SCAMS

It’s the busiest online shopping time of the year and we know thieves are working overtime. But you also want to shop around to save money. We will show you how to score discounts while staying safe online.

The number of victims who are elderly and falling for scammer’s tactics has risen at an alarming rate, while the amounts they’ve loss are even more staggering.

The Department of Justice has announced the results of its efforts over the past year to protect older adults from fraud and exploitation. During the past year, the DOJ and its law enforcement partners tackled matters that ranged from mass-marketing scams that impacted thousands of victims to bad actors scamming their neighbors.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning people who are trying to get their student loans forgiven of potential scammers.

The scammer allegedly tells the resident they missed their Federal Grand Jury date, resulting in a warrant for their arrest. He goes on to say they have two options to settle their warrant. The first option is to either serve 72 hours in jail or to pay and handle the warrant in civil court.

Three Nigerian citizens who are accused of using numerous ways to defraud victims, including through romance and lottery scams, have been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States to stand trial for their alleged crimes.

The Texas Department of Insurance is warning consumers to be wary of scam phone calls or other communications from anyone claiming to be an employee of TDI.

Unsuspecting older Americans get duped by financial scams every year. Now, a bill in Congress aims to increase regulators' abilities to help stop that.

Forty-seven percent of Americans experienced financial identity theft last year. Losses from identity theft cases cost more than $700 billion in 2021. The highest percentage of consumers who were victimized were between 35 and 44 years old. Imposter scams are one of the leading scams used to steal money. They often start with a simple call, email or message impersonating a person or company you know to trick you into giving them your money. The more you know about these imposters, the safer you and your money will be.

The Houston Association of Realtors, Crime Stoppers of Houston and the Clear Channel Outdoor have joined together to launch a public awareness campaign about the rise in rental scams in Houston.

If you’re shopping for the holiday season, the FBI wants to warn you of a few holiday scams.

The FBI is warning the public once again about a phone scam that fraudulently displays the FBI Houston Division’s real telephone number on victims’ caller IDs.

“It was like a waterfall coming from the ceiling.”“We still have no water in the house,” Cruz added. She is afraid of being taken by a fly-by-night contractor or plumber. Ad“Whenever there is any kind of disaster, unfortunately, we always see the scammers come out of the woodwork,” Napoliello said. Napoliello’s job is to help consumers avoid being ripped off by shady contractors, plumbers and others, who are out to grab your money, and she has several rules you should follow to avoid them. “First of all, you should never hire someone on the spot, if they come to your front door”, Napoliello said.

Online scams target Americans desperate for coronavirus vaccine Law enforcement is warning of a growing number of online scams tied to COVID vaccinations. Scammers are now claiming to have vaccines for sale. Manuel Bojorquez takes a look.

HOUSTON – The FBI and other government agencies are warning people against a new scam that has emerged related to the coronavirus vaccine. FBI warns people about COVID-19 vaccine scam. Don’t share your personal or health information with anyone other than known and trusted medical professionals. Check your medical bills and insurance explanation of benefits (EOBs) for any suspicious claims and promptly reporting any errors to your health insurance provider. Never provide personal information of any sort via email; be aware that many emails requesting your personal information may appear to be legitimate.

Make sure you’re not the next victim of one of these COVID cons. But at the end, there’s no money, and the scammers have had plenty of time to phish for your information. Also, beware of fake COVID contact tracers. Real contact tracers will call by phone, not connect by email. Always be cautious of anything you put on your phone and never give your info to someone you’re not 100% comfortable with.

HOUSTON – If you’re anxiously waiting for holiday packages to arrive, now is the time to be alert and watch out for delivery schemes. Bloomer said cybercriminals are using the emails as a way to trick holiday shoppers into giving up their personal information. “They will try to ask you to put in payment information and take money directly from you,” he said. Bloomer said Check Point researchers saw a more than 400% increase in delivery schemes in November compared to the previous month. Tips to prevent getting scammedTo help users stay protected against phishing scams, Check Point is issuing these 6 tips:

We’ve listed four apps to help make the calls stop, and steps to get your number listed on the National Do Not Call Registry with the Federal Communications Commission. Alex Quilici, who works with YouMail, an anti-spoofing app, explains how spoofing calls work. But if you’re using a voice or office phone or call center, you can fill in whatever phone number you want. So the bad guys just pick a phone number and use it,” explains Quilici. You can upload some audio, you can put in a phone number that people “press 1” to and basically go.

The FBIs Houston Division issued a warning and some tips on how people can protect themselves from fraud. According to the warning, scammers may go door to door to target residents in areas affected by hurricanes, so be vigilant. Do not click on any links or open attachments in an unsolicited email or give any personal information out online. If you believe you have been the victim of hurricane-related fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at 866-720-5721 or file a complaint online. You can also report suspicious e-mail solicitations or fraudulent websites to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center here.

HOUSTON Texas officials are warning residents to be aware of COVID-19 scams that try to trick you out of your money or personal information. Never provide your personal information (address, date of birth, banking information, ID numbers) to people you do not know. Remember, government agencies will never ask you for personal information or money. In addition to the economic payment scams previously reported, several other fraudulent schemes involve masks, personal protection equipment and other COVID-19 related items, according to a press release. This virus is bad enough without having to deal with crooks who will use it to obtain your money or personal information, Ryan said.

As the demand for personal protection equipment (PPE) grows, some suppliers are taking advantage of the national crisis. The Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is warning the public of scammers advertising masks and other COVID-19 related equipment they do not actually have an inventory of in an attempt to make a quick profit. According to the office, these products may be counterfeit and mislabeled, or non-existent. As fraudulent schemes continue, consumers urged to exercise increased caution when dealing with new suppliers, especially when using a third-party broker, the Office of Texas Attorney General says. Red flags that a sale may be fraudulent include:Unusual payment termsLast-minute price changesLast-minute excuses for delay in shipmentUnexplained source of a large quantity of materialEvidence of re-packaging or mislabelingTexans who believe they have encountered scams or price gouging should call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online.

In the past four months, American households received somewhere near 10 billion robocalls. The record pace of phonecalls explains why complaints to the federal trade commission are up 50% this year. Jim Axelrod has the details.