![]() The scheme: You get a note via social media, email or text message, claiming you won! You just need to verify your account info and send a small deposit up front. Right away, scammers posing as celebrities started offering fake giveaways as a way to get people's private information. Fans posted their cash-transfer app identifier (or $Cashtag, in Cash App) for a chance at free money. Real celebs like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber grabbed headlines during the pandemic with social media money giveaways. And review your social media security settings to choose who can see your posts. “Or use a Got My Vaccine profile picture frame on social media,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody suggests. How to avoid: If you want to inform friends and family that you got your shots, a selfie with a generic vaccine sticker will suffice. The scheme: “With your full name, birth date and information about where you received your shot, scammers have valuable data for identity theft, breaking into your bank accounts, getting credit cards in your name and more,” Hutt says. Many who got a COVID vaccine posted selfies on social media showing off their vaccination card. If you think there is a problem with your account, visit Zoom's real website at and follow the steps for customer support. How to avoid: Never click on links in unsolicited emails, texts or social media messages, Hutt says. “Clicking can allow criminals to download malicious software onto your computer, access your personal information to use for identity theft, or search for passwords to hack into your other accounts.” The scheme: “You receive an email, text or social media message with the Zoom logo, telling you to click on a link because your account is suspended or you missed a meeting,” says Katherine Hutt, national spokesperson for the BBB. Zoom phishing emailsĬon artists registered more than 2,449 fake Zoom-related internet domains in the early months of the pandemic, just so they could send out emails that look like they're from the popular videoconferencing website, according to the Better Business Bureau. Here are nine such frauds happening widely right now. “Scammers stay on top of whatever is new, such as the popularity of Zoom, COVID-19 vaccines and online shopping,” and then move fast to create ploys that best fit the moment, says Amy Nofziger, AARP's director of fraud victim support. En español | Frauds aimed at older adults are becoming more creative.
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