Scams & Fraud

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

I used my Barclays AARP Mastercard to purchase a pair of boots from an online vendor which claimed to be located in North Carolina. Turns out it ships product from china. the boots arrived after many weeks, and were of extremely poor quality. Despite a stated return policy, there was no address to which items could be sent and the vendor's customer service rep refused to provide a refund - merely an exchange.AARP Mastercard customer service initially credited the amount, but then required me to produce extensive documentation to verify the problem (which I did) and subsequently just put the charge back on my account, basically rewarding a fraudulent site. I will be cancelling my Barclays mastercard - they do NOT have my back!

Never fear, it's only $1.75 a month but when you scam 1000 customers a month by not giving them the "promised" discount every month, that now turns into $175,000 in pure scammed profits. Shame on AARP, they really don't give a rats ass as long with they get the cut every month. AARP, looking out for their wallet and not their members in SO MANY different ways. 

Personal Safety Resources - 3 Websites +++++++ 1) Google - "Crime Prevention and Safety Tips - from the NYPD"The NYPD has produced a number of crime prevention and safety tips to help residents, businesses, and visitors identify and prevent unlawful acts such as fraud, identity theft, auto theft, telephone scams, and other types of crime. +++++ 2) Google - "FBI Webpage on Scams and Safety" +++ 3) Google - "FBI on Cyber Crime" ++++ 

This is getting ridiculous - This is one of our major credit bureaus - they have all of our information and now they have been hacked.  They possibly got Social Security numbers and dates or birth - Yes, I am involved - got the letter yesterday.  My credit has been frozen for years and years but still I do not understand why this keeps happening especially at a business of this type.  What they are offering is free credit monitoring for 24 months and with some monetary offset if something happens - up to $ 1 million I think it said.I think I am just gonna have a continuous fraud alert on my credit bureau accounts - all of them . CNET.com - 09/09/2025 - More Than 4.4 Million Exposed in Credit Bureau TransUnion Breach: What to Know  Anybody else involved in this one?

Did you notice the "operational  compliance fee" increased 75% on your recent Consumer Cellular bill.  There was no notice or substantiation.  No wonder they provide an AARP discount since they just make it up in this bogus fee.

Good day, allToday my husband was at work and received a call with the name of the company he works for as the caller. Turns out it's a scam where the caller is representing that they are calling from Publisher's Clearing House and he just won $6 milliion dollars.  My husband was taken aback because the caller ID was showing someone calling from within the company. He knew immediately that it was a scam and he started smiling. The caller wanted to meet somewhere and that really got my husband's attention. The caller asked him why he was smiling and my husband asked the caller how did he know. The caller told him that he could see him.  This was a call on his cell phone.  My husband told the caller that he was smiling because he knew from the beginning that he doesn't even participate in PCH and why would he have to meet with him and his crew at all . Before he hung up he told the caller that this is a scam.  Has anyone else experienced a call like this?

Hello, I need help decoding a “letter of intent” I signed to give insurance money to a roofer. Can I ask here or is there another place? Ugh, I know, why did I sign it in the first place?  Sorry, long post! The company has an A+ rating with the BBB, excellent reviews (from people with new roofs paid for by insurance) and they’re rated 2nd best in the area, down a notch from last year. They sounded legit, and they knew all the buzz words like “flashing” and “mold remediation”. I’ve never made a claim on a homeowner policy and this is my 3rd home. But, the roofer with 2 public adjusters, a necessity they claimed, assured me insurance would pay for the damages because I had a claim. These roofers likely knew my insurance wouldn’t cover the replacement given the roof’s age. However they warned me against calling my carrier saying they’ll cancel my policy. That felt so scammy to me. But, They claimed that was happening to people and sent me hour+ long videos of Congress

  If Consumer Cellular is not on the FRAUD LIST, they should be.Check your bill people,they have changed your plan without notice,they are also now adding a $5 charge if you do not sign up for direct pay, again with no notice,(even if you have never ever been late to pay)if you go over their "DATA LIMITS" (another rip off btw, nothing but a money grab) they move you to a more expensive plan ... but will not move you back to your previous plan even if it was a one timer, if you do not personally do it you keep paying the new higher rate.I am sure there is a serious amount of money that AARP receives from Consumer Cellular,but AARP,  if you say you advocate for seniors don't be a hypocrite, they are so dirty and literally taking money by the handful from people. I feel SO much better since I cancelled them!AARP you won't cut them loose, so I will not be renewing.Geo 

Horrible company. They advertise $55 for 2 lines for AARP members. I was told taxes & fees are included in that amount. But I received a bill for $70.63. When I called they said 15.63 is for taxes & fees.I cancelled my account. It was 4 days into new month & they are telling me that I have to pay for the full month even though I am no longer using their plan! No pro rate billing. FTC should look into this & stop their robbery. AARP should stop sponcering them.

FROM THE ARTICLE. AARP’s ‘Fraud Wars’ Episode 1: Judith Boivin Had $600,000 Stolen in an FBI Impostor Scam.She learned the hard way that no one is immune to today’s fraud criminals. By Ken Budd, AARP. Published July 11, 2025. By the time the scammers posing as law enforcement called Judith Boivin’s cellphone, they had researched their target well. They knew she’d worked as a registered nurse and a clinical social worker before becoming a licensed therapist. They knew she had worked in Belize to help children with HIV and had lived for three years in Mexico while she helped a priest establish a mission.“I’ve been a caregiver all my life in various forms and shapes,” says Boivin, 81, who lives in Rockville, Maryland. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-wars-fbi-impostor.html

What rights does the members of a Home Owners Association have when the board members and management company violate HOA by-laws and state codes?

 I have had two separate individuals use my home address fraudently as their own.  I believe they are doing this to claim residency.  I have received bank statements and insurance statements for them.  Neither has ever lived here (past or present). These are their names. Jose Rodriguez Jacques Skriletz I have reported this fraud to the United States Postal Service, FBI, and ReportFraud.Gov. if you experience something similar, you should do the same.  Having mail with an address if the first step in establishing residency.  Consequences of this to the rightful owner can be severe.  Please be aware!

Originally was lured in by AARP recommending Consumer Cellular. Hope they got a piece of the action! Was having significant problems with consumer Cellular's voicemail or receiving alerts. Had to change service. Thought I received my last $115 bill but when calling customer service they told me I'll receive another one for the same amount? It will be debated with my charge card company as these people are cheats and AARP should have nothing to do with them! Neither should you

 US Bank --I signed up for a no fee senior acct?? They switched me to a $14.95 month acct --I was unable to monitor acct  -- When I noticed they won't refund past fees-- Stay away from them  Mark Olson   

Hi everyone! I'd like to warn you about the possibility of scam. Freewallet org is a website, created to commit online Fraud. It's owners, are Russian citizens Dmitry Gunyashov and Vasilii Mesheryakov.  Among investors, traders, and clients of other financial services, interest in cryptocurrencies is growing every year. Freewallet is named as a crypto wallet but actually it's a scam service , created to steal digital assets. I am writing this post because scammers order active advertising, including through mailings to clients of financial forums. I don’t know where they get the information, maybe they look at emails in user profiles somehow. Of course, they can't just hack your accounts. But if you receive a message advertising Freewallet, you should know that this is a scam mailing list!  

Does anyone have experience with this organization?  I received a letter from them offering to buy some property I own in Oklahoma.   Is it legitimate?  How can I know if it's a scam?

I signed up with these guys November last year, I tried their trial period for 45 days horrible service, I didn't like it in December 2024 I toldt hem I'd like to cancel this service at the end of my billing cycle to my amazement they send me a bill January 2025 for $98 I tried to dispute the bill with them telling them I gave them notice I was canceling my service back in November,they were very confrontational,rude customer service and they basically tell told me to sue them..Don't believe the commercials they are not as friendly as the commercial portrayed them to be, they refuse to port my number over to another company stalling them for me to stay with them, I'm going to have to file I dispute with a FTC and the state attorneys office

I  am not able to get any help from the Experian Credit Monitoring company. I want to temporarily unfreeze my credit report so I can obtain a credit card. I am not able to login to their website - it says my user id or password is invalid. Their web site states I can have a text or phone call with a code sent to me. I tried by phone and did not get a call.  I got a text with a link to another website.  When I go to that website, it asks for my personal information.  When I enter what they requested, it says my information is invalid. I called the Experian help number 1-888-397-3742. I get a recording which is absolutely no help - your are directed to another website that also says my information is invalid.   I sent a certified letter 3 weeks ago to: Experian Customer Care, PO Box 9554, Allen TX 75013, explaining the problems.   Experian has not responded.Has anyone else ran into these problems ?  Has anyone found a way to get around these p

It took years and years and years for people to accumulate monies in their 401-k to get it all taken away in one day. Do we hear AARP speaking to this abomination? No, we don't.

I received the AAP pare today and was interested in the Omaha Life add that AARP displayed. I typed in the Directoamhalive.com that the ad from the AARP paper displayed and it immediately stated "Connection is not private and scammers maybe watching", do you want to go forward"! that's right people, the AARP paper is the scam itself attempting to fraud us! Is nothing safe anymore? I will stop using the AARP magazine/paper as it is totally unsafe garbage. 

I have recently experienced two instances (in last two months) of orders being placed through my account, charged to my card. The first time, it was for a pick-up, which I was able to cancel. The second was for deliveries to addresses thousands of miles away, using different names but possibly mis-read to be mine. Both instances for for hundreds of dollars. Walmart assistance advised they would escalate to their cyber-security but advised I should change password and remove my payment method. I changed password but could not remove payment method (due to my membership in Walmart+). While checking my account I found the fraudster added their address to my account, which indicates they had access to my account. What puzzles me is of all my online accounts, ONLY EVER have I experienced this with Walmart. Has anyone else had this happen with their Walmart account? Thanks in advance! 

Just received an email from social-security@aarp.org <aarpadvocacy@email.aarp.org> with the following text:It’s time to tell your lawmakers: “I pay into and EARN my Social Security — and you MUST protect it." Talking with your Congressional offices makes a huge impact and shows them what’s on voters’ minds.We are hearing from thousands of older Americans who are confused and concerned about their Social Security. They want to know their members of Congress will protect Social Security for them, their children, and grandchildren.Dial 866-972-9806 to talk to your U.S. House RepresentativeDial 866-995-8827 to talk to your U.S. Senators This is all well and good but since I have been contacting my Senators and Representatives, I KNOW that these are not the numbers to contact them by.

Anyone else receive an email thanking them for purchasing over a grand in this? Says it's being charged to my PayPal account!

Hello, guys! Thanks for a wonderful podcast; I really love the Perfect Scam podcast. In this post I want to provide a bit of feedback, especially relevant for the "SIM Swapping: Scammers Hijack Smartphones and Steal Thousands" episode. Especially for this episode and also for the podcast in general, I feel like there are not enough details provided on how the scam operates. I feel like the podcast focuses more on what victims were feeling, what their emotional struggle was like (which is, of course, important) but not enough details are provided about how the scam operates. For the SIM Swapping, the host says that this victim had his phone number moved to a different eSIM and that this would not have been possible with a physical SIM. This is wrong, the telco can move numbers to other physical SIMs at free will. Next, after having the phone number moved to another SIM, the attackers gain access to the victim's bank account by means of controlling the SMSes arriving