Summer Scammers

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy flickr

With the kids out of school and the Fourth of July less than a month away, most families look forward to the summer as the time of year to let down their hair and have some fun in the sun.  Unfortunately, the summer is also one of the times of the year when con men and women choose to turn up the heat on unsuspecting families.  To help you stay a step ahead of these summer scammers, I thought I’d take the time to give you the top-10 scams of the summer.

      1.      The Gift that Keeps on Taking

When you search online for bargain basement vacation rentals and amusement park coupons beware of clickbait that will not only fail to deliver the goods, but could easily infect your device with malware or ransomware.  As the story goes, if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is.  If you see a super deal or a deep discount to one of your favorite venues (like Disney World, Universal Studios or Adventure Landing), instead of clicking on the link, call the venue to find out if they’ve sponsored such an offer.  If they have you can opt-in right over the phone.  If not, you just saved yourself from dealing with a costly case of malware.

      2.      Don’t Take the Bait for These Phishing Scams

Some online scammers don’t wait for you to take their clickbait.  Instead, they send you fishy emails that are designed to get you to take them up on bogus bargains.  Phishing has been around for years, but it still reels in the suckers.  That’s because modern phishers can craft offers that look all too real.  In the past few months, I have seen emails purporting to have come from big box retailers, express shippers, my ISP and even the IRS that look like the real deal.  That’s because cybercriminals know how to clone websites that are identical to legitimate ones.  I almost fell for one alert that purportedly came from GoDaddy.  At the last second, I decided to call them only to find out that they never sent me the alert.  Lesson learned.  When in doubt, reach out via phone to find out what’s what.  (By the way, the IRS will never email or call you.  They always send notices by mail first.)

      3.      Storm Chasers

As they say, “When it rains, it pours.”  Not only does it pour down rain in Florida, it also rains hail and high wind that can damage your roof.  No sooner does a big storm whistle through town when storm chasers follow soon behind.  The kind of storm chasers to which I refer aren’t there for the weather.  They’re combing neighborhoods looking for storm damaged roofs.  If you are approached by anyone who tells you they are with a local roofing company that can help you get your roof replaced by working with your insurance company, don’t believe it.  In the first place, nobody but a licensed insurance adjuster is permitted to negotiate with an insurer on your behalf.  Secondly, if you sign up with these storm chasers, the only thing that could be gone with the wind will be your hard-earned money when these bad boys ruin the chance for you to register a legitimate claim.

      4.      Unsocial Social Nets

Image courtesy USAF

Scammers and sexual predators realize you and your family are home alone.  How do they come by this information?  Because you and your kids broadcast the news on your social nets.  Summertime is prime time for scammers who are like flies to honey when it comes to using the social nets to get one over on you.  They also look for friendly family posts extolling the great time they’re having on vacation.  Do this and you may have to pay for more than your travel expenses when you come back to discover your home has been burglarized.  Also keep tabs on your kids social posts, because sexual predators work their magic to arrange a meetup with children who are all too eager to get out of the house during the dog days of summer.

      5.      Charity Begins in the Home

Con artists are known to go door-to-door during the summer to solicit donations for bogus charities.  Or, they say they represent legitimate charities which they have no actual affiliation with.  Either way, be doubly cautious about letting any strangers into your home, since they could be casing it to rob you when you head off on your vacation.

      6.      Landlord or Land Lost?

Here’s one to watch out for if you like to book vacation rentals online.  Bogus landlords are only too happy to make a vacation rental and take your credit card number only to leave you high and dry when you arrive to find the reservation is bogus.  The best way to avoid having your vacation go bust is to confirm that the property actually exists.  You can do this by searching the Internet for online reviews and by using sites like Facetime to contact the owners.  If you do find you’ve been scammed, contact your credit card company right away.

      7.      Summer Job or Snow Job?

Image courtesy flickr

This is one you need to warn your teenagers about.  Con artists post help wanted ads on popular sites that purport to offer summer jobs to teens.  When teens respond, they’re sent a detailed employment questionnaire that asks for such information as their age, address, birth date and social security number.  By the time your teen realizes that the job is bogus, the scammers have already acquired credit cards in their name which they will max out before leaving your teen holding the bag.  Some job scammers will even ask for a processing fee which requires a credit card number up front.   The words No Experience Necessary should be a red flag to warn of summer job scammers.

      8.      Don’t Get Scalped

Summertime is also prime time for concerts.  In the rush to get the best seats, many people get scammed by scalpers.  These con artists post bogus clone sites purporting to vend tickets, or they try to sell the same ticket to you that they already sold to a dozen other suckers.  The secret to avoid getting scalped is make sure you’re dealing with a legitimate ticket vendor.

      9.      Wi-Fi Woes

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, right?  Then why do so many people feel it’s alright to use free Wi-Fi?  Free Wi-Fi networks are the fast lane to malware.  Free Wi-Fi doesn’t mean secure Wi-Fi.  If you log into a free Wi-Fi hotspot, you risk having your device corrupted and/or your data stolen.  If you must use someone else’s Wi-Fi connection when you travel, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that can protect your data.  (We’re talking less than $5 a month for most VPNs.)

      10.  Who Put the Con in Concierge?

Known as the Front Desk Scam or the Concierge Con, if you should check into a hotel only to receive a call from the front desk claiming there is a problem with the credit card you provided, don’t believe it.  It’s a common con to have a third party call your room to ask you to verify your credit card number, expiration date and security code.  Also beware of fake menus slipped under your door.  Call the number to order food and the only person you’ll feed is the scammer who will happily pocket your credit card information.

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on all your insurance needs, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com/