God Help Millennials! Millennials Are The Most Scammed Demographic A SCARS Special Report Our Latest Generation Of "Adults" Are Being Scammed At Faster Rates And In Greater Numbers Than Senior Citizens Let's face it, Millennials think they own the online world - they grew up with it, they live it every second of the day. But this same absolute confidence in their mastery of everything Internet is also [...]
Trump Signs Historic Order To Address Flaws In Communications Decency Act [UPDATED: Revoked By Joe Biden] A SCARS Insight This was an important step in the direction of protecting everyone online and holding tech and social media companies accountable. Unfortunately, President Biden revoked this order almost immediately on gaining the presidency! Thus serving to protect the tech companies and not the internet consumers! Revoked by President Joe Biden May [...]
The Saga of the Afghan Princess A 9/11 Terrorism Connection to Scams & Scammers A Scam Victim's Story presented by SCARS A Random Email From Afghanistan In 2001 the SCARS founder was contacted by an Afghan Princess and almost lured into a scam being run by Al Qaeda This is the true story of how terrorism is directly connected to scamming, and how it is used to derive [...]
One Ring Call Phone Scam SCARS Scam Basics The Mysterious One Ring Call Phone Scam Why Would Anyone Do This? One Ring Call Phone Scam - Your phone rings once and the call stops. If you answer all you hear is silence! You are tempted to call them back, but don't do it! The criminal (human or automation) on the other end hopes you [...]
Scammer Name-Calling - Please Just Stop It! You Are Not Hurting Them, You Are Hurting Yourself! A SCARS Insight Why Stop Calling Scammers Names!? Calling Criminals Names Only Hurts Their Victims! We all see it all the time in the news, in commentary, and on social media. People calling criminals names - putting them down. But Why Do People Do It? This is an age-old attempt at chasing [...]
SCARS™ Guide: Clones - Copying Profiles & Identities Cloning: Can My Real Grandmother Please Stand Up? Let The Scamming Begin! [lwptoc] Portions from Anonymous Most Of Us Have Heard Someone Say This: "Someone Cloned My Profile" And they alert you that their profile must have been cloned! (The other over used favorite term is "someone hacked by profile") The Urban Legend is that almost every account is being cloned. Your picture and your name have [...]
Surviving The Change: Scams Turn Lives Upside Down A SCARS Guide After you realize that you have been scammed and lost a large sum of money, you will naturally have real concerns about what it means for your life. It is natural to panic, but panic will take you down the wrong roads and make your situation worse in the long run. The very sad truth is that it may mean losing almost everything. Only [...]
Psychology of Scams: How Do You Get Closure? Closure Can Mean Different Things For Different People CLOSURE may be what someone needs to move on after a long relationship, after the death of a loved one, after a traumatic childhood event, or to overcome feelings of guilt for hurting someone in the past. However, closure after a romance scam is a different matter entirely. With a Romance Scam, there is no body to bury, there [...]
SCARS™ Urban Legends: Do Something Useful With Their Lives! We hear it almost every day. A victim will comment as though asking a scammer "Why don't you do something useful for others?" This is not going to be a popular view since most victims want to vilify scammers as being evil, lazy, or worthless. But the truth is far different. The truth is the most scammers are running a business, and like all businesses, it [...]
Identifying Hoaxes and Urban Legends SCARS Online Safety Series With thousands of amateur and pretend anti-scam groups on social media, many spread misinformation, fake news, and urban legends, instead of the real situation and knowledge. These guides will help provide confirmed and correct information you can rely on in your avoidance, discovery, and recovery. Hoxes & Urban Legends Are All Around Us! Chain Letters, "Yes" and "Share Posts" - [...]
URBAN LEGENDS: Why Scammers Ask For Photos? Why are Scammers so aggressive about asking for a victim's photos? It is not what amateur groups tell you! This is all about the Psychology of Persuasion Establishing a pattern of YES before pushing for the CLOSE! Something that every good salesperson knows, is getting your "prospect" to say yes and act over and over before you go for the close! [...]
Urban Legends: Single Scammer [UPDATED] In Today's World Scammers Work In Teams! A typical scammer team can be from 3 to 18, sometimes much more The Lone Scammer - Almost No Such Thing Online Scamming Has Changed A Lot Over The Decades That It Has Existed Originally published December 2017, Updated February 2021 Online scamming started with the old Compuserve and America Online, and then other services of [...]
The Reasons Non-Delivery & Related Scams Work Non-Delivery / Non-Payment Fraud Works In non-delivery fraud, criminals promise victims highly sought-after goods, accept payment, then never deliver. While the principle is simple, the fraud scheme is often sophisticated. Criminals can adapt a well-established set of methods to suit any product, whether it is medical equipment, puppies, office supplies, or electronics. Non-Delivery / Non-Payment Scams Are Big Business! HERE’S HOW [...]
The FBI Issues A Warning About Synthetic Content Helping You Spot Fake Altered or Photoshopped Images Synthetic Content Now Represents A Significant Threat! Malicious Actors Almost Certainly Will Leverage Synthetic Content for Cyber and Foreign Influence Operations Malicious actors almost certainly will leverage synthetic content for cyber and foreign influence operations in the next 12-18 months. Foreign actors are currently using synthetic content in their influence campaigns, and [...]