Today we follow up on last week’s article on SCAMS. Should they receive a much harsher penalty than being fined? What will it take to stop them. I submit it may be the Death Penalty.
Beware if you receive a phone call from your bank, that someone is using your credit card. Do not give them any information regarding any of your credit cards! Immediately call your bank and let them know that you have received a fraud telephone call. They will check your account to see if anyone is charging on any of your credit cards.
I have heard fraud stories about an “alleged banker” advising “the mark”, they needed help in catching the scammer and instructing the victim to go to Albertsons on Monterey and Country Club, to get gift cards that you only buy with cash. Report it to the police.
Here is a very clever credit card scam I just learned about! I would probably fall for it if not warned. So beware of STRANGERS bearing gifts, per Shakespeare’s missive.
The victim gets a call from a courier service to be sure the victim would be home to receive a package. A delivery man arrives with unexpected flowers and wine. When asked, the courier said he didn’t know who sent it.
She was told because there was alcohol, there was a $3.50 delivery/verification charge to confirm delivery to a non minor and that they couldn’t accept cash. The card would document delivery payment.
A card was provided with a PIN number and a receipt was given. In the next few days $4,000 was charged to their card. The “mobile credit card machine,” stole all the info to create a “dummy” card, with all their card details including the PIN number.
They cancelled their bank card and went to the police and learned it was definitely a scam. Never accept anything if you do not personally know, or there is no proper identification as to the sender. Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase something.
Today Con Artists have taken a digital -first approach to scamming…ie Social media or email.
- Cryptocurrency-romance scam: posing as internet love interest. They get the victim to download the app, and invest in fake crypto accounts.
- Payday loan scam: They offer fake payday loans to help people settle their bills…but they have a prepay fee.
- One-Time Password (OTP) bot scam: Experian warns that scammers use bots (automated programs), to deceive people into sharing the 2 factor authentication codes sent to them via text or email from a financial institution or amazon. The Bot sends a Robo call that appears to come from a bank, asking you to authorize a charge, then it asks for the authentication code you have just been sent as precaution, so it can get in.
- Student loan forgiveness scam: Scammers built phony application sites to steal SS #’s and bank info…pressuring the “mark” into paying a fee for their help.
- Puppy purchase scam: after you pay a price for a puppy, there are additional requests for money. First, $725 for travel ins, for the dog…then $615 for a special crate. In the end, the victim spent $2,200 and never got the puppy…which didn’t actually exist. Consider going to a shelter or Loving All Animals locally (for whom I was a board member for years).
- Check washing scam: The crooks steal checks from mailboxes, and bathe them in household chemicals, to erase the original name and dollar amount, leaving blank spaces they can fill in. It’s possible to convert a $25 ck to one for thousands of dollars. The US Postal Inspection Service recommends depositing mail in the blue collection boxes before the days last pickup. However, Rancho Mirage recently had someone put glue in the blue boxes so mail would not go down.
- Free-gift QR code scam: Scammers put fake codes over real ones, to exploit the barcodes that people scan into their phones to see restaurant menus or make payments. The scammer may say they are going to send a QR code to your phone, so you can receive a free $100 gift card. The QR code may take the victim to a malicious website.
DRINKING AND TEXTING BOTH CAUSE ARRESTS AND ACCIDENTS, OR MAKE A DRIVER LESS LIKELY TO AVOID A DUI INDUCED ARREST, OR NON FAULT ACCIDENT.
BEING INTEXTICATED, IS JUST AS SERIOUS AS BEING INTOXICATED.
A DRIVER MUST DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID AN AT FAULT ACCIDENT.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE OR TEXT, AND GET A DUI OR ACCIDENT…
CALL A TAXI, LYFT OR UBER….THEY ARE A LOT CHEAPER THAN CALLING ME”.
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Cut out this card!
GIVE THIS CARD TO ARRESTING OFFICER WITH LICENSE/INSURANCE
Upon advice of my attorney, Dale Gribow, I exercise my right to remain silent, until you contact him at (760) 837-7500 or dale@dalegribowlaw.com for an OK.
My attorney has advised me the VOLUNTARY FIELD SOBRIETY AND BREATH TESTS, at the scene, are OPTIONAL (unless one is on probation). Thus I elect not to take them. I want to cooperate with law enforcement, and am happy to take a BLOOD TEST.
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DALE GRIBOW
Attorney at Law
760 837-7500
TOP LAWYER- Palm Springs Life PI/DUI (2011-23)
TOP LAWYER- Inland Empire Magazine
5 STAR (GOOGLE)|10.0/5 Star (Avvo)|AV (Martindale Hubbell)- Highest Confidential Client/Bar/Judiciary Rating (Legal Ability, Very High Ethical Standards|5.0 (Justia)
