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Site logo image ScamicideScam of the day – February 21, 2024 – Dead People Becoming Victims of Identity Theft

Steven Weisman, Esq.

February 20

Not even the dead are immune from identity theft and this particular type of identity theft is now on the rise. Until new regulations were enacted in 2014 scammers merely checked out the latest obituaries and then went to a free totally available data bank called the Death Master File maintained by the Social Security Administration. Using the Death Master File, the scammer was readily able to obtain the deceased person's Social Security number which would then be used along with the information gained from the obituary to establish credit, make purchases or take out loans in the name of the deceased person. Since 2014 regulations have greatly limited the access to the Death Master File, but identity theft from the dead remains a serious problem because it is still easy for criminals to obtain Social Security numbers of dead people. Income tax identity theft using the Social Security numbers of dead people is a popular scam with income tax identity thieves because the IRS may not be alerted that the victim of the identity theft has died and is not filing an income tax return. Income tax identity theft from the dead can severely complicate the estate settlement process and threaten the deceased's assets.

TIPS

Limit the amount of personal information contained in any obituary in order to not provide information exploitable by an identity thief. Also, the executor or personal representative of the estate should contact the major credit reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax and notify them that the person is deceased and not to issue any further credit. All creditors, such as credit card companies of the deceased should also be notified of the death and the accounts closed as soon as possible.

If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address on the tab that states "Sign up for this blog."

#incometaxidentity theft #deceasedidentitytheft

It sounds similar to the head of Medusa.  You can cut off the head of one snake, but 2 more come back in its place.  You just can't be too careful.

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Site logo image ScamicideScam of the day – March 9, 2024 – New Report Show Pig Butchering Romance Scams Surging

Steven Weisman, Esq.

March 8

I have been warning you about romance scams for many years. More recently I have been warning you for the last few years about the myriad of scams involving cryptocurrencies. In the last few years a new scam combining the romance scam and cryptocurrency scams surfaced about which I have also warned you since 2018.

Romance scams generally follow a familiar pattern with the scammers establishing relationships with people, generally women, online through various legitimate dating websites and social media using fake names, locations and images. The FBI has issued a warning about a new trend in romance scams in which the scammer tells his victim that he or she has inside knowledge about cryptocurrency investing and directs the victim to a phony website that purports to be a legitimate cryptocurrency trading site. Not long after "investing" in the cryptocurrencies provided, the victim soon finds that there is no investment and that she or he has lost all of the invested money. This scam originated in China in 2019 and is called sha zhu pan or pig butchering in English. The name is derived from the practice of luring in victims, "fattening them up" by convincing them to continually "invest" more money and then stealing all of the money.

The scammers initially contact their victims on dating or social media apps and pretend to develop a close relationship. After a while the scammer informs the targeted victim that he or she is making a lot of money investing in cryptocurrencies and suggests the victim download and use a cryptocurrency app used by the scammer. Generally, the victims are lured into investing more and more money by what appears to be both dramatic increases in the value of their account and their ability to withdraw some of their profits. However, once the victim has been persuaded to invest larger and larger sums of money, the scammers steal the money and the victim is left with nothing.

Recently the Blockchain Data Platform Chainalysis issued its 22024 Crypto Crime Report in which it found that big butchering romance scams increased last year by 8500% from incidents of the crime in 2020.

You might be surprised to learn that typically the victims of this scam are highly educated people. Unfortunately, they also are targeted because they may have also recently gone through a divorce or some other personal difficulty. While the victims are people of all ages, most victims are anywhere from their mid-30s to their early fifties with the average loss per victim averaging $121.926 with one victim, according to the IRS losing two million dollars to the scammers.

TIPS

It is important to remember that you should never invest in something that you do not completely understand. This was a mistake that many of Bernie Madoff's victims made. Cryptocurrency scams quite often involve complicated language and investment terms that is purposefully unclear in an effort to confuse potential investors from understanding the real facts. You also may want to check out the SEC's investor education website at www.investor.gov. Scammers can be very convincing and it may sound like there is a great opportunity for someone to make some money, but you must be careful that the person making money is not the scam artist taking yours.

Also, the apps used in the pig butchering scam may appear to be legitimate, but they are not found on official app platforms such as Google Play or the Apple App Store. Do your homework before investing in cryptocurrencies and only do business with well established cryptocurrency exchanges. Never invest merely because of the recommendation of someone you may have met online.

If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/

#pigbutchering

son of a gun. gotta be on one/s toes nowadays

I've come across a couple of shady tracking sites recently. Very deceitful tactics. ?

i imagine they can get one's entire name, address and all that jazz thru that deceit.

people are killing each other over nothing. if u leave ur home for an hour, migrants can move in and u cannot legally get them out.

least in NY and around us.

just be real careful when u mention your housing. people dont see me much but for when i call for me cat, but when i first moved in i had 3 people try a break in. i was seconds away from using my weaponry and i made sure their best friend heard what i was holding on the other side of the door.

the courts and cops are not removing people whom move into your houses if u leave them alone for a few days. God help us all.

In Texas, if squatters try to settle in, the cops WILL
take their dumb a$$es to the calaboose ... the slammer
...Right to the clink ...

Florida says shoot em

Ice

(03-09-2024, 12:07 AM)Charon Wrote: [ -> ]Read on blog or Reader
Site logo image ScamicideScam of the day – March 9, 2024 – New Report Show Pig Butchering Romance Scams Surging

Steven Weisman, Esq.

March 8

I have been warning you about romance scams for many years.  More recently I have been warning you for the last few years about the myriad of scams involving cryptocurrencies.  In the last few years a new scam combining the romance scam and cryptocurrency scams surfaced about which I have also warned you since 2018.

Romance scams generally follow a familiar pattern with the scammers  establishing relationships with people, generally women, online through various legitimate dating websites and social media using fake names, locations and images.  The FBI has issued a warning about a new trend in romance scams in which the scammer tells his victim that he or she has inside knowledge about cryptocurrency investing and directs the victim to a phony website that purports to be a legitimate cryptocurrency trading site.  Not long after "investing" in the cryptocurrencies provided, the victim soon finds that there is no investment and that she or he has lost all of the invested money.  This scam originated in China in 2019 and is called sha zhu pan or pig butchering in English.  The name is derived from the practice of luring in victims, "fattening them up" by convincing them to continually "invest" more money and then stealing all of the money.

The scammers initially contact their victims on dating or social media apps and pretend to develop a close relationship.  After a while the scammer informs the targeted victim that he or she is making a lot of money investing in cryptocurrencies and suggests the victim download and use a cryptocurrency app used by the scammer.  Generally, the victims are lured into investing more and more money by what appears to be both dramatic increases in the value of their account and their ability to withdraw some of their profits.  However, once the victim has been persuaded to invest larger and larger sums of money, the scammers steal the money and the victim is left with nothing.

Recently the Blockchain Data Platform Chainalysis issued its 22024 Crypto Crime Report in which it found that big butchering romance scams increased last year by 8500% from incidents of the crime in 2020.

You might be surprised to learn that typically the victims of this scam are highly educated people.  Unfortunately, they also are targeted because they may have also recently gone through a divorce or some other personal difficulty.  While the victims are people of all ages, most victims are anywhere from their mid-30s to their early fifties with the average loss per victim averaging $121.926 with one victim, according to the IRS losing two million dollars to the scammers.

TIPS

It is important to remember that you should never  invest in something that you do not completely understand.  This was a mistake that many of Bernie Madoff's victims made. Cryptocurrency scams quite often involve complicated language and investment terms that is purposefully unclear in an effort to confuse potential investors from understanding the real facts. You also may want to check out the SEC's investor education website at www.investor.gov.  Scammers can be very convincing and it may sound like there is a great opportunity for someone to make some money, but you must be careful that the person making money is not the scam artist taking yours.

Also, the apps used in the pig butchering scam may appear to be legitimate, but they are not found on official app platforms such as Google Play or the Apple App Store.  Do your homework before investing in cryptocurrencies and only do business with well established cryptocurrency exchanges.  Never invest merely because of the recommendation of someone you may have met online.

If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/

#pigbutchering

I have just recently learned that there is an official term for this type of scam called "PIG BUTCHERING". I watched a whole series somewhere recently that took a deep dive into "pig butchering ".