Beware of Holiday Job Scams!
Your Moment of Trust
A Podcast by A BIG Thank you to for Supporting this Podcast Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! Retailers and shippers traditionally hire seasonal workers to fulfill holiday shoppers' demands, whether online or in person. These jobs are a great way to make extra money, sometimes with the possibility of turning into a long-term employment opportunity. However, they are sometimes not all that they seem. When looking for something part-time or to fill the gap until a better opportunity comes, the Better Business Bureau has some suggestions to make the seasonal job...
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ZOMBIE DEBT...Don't Let it Come Back to HAUNT YOU!
Your Moment of Trust
A Podcast by BBB of the Tri-Counties: A BIG thank you to Ayers Automotive Repair in Santa Barbara, for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week's edition of Your Moment of Trust! Zombie debt is defined as debt that has been “raised from the dead,” so to speak. It could even be something you never owed at all. When a person doesn’t pay a debt, the lender will take action – by phone, letter, or even a court case – to collect the money they are owed. In some cases, though, the debtor simply can’t pay or can’t be found. In other cases, the debtor files...
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Did you Make this Purchase? DON'T ANSWER THIS TEXT!
Your Moment of Trust
This Podcast is Brought to you by A BIG thank you to of Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast! Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! One of scammers' favorite tactics is impersonating a person or organization you know and trust. That's the premise of this new text message scam, which has been popping up in recent BBB Scam Tracker reports. This time, con artists are impersonating your bank. How the scam works You receive a text message that looks like a fraud alert from your bank. It claims there is some unusual activity in your...
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Alexa may Dial Scam Sites...OH NO!
Your Moment of Trust
A podcast by A BIG thank you to Ayers Automotive Repair in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! Tell Alexa to play your favorite song. Ask Siri about the weather. Use Google Assistant to turn down the air conditioner. But don’t ask your smart device to look up a phone number, because it could accidentally point you to a scam. How the scam works You need the phone number for a company, so you ask your home’s smart device, which might be Google Home, Siri, or Alexa, to find and dial it for you. But when the company’s...
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When to Call a Plumber, rather than Doing it Yourself!
Your Moment of Trust
A podcast by A BIG thank you to in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! “Honey, we have a problem with the sink…” When your significant other says those words, it’s never a good sign. Having a reliable plumbing system is something that many take for granted. It’s plumbing that allows clean water to flow into your home and dirty wastewater to flow out. When that service is interrupted, and it’s not just a minor problem – you need it fixed, and fast. But how do you know whether to grab...
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BBB Warning about the Disgruntled Employee Discount Scam
Your Moment of Trust
A BIG thank you to in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! Recently, BBB Scam Tracker has received multiple reports of an online shopping scam on TikTok. It’s a sneaky one! It starts with a disgruntled employee supposedly seeking revenge and ends with victims ordering hundreds of dollars in phony merchandise. How the scam works You come across a TikTok video featuring someone claiming they were recently fired at a high-end jewelry store. The termination was completely undeserved, and they are angry. To take their revenge, they...
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Healthcare Scams
Your Moment of Trust
A Podcast by A BIG thank you to in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! Healthcare scams are as varied as just about any con out there. The fraudster often poses as a government authority to persuade you to provide personal information related to your Medicare or Medicaid account for identity theft. In other cases, the con artist is after your health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare information to submit fraudulent medical charges. How the scam works: The scam typically starts with an email, text message, or phone call that...
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Beware of Phony Online Streaming Sports Sites!
Your Moment of Trust
A Podcast by A BIG thank you to in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast. Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! You used to have to go to the stadium to root on your local high school athletic team. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed that. With schools forced to restrict entry to events, they turned to online streaming of games so that people could watch from the comfort of their living rooms. While many attendance restrictions have been lifted, schools are still streaming games. Unfortunately, the scammers have followed. The scammers aim to capture personal...
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Beware of Scams that Target Older Adults!
Your Moment of Trust
This Podcast is from . A BIG Thank you to in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast! Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! Like many of us, older adults are often targeted by con artists. Many victims don’t ask for help until it is too late! Help your friends, family, clients, or patients avoid fraud by knowing the signs of current or impending fraud. Warning signs that fraud may occur: ● Frequent junk mail and spam calls. Incoming junk mail (illegitimate sweepstakes offers, etc.) or receiving frequent calls from people offering valuable rewards or asking for...
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Recognize Phony Going Out of Business Sales Online
Your Moment of Trust
This Podcast is by A BIG thank you to in Santa Barbara for supporting this podcast! Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! Bed Bath & Beyond declared bankruptcy and closed its physical stores in recent months. It was then acquired by furniture and home furnishings e-retailer Overstock.com, a BBB Accredited Business, which rebranded its website and mobile app to Bed Bath & Beyond in the U.S. in early August. Scammers are taking advantage of the big changes by targeting unsuspecting consumers with fake "going out of business" sales. Here's what you need to know to...
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Sponsored by Ayers Automotive Repairs in Santa Barbara https://ayersrepairs.com
Everyone loves a good deal, and scammers know it. Counterfeit coupons are a popular way for scammers to steal your identity and money. Motives and methods vary, but phony coupons often mean serious losses for retailers, consumers, or both.
How the scam works:
You come across a website, either through a web search or an ad on social media, for coupons from major retailers. Usually, fake coupons are worth much more than real ones, offering steep discounts like 80% off. By using brands’ official logos, it's nearly impossible to tell if it’s fake or not. In some cases, getting the “coupons” requires subscribing to a coupon service and paying a monthly membership fee. Once you sign up, the service promises to either send you digital coupons or paper coupons in the mail. You may never receive any coupons, or you might receive coupons that are fake. Plus, by signing up, you’ve handed over your personal details and possibly your credit card information to a dishonest stranger. You may also come across coupons that offer deals in exchange for sharing a link on social media. Don’t do it! The link leads to a third-party website where visitors enter personal information in exchange for the coupon. In most cases, after signing up, you never receive any coupons. Instead, you’ve given your personal details to scammers.
How to avoid coupon scams:
● Don’t fall for deals that are too good to be true. Be skeptical. If a coupon is valued near or above the retail price of an item, consider it a red flag. ● Check the source of the coupon. If the coupon doesn’t come from a recognized coupon distributor, the manufacturer, or a specific store, be wary. If you aren’t sure about a coupon, visit the company’s website directly to look for the coupon on their official site or contact their customer service line to inquire.
● Think before you click on links in emails. If you receive a coupon via email, hover your mouse over the link without clicking on it to see where it will take you. If the URL looks like a random assortment of letters and numbers, or if it is a shortened link that doesn’t reveal where it’s taking you, don’t click it. Only visit official websites to avoid downloading malware onto your computer.
● Read coupons carefully. If a coupon doesn’t have an expiration date, if it looks photocopied, or if it contains spelling and grammar errors, you’re probably dealing with a fake.
● Don’t trade personal information for perks. A real business will not ask for your personal information, such as your credit card number or bank account information, in exchange for a coupon or to enter a giveaway. Promotional offers that ask for personal information are usually scams. You shouldn’t have to pay to receive a coupon either.
● Do a search for coupon scams. When in doubt, search the coupon offer along with the word “scam.” This will often bring up similar offers that are fake and can help you determine whether a coupon is real or not.
Find other general tips at BBB.org/AvoidScams. If you’ve spotted a coupon scam, report it. Share your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker to help others recognize scams before it’s too late.