Emailed & Downloaded Photos May Contain Malware SCARS Scam Basics Don't Open That Photo Attachment The Dangers Of Downloading Photos From Stranger Emails Or The Web It Has Long Been Known That Image Files Can Contain Malware This can apply to photos sent via email or ones downloaded from social media or photo-sharing websites, even Google Drive (Docs). Remember that NOT everyone is what they seem, some are [...]
SCARS™ Special Report: Charity Fraud Here’s How Charity Scams Work: Someone contacts you asking for a donation to their charity. It sounds like a group you’ve heard of, it seems real, and you want to help. How can you tell what charity is legitimate and what’s a scam? Scammers want your money quickly. Charity scammers often pressure you to donate right away. They might ask for cash, and might even offer to send a courier [...]
SCARS™ Scam Basics: After A Romance Scam Comes More Scams After The Initial Romance Scam Runs Its Course Scammers Have Many Other Options To Get Another Drop Of Blood From Their Victims These are what we call "Follow On Scams" The "Confession Scam" - is where the scam confesses their guilt, admits it was a scam, and begs forgiveness The "I Really Love You Scam" - this is a variation on the Confession scam, but [...]
SCARS™ Scam Basics: 9 Steps To Avoiding Online & Real-Life Fraud 1 - Spot Imposters / Fakes Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity, or a company you do business with. Don’t send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request – whether it comes as a text, a phone call or an email. 2 - Do Online Searches - [...]
SCARS™ Scam Basics: Scammer Acid Test Most Scams Follow Similar Patterns Of Behavior By The Scammer HERE ARE A FEW COMMON TACTICS/BEHAVIORS/STRATEGIES SCAMMERS USE Always be on the lookout for these warning signs that could identify a scammer. The Basic Scam "Acid" Test: PICTURE PROBLEMS Is the person's photo original? Use an image search tool like Google Images and/or Yandex to see if the same photo appears on many other websites, possibly under different names. [...]