and [...]

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Death Threat Hoax The FBI has warned consumers about death threats being made through emails that state "I will be short. I've got an order to kill you." The email then demands money or bitcoin as a payout from the email recipients. Other versions of the scam could state that a "hitman has been hired to kill" them. This scam is very aggressive and threatening in nature to convince people that they have to pay [...]

SCARS™ Anti-Scam FAQ: Fake Bank Apps Scammers will spoof the apps of big banks in order to separate you from your money. A recent survey by Avast, a multi-national cybersecurity firm, found that one in three worldwide users mistakenly believed that a fake mobile banking app was the real thing, putting their financial data at risk. Thieves use the big customer base of major banks to try to get past the secure app stores and collect personal information.

Scam FAQ: How To Spot Wire Transfer Fraud What Are The Warning Signs Of Wire Transfer Fraud? Know How To Recognize The Warning Signs Of Wire Transfer Fraud: Someone that you have never met in person is asking for money. This is the biggest red flag for fraud. If you’re in a long-distance relationship with someone you’ve never met in person, be wary of possible fraud, if they start asking for money. The reality is: [...]

Scam FAQ: How To Avoid BEC Business Email Compromise Scams Be mindful of any email, phone call or text messages requesting multiple gift cards even if the request is ordinary. Beware of sudden changes in business or personal practices and carefully scrutinize all requests for multiple gift card purchases even if requests are ordinary. Since many of the fraudulent e-mails reported in this new trend are spoofed, confirm requests for the purchase of gift cards [...]

Scam FAQ: How To Avoid Third Party Receiver Of Funds Fraud Do not agree to accept and wire payments for auctions or purchases that you did not post. Be leery if the individual states that his country it makes receiving these type of funds difficult. Be cautious when the job posting claims "no experience necessary". Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of your own country.

Scam FAQ: How To Avoid Reshipping Fraud & Scams Be cautious if you are asked to ship packages to an "overseas home office." Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of your own country. Be leery if the individual states that his country will not allow direct business shipments from the United States. Be wary if the "ship to" address is yours but the name on the package is not. Never provide your personal information to [...]