Scams & Fraud

Last year the FBI logged over 48,000 phishing reports from people 60 and up, about double the year before. Almost all of it comes in by email. A friend's parent kept getting hit, so we sat down one afternoon and went through the account together. Here is what we did, in the order we did it. Do it with your parent at the keyboard, not you. It goes better.1. Two-step sign-in. Gmail: Google Account, then Security, then 2-Step Verification. Yahoo and AOL: Account Security, then Two-step verification. Use their phone number. Most account takeovers stop right here.2. Recovery email and phone. Someone who breaks in changes these first. Check that both belong to your parent or to you.3. Forwarding and filters. In Gmail that's Settings, See all settings, then the Forwarding tab and the Filters tab. If mail is being forwarded to an address you don't know, delete that rule. On accounts that have already been broken into, this is the thing I find most often.4. Devices and connected apps. Google Ac

This is just a PSA - When you or a loved one stops driving - DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR LAST DRIVERS LICENSE even after it has expired.  You can use it still to identify yourself with your insurance info at the docs office.  Showing a picture ID at your docs office is a way to stop someone else from using  your Medicare and/or Medicaid.  So it is becoming common place for the medical establishment to get your picture ID and retain a copy of it with your insurance info.    In some states, this old expired drivers license can last a very long time; maybe forever.  If you have thrown it away, in many states, maybe all, IDK,  you can get a senior picture IDs at the DMV.  In some states if you are incapacitated in going somewhere to get it, they have mobile units that can get to you for this purpose - you just need to have your verifiable info ready - your old expired drivers license is such a document - so it is just good to keep it.&

We have been having problems with medical billing.  It must be some sort of 'corporation' that medical facilities or doctors can join to handle their payments.  The address is PO Box 14000, Belfast ME.  Primary Providers of Central Kentucky do their billing there, as well as a local Physicial Specialist.  We paid a bill in April through Truist Bank.  They wrote a check and it was mailed April 12th 2022.  The check was never processed and we started getting calls about the bill.  After calling the bank they said stop payment and pay with debit card.  Payment was processed again on May 3, 2022.  Have called two different 844 numbers and mailed proof of payment to two different e-mails.  In the meantime got another call about the bill, returned the call and they said it is cleared.  This involves sending bank statements.  Which I tried to black out the account number before I sent it.  But since then I have had to see a spec

My mother is a victim of coercion abuse and is in danger of financial fraud from a man she is seeing.  I have not spoken to her in over 3 weeks.  I have filed reports with adult protective services.  I am unable to visit. The man sends very long messages from my mother's phone. My siblings and I were told we can't visit without prior approval. I'm devastated. 

Every Horror story you have ever heard about moving company pirates should have a link to “All my sons” moving. My ex husband used them in 2024 and we had the WORST experience ever! They cancelled less than an hour before they were to arrive, they rescheduled  for the next weekend and were a couple hours late in arriving, When they did show up, the crew stank of marijuana. They got half way loaded on their truck and told him they had to leave but would come back the next day. After a call to their manager they  were able to unload what they had loaded for only an additional $ 500.00. Several items were damaged or outright broken. After looking at their reviews and better business complaints - STEER CLEAR- maybe a better name would be “ALL MY SINS”  

AARP Link:  ConsumerCellular.com/4346 So I've researched this offer and decided its not for me!  Why?  Because you will be on a very low priority on ATT or Tmobile cell service.  That's how they can offer these cheap cell phone service offers.  The phone service on AT&T may be good in your area, but in times of heavy service you will be downgraded from 5G (if you are even getting that) down to 4G and THEN very slow bandwidth or no service at all.  This of course happens in times of Emergency or local outages in cell towers.  They give priority to their regular subscribers - of course.  Consumer Cellular is an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) as described below.  I want my family to have the security of reliable cell service so I'm sticking with Verizon - at least for now.  This is another example of AARP giving seniors a "great offer" without disclosing what you may be giving up and the lower level of service that you wil

Yesterday I got a first class letter from a mortgage servicer I've never heard of, with the heading "We're your new mortgage servicer!" on the front. It's addressed to someone I never heard of at my address. I haven't opened it, but it looks like an invoice for a monthly mortgage payment. I checked my texts. My real mortgage servicer just sent me a notice that they're about to withdraw my monthly mortgage payment from my bank account, as usual. I logged in to my account; no notice about a change of mortgage servicer there. This smells like a scam to me, but I'm darned if I can see what it is. Any advice? Should I return to sender? Burn it? Turn it over to the Post Office?

 Has anyone collected their $400 bonus after 120 days of maintaining the required balance?  I called them today and asked when I'd be credited my bonus.  Their answer was I'd have to wait up to and additional 60 days and the bonus is only $200.  This is the AARP bonus information as of 6/23 showing $400 and nothing about a +60 day waiting period!  https://www.aarp.org/membership/benefits/finance/select-savings-from-barclays/?msockid=0017ee41565068e70f1bf8b5577d6968 

I recently received a "welcome to Venmo" email in my gmail account.  I didn't think much of it (I get a lot of spam in that account).  But later I thought, "wait, I've been a Venmo user for years, I shouldn't be getting a welcome email."  Sure enough, after checking it appears that someone has used my gmail address to help set up a new Venmo account.  I've reported to the FTC.  Changed all passwords for my online accounts.  Froze all credit reports.  I tried reporting to Venmo, but good luck with that: intercepted at every turn by a "beta" AI agent that doesn't seem to understand how to handle this type of situation, beyond sending me back to the help page.  The "contact us" also tends to loop around back to the help page or the AI agent.  The phone voice menu also has trouble with this type of situation and wants me to try chat (with the AI agent).  In the meantime, the scammer WAS more adept.  He/she appears to have set up the ac

If you want free magazines, you can get many free either print or online by googling free magazine subscriptions.  Mercury and Blue Dolphin are popular.  Most are a year but some are longer.  FREE.  No money, no credit card.  Just fill in your info.  You might want to use an alternate email or abbreviate your name (Mary Jones becomes M Jones). Enough that it will still get delivered by your postal carrier but enough that you know when the junk mail comes asking you now to pay that you can disregard the mail.  I have been doing this for years and never paid a cent.  Some subscriptions keep offering me the same one over and over so the subscription might last for several years.  (Sorry system would not let me reply to OP mentioning the mags for points)  Also some might offer you a digital version

There was no way to comment on the actual Bulletin feature online, so I am posting my comment here. This feature was more about mental health than a scam, in my opinion. It said more about the victim needing help with loneliness, risk taking/gambling, delusion and lust than anything else. The victim needs help. Where was his family while all this was going on? Didn’t they see that their dad was having other, more dangerous problems? Just sayin’. Good grief.

Has anyone been contacted by someone they claim is Jonathan Roumie? A relative of mine is convinced that she is talking to via social media to Jonathan Roumie.  She claims he sent her a pic of his driver's license and passport and that she has all his bank info.  She says he has her helping her buy camera equipment from bank account he gave her info on from a company in China and that he can't do it because he is in Tanzania filming The Chosen.  I know it's crazy but she is 72 and believes it fully.  I feel she is being groomed.  She gets angry with me when I try to talk to her about how unlikely this is.  

On a daily basis I receive multiple cell phone calls from those who 1) tell me I'm approved for a debt consolidation loan (or some other reason) or 2) they're from the IRS and I must address the problem immediately.  They are obviously financial scamsters, but most use what appear to be toll-free numbers.  The telecoms make millions of dollars off these scamsters and folks like you and me suffer the consequences.  It's highly unlikely that the telecoms don't know that lines they sell are being used for fraud and theft.  Lets motivate our legislators to make the Telecoms financially liable for not performing due diligence before they sell the lines.  One thing for sure, the FCC or other government agencies are completely impotent, incompetent or just plain unwilling to effectively address this concern.

AARP should STOP endorsing CC. CC is targeting AARP members promising great discounts that are never given. The switch took several weeks and dozens of phone calls. They signed me up for the wrong plan, and I did NOT receive the discounts they promised. CC refused to credit me for the discounts that they promised saying they weren't aware of any promotions even though they are still running the same commercial. They lie ,cheat ,and steal from you through Fraud. Avoid CC at all costs or it will cost you way more than you currently pay and the "service" will be non existent.

  In the state of Georgia, I just learned about away to help protect against property-fraud. I don't know if other state offers this protection.  Here is a quick overview on it;FANS in Georgia refers to the Filing Activity Notification System, a statewide property‑fraud alert service run by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA). It’s one of the most important tools Georgia homeowners can use to protect themselves.What it will do FANS sends you email or text alerts whenever a document is filed in Georgia that matches criteria you set — usually your name, property address, or parcel number. This includes filings such as:DeedsLiensQuitclaim deedsOther real estate or personal‑property recordsIt’s designed to help you catch fraudulent filings quickly — something that has become a growing issue in Georgia. This is free for all Georgia residents, and it is statewide  You register here: https://fans.gsccca.org and you can find out more

Harman Law firm Timothy Jackson scamHere is the email I for from a pretend paralegal.I'm Susan, an assistant to Timothy Jackson, an attorney at Harman Law Firm. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.My role is to assist Timothy in processing lists of potential victims, verifying actual victims, and providing legal assistance. Please be assured that we always adhere to legal and professional standards, and all information will be kept strictly confidential. We hope you understand that our communication style is based on efficiency and responsibility, not on irregularities.To ensure your full trust in us, the following points are for your reference:Law Firm QualificationsHarman Law Firm has been established for many years, specializing in financial fraud and fund recovery. You can access our practice information and past case studies on our official website. Attorney Timothy Jackson is licensed in the United States (license number: 229876), which can be verified by visit

i saw on facebook this lady name Sharon O Bradley helps people to trade in the forex market for a fee. i dm her through messenger. i signed up with her services and was told that i would be able to withdraw my money in 7 days. i was told to sin up on her  trading site. where i could actually see my money trading and making money. in a few days i wanted to withdraw my profits only to be told that i have to pay 10% first of the profits to make a withdrawal. i had no control of the account because they opened the account. after much research. i discovered that this account was not opened with this lady and someone might have cloned her account on facebook and using her name to scam people. i need help to find these people so i can recover my money. Who do i report this to.  also, anyone know this lady please let me know how to contact her to warn her of what is happening to her business reputation.

I just wanted to let everyone know of a  Brand New Scam that hit my cell phone today! Its a new spin on the old "renewal notice of McAfee for $522.00"Now I have not used McAfee for decades so I know the email and text scams come every month. THIS WAS DIFFERENT!I got a CALENDAR notification at 7:01 tonight that was on today's Calendar notifications. When I opened the notice, (if you have this just delete it right away) to read what it said. It was the usual EMAIL scam that has been going around forever, but in a CALENDAR notice! Now I have been using the Google Calendar for years now to keep track of all my appointments but NEVER have I had a notice I did not put in myself! The fact that this happened means I probably need an upgraded phone.I tell you all that to tell you this, DELETE THIS MESSAGE AND DO NOT OPEN IT! I right away called my bank to let them know of the scam, Called mom to let her know, then made this thread.Hope this helps everyoneThanks, Brian

Stay away from these profiles, they're crypto scammers. Do not invest or seek for their help to recover your money, because you'll end up losing your money and IDs. Please report any related issue to the support team.https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33930240 ChrisW327344https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33930299 GavinW480704https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33930296 MichealW932026 Tag any scammer under the comment/reply section. 

 Beware - I recently signed up for AARPs driver safety course, paying with my credit card.  Right after receiving an email receipt of payment from AARP I immediately received two emails from Link saying my Link digital wallet was ready for use.  One email contained the following: What's Link?  A safe way to pay faster at AARPDriverSafety and everywhere Link is accepted.   I reach out to customer service for this course and was told Link was a legitimate third party partner of AARP.  They noted:  I am happy to clarify the $5 promotion on our course checkout page.  By purchasing our course using your bank account instead of a credit/debit card, you are opting into using the third-party app, Link. They are the ones who provide a rebate of $5, it is not a discounted amount off.None of this is true as I paid for this course using my credit card and the March discount I found online did not mention Link.  My email back to custo

Anthem is outsourcing work to vendors in an effort to call their insureds on the phone to sell them other services.  In doing this, they are breaking a cardinal information security rule - they are calling you and asking you to authenticate your identity by giving them your sensitive personal information.  When you call them, that kind of request is certainly in order.  If they call you, they should already have it.    I refused to give it to them (multiple calls).  To quote banks and insurance companies:  “ We will never call you and ask for your personal information.”  It won’t take scammers long to figure out that Anthem is making such calls, and they will start calling too, for the purpose of identity fraud.  Be vigilant!

Today I will be discussing a type of scam that doesn't initially set off any red flags but the more you talk the more suspicious it becomes. This scam has been plaguing dating apps for some time; the main premises of this scam is for the scammer to get the victim to send explicit or revealing photos to the scammer. Who is posing as a beautiful woman on a dating site, then using those photos to blackmail a victim usually stating that the scammer will send the photos to loved ones and or your job unless a ransom is paid. I recently found myself as a potential victim of one of these scams. I was using a dating app and I seemed to match with this girl who was not far from me and recently moved from Oklahoma. I began a conversation that would last two weeks before she sent me her phone number. Me being me, I did a reverse phone number search and found that this number was registered to an elderly man in Texas. This was the first red flag I encountered, upon texting her directly the conversa

Canceled Consumer Cellular service in October '25 but got a bill in November for service thru December 9th.  Called in Nov. and rep explained billing cycle policy. CC took $54.94 out of my bank account and was told that was the final charge.  Got notified Dec. 26 that another $54.94 would be taken out of my account with the same explanation as I got earlier, a verbal conversation they say they have no record of.  Now (12/26/25) they say the latest draw of $54.94 will be the last.  BOTTOM LINE: No service since 10/24/25 but $54.94 taken out of my account in November AND December.  STAY AWAY FROM CONSUMER CELLULAR!!

I tried to use the $49/day promo from AARP . Budget did not honor it and AARP customer service could not get Budget to honor it. It costs me over $150 for one day because of this. The car i got was dirty, very low fuel. Rear tire pressures was 31psi on one tire and 36psi on the other. In NYC on a Saturday they close at 3pm so I had to pay for overnight parking. Stay away from Budget and apparently be weary of AARP promotions.  

On June 26, 2023, at approximately 10:17 a.m. I called United Airlines (UAL) customer service at (800) 864-8331.  After a very short wait a person answered, and I began to explain why I was calling.  At a point in the call the connection was lost and my phone immediately received an incoming call.  I answered and the caller apologized for the interrupted connection.  (A subsequent review of my telephone call logs revealed that this call originated from (914) *****).   At the time  I assumed it was still the UAL representative and I continued to explain the issue with my reservations.  He gave me his direct call back number as (845)***** and identified himself as Clive.  He asked, and I provided the UAL confirmation codes, the passenger names, and dates of birth for each passenger.  He placed me on hold and ultimately told me that my reservation was on hold, and that the NZ taxes had not been collected by UAL when my reservations were ma