We’ve been notified of a scam where people are called by someone pretending to be from FP & L who states that the resident is past due on their electricity, that it is about to be shut off, and they need to use cash to purchase some type of card to pay  their balance off. 

We would like to advise our residents that if they receive a call like this they should hang up and if they have any doubts to call FP&L directly to check on their account – they should NEVER submit payment until they have verified directly with FP & L that they need to do so. 

From WFLA website —

(WFLA) – It’s all out there for anyone to see. Just go to Familytreenow.com, add your name, click your state, find your listing, and voilà.

While most sites offering a peek at your past make you pay, “Family Tree Now” is free.

What’s the problem with that?

“We see it as a huge danger, particularly for victims of crime, victims of trauma, people who have finally found a sense of peace,” said Clara Reynolds, CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.

Reynolds runs the 211 contact center and helps victims of rape, human trafficking and domestic abuse.

Family Tree Now is new to her, and is important for clients to be aware of.

“For them to now know that this information about themselves is out there, is readily available, you don’t have to pay for it, you could just go out there, that was really eye-opening for me,” said Reynolds.

At the campus of the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, students got a chance to see just how much information is out there.

“This is really weird. Like extremely weird. Slight invasion of privacy,” said Aleek Nibbs.

The site shows your address, previous addresses, relatives, and their addresses, past and present.

“That really is. That’s not safe. I don’t think people should know where I used to live or where I currently live,” said Zaryna Jasmin.

Fortunately, you can opt out.

Go to familytreenow.com/optout. Search for yourself.

Then click the big red banner, “opt out of this record.”

At the Crisis Center of Tampa, informing clients how to do this is now a priority.

Prize or contest scams can use a variety of schemes to defraud victims. We have categorized this as both an email and a phone scam because it can happen either way.

One method is to offer a big prize with the only requirement that you give them a credit card number for a small processing fee. Don’t fall for it, they only want that credit card number to steal from you, and you won’t win anything.

You might also get an email notifying you that you have won a contest or prize. If you give them a credit card number, shame on you. Even clicking on a link in these emails can cause a hacker to gain access to your computer, so don’t be tempted.

The Lesson Here: If you get a call or email that you have won something, and you didn’t enter a contest, it’s a scam. Also, legitimate contest DO NOT require you to pay anything to participate. 

If you receive a call, or series of calls, from area codes you don’t recognize, don’t call them back. Some callers will also leave messages with sounds of someone in trouble, or asking for help. Unfortunately, if you call these numbers back you may be calling an international area code outside the USA, and you can be charged significant amounts of money on your phone bill.

A recent article from WFLA-TV in Tampa gives more information about this scam. Visit their page to review the details. http://wfla.com/2017/03/09/if-you-get-a-call-from-these-area-codes-dont-respond/

The IRS scam uses intimidation and threats [Read more…]

The Grandparents scam usually targets older individuals who may be more trusting than others. The victim receives a phone call from an individual claiming to be a grandchild of the victim. They may have some information about the victim gleaned from social media, or they simply have a phone number and an address of the victim which will tell them the victim is in a retirement community.

The scammer is very good at asking leading questions which slowly give them information about the victim. The typical scam is that the scammer is in a foreign country, often Canada, and has been arrested for a minor traffic infraction or other issue. They get the victim to agree to help them by wiring money to the scammer to help them get bail. Victims have been taken for thousands of dollars, sometimes multiple times.

The Lesson Here — If you ever receive a phone call from someone telling you they are a relative needing money, ask for their phone number to call them back. If they refuse or give you some excuse that you can’t call them, hang up. Regardless, call a relative you do know and trust and ask them if this person is indeed in trouble somewhere. Don’t be surprised to hear that no one in your family is having any legal issues in a foreign country.

These scammers can be very persuasive, don’t fall for their pleas.

Charities call all the time, and many of them are legitimate. However, there is a common scam for a person to call and represent themselves as a charitable organization. All they are trying to do is get your credit card number.

The best rule is don’t give money to charities over the phone. If a legitimate charity calls, advise them you will go to their website and donate directly. They will understand, while a scammer will try very hard to talk you into donating directly with them. Don’t fall for it.

The Lesson Here — Donate through legitimate charity websites. Don’t give your credit card number to anyone over the phone.

Note — If you want to see whether a charity is legitimate, or how effectively your money is being used, visit https://www.charitywatch.org/home. They are an independent organization which rates charities and warns of scams. 

A scam reported on the news involves phone calls offering a significant discount with DirecTV. The victim is offered 50% percent off their DirecTV bill by prepaying a discounted rate.

The scam is when the caller says the discount is offered by Amazon.com and must be paid for with Amazon gift cards. DirecTV does NOT offer these discounts through Amazon and you wouldn’t be paying your bill with gift cards, so why would you pay for this discount that way?

Scammers will pressure you to use prepaid gift cards for all kinds of scams. Once you give them the numbers on the back of the cards, you have just handed them your money and it’s untraceable.

Don’t fall for this one, or any other call like this.

CBS News is reporting a new scam using your phone. The phone rings and when you answer it all you hear is “Can you hear me?”.

No, it’s not a Verizon commercial, it is a scammer recording your voice when you instinctively answer “yes”. That’s what they are counting on.

If that scammer can find information about your banking institution, many have voice recognition systems to help you log in and access your bank account. A scammer who has recorded “yes” in your voice has a chance of getting through the voice recognition systems and ripping you off. Don’t fall for it.

Today’s phone technology is good, so no one should have to ask you if they can be heard. So, if you hear “Can you hear me?” when you pick up the phone, don’t answer and hang up immediately. 

Reprinted from WFLA —

NASHVILLE, Tenn.(NEWS10) – Facebook scammers are targeting users by making fraudulent or fake profiles trying to obtain personal information.

Scammers use information on someone’s Facebook profile and create a new account with that person’s information and photos. The scammer will then add that person’s family and friends.

Security experts at the Identity Theft Resource Center say the scammers use the connections to find out as much information about the victim or their friends. They may send messages containing malware links to steal personal information.

Experts say the scammers are after personal information, contacts, account information, or information to access computers or phones.

If you suspect suspicious activity contact your friend or family member and Facebook so they can take the profile down.

Telltale signs that an account may be fake or fraudulent is not having a cover photo, few mutual friends, and limited account activity.