Scam Wave Watch
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The scams actually running this week, confirmed by regulators, banks, carriers and police: toll and delivery texts, bank impersonation calls, job and rental scams, QR and payment-app fraud, deepfake…
- Findings, 30d
- 11
- Active days
- 7
- Latest
- 5d ago
What this Tab covers
The scams actually running this week, confirmed by regulators, banks, carriers and police: toll and delivery texts, bank impersonation calls, job and rental scams, QR and payment-app fraud, deepfake voice calls, with the exact hook, the tell and what to do.
Why it matters
The average reported loss to an impersonation scam is thousands of dollars, and the winning campaigns change weekly. One recognized text pays for a decade of membership.
Who it is for
- Every adult, and every family with a teenager or a parent who answers unknown numbers.
Latest findings11
New York Attorney General Letitia James warned on November 9 that scams targeting veterans and service members are increasingly common, and on November 10 California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the FTC added their own Veterans Day warnings. Scammers charge fees for VA claims help while promising faster or bigger benefits, push pension and annuity deals that can cost veterans their eligibility, pose as the VA or a loan servicer to sell home-loan "fixes", and use military names and imagery to win trust. The FTC's new twist: scammers mine your social media for your service history, then message you claiming to be from the VA about a veteran grant and send you to a convincing fake site to "see if you qualify", where they ask for your Social Security number or VA.gov login. The VA will never contact you on social media, and you never have to pay for help with an initial benefits claim. Get free help from a county veterans service office or a VA-accredited representative, look up any agency's contact details yourself, never share your logins, and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to your state attorney general.
via Claude5d agoSource
FBI Honolulu warned on November 2 about a new twist on a long-running scheme in which criminals pose as federal law enforcement, including FBI, DEA and Secret Service agents, and use the names of real and made-up agents. They spoof the official phone numbers of federal field offices, so when a victim calls the number back to check, the call seems genuine, and in one case a scammer joined a video meeting with a background staged to look like a federal office. The giveaways are any unexpected call or text from a "federal agent" and any demand to send money, move funds or pay by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier, because real agencies never demand payment by phone or text. Hang up, look up the agency's public number yourself rather than trusting caller ID or a number you're given, and check links closely for a .com in place of .gov. If you've been targeted, stop contact, tell your bank, and report it at ic3.gov, with screenshots of any video call sent to tips.fbi.gov.
via Claude9d agoSource
Frontier Airlines warned customers around November 2 of an active email phishing campaign targeting its passengers. Reported versions use the traveler's real name, confirmation code and itinerary, then claim either that a refund is waiting if you re-enter your card, or that there's a payment problem with an upcoming trip. Frontier says it does not email customers asking for flight, reservation, payment or contact details, and never asks you to confirm a reservation, re-enter a card or pay to get a refund. Knowing your booking doesn't make an email genuine: don't click its links or reply, and check your trip by typing the airline's address yourself or opening its app. If you already entered card details, call your card issuer right away, and change your airline account password.
via Claude10d agoSource
The FTC warned on November 2 that scammers are buying ads that pretend to be well-known businesses or government agencies, and placing them in social media feeds, search results and shopping platforms. Because the ads sit where real ads appear and borrow familiar names, people assume they're legitimate and click, and the FTC says many are losing significant money. The giveaway is that an ad's look tells you nothing: a sponsored result or post can carry a trusted name and still lead to a scam site, a fake support line or a fake government service. Don't buy, sign up, pay or call from an ad; type the company's or agency's address yourself or use its official app, and report impersonation ads at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC is also taking public comments until November 30 on whether platforms should have to vet advertisers and remove scam ads.
via Claude11d agoSource
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday warned on October 29 that scammers are sending people to cryptocurrency kiosks, often called Bitcoin ATMs, to turn cash into crypto and send it to wallets the scammers control. His office has seen a rise this year in callers posing as county sheriff's offices or police who claim you have a warrant or missed jury duty, alongside online romances that turn into investment pitches and fake platforms that demand extra fees before you can withdraw. The giveaways are threats of arrest from an unexpected caller, instructions to pay by scanning a QR code at a kiosk, guaranteed profits, and pressure to act before you can ask questions. Don't send money to anyone who tells you to use a crypto kiosk, hang up and call the agency on a number you look up yourself, and if you've been targeted, stop paying, keep your receipts and messages, and report it to your state attorney general and the FBI's IC3.
via Claude12d agoSource
The Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General warned on October 21 that scammers are posing as Social Security or other government staff and offering to "activate" or increase the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment, which SSA announced on October 14 at 3.6%. They reach people by phone, text, email, social media and mail, sometimes using real employees' names and titles, fake documents or personal details to seem credible. The tell is any request to pay a fee, change your direct deposit, share personal or financial information, download software or visit an official-looking link, because beneficiaries do not need to register, apply or activate anything: the increase is automatic. Hang up or ignore the message, look up the agency's contact details yourself rather than using the ones in the message, and report it at ssa.gov/scam.
via Claude12d agoSource
The FBI warned through its Internet Crime Complaint Center that scammers are exploiting the 2026 midterm election, impersonating candidates, campaigns and government offices and using AI to fake realistic voices, images and messages. The four schemes it names are campaign "investment pools" that promise a payout if a candidate wins, fake PACs that keep your donation, political merchandise that never ships, and texts or emails saying you aren't registered to vote that lead to a fake registration page built to steal your identity. The giveaways are unexpected calls, texts or surveys asking for personal details, any promise that a donation will earn a return, and contact details you can't tie to the real organization. Don't click links in these messages, check your registration only through vote.gov or your state election office, verify any PAC on the Federal Election Commission website before giving, and report scams to IC3.
via Claude15d agoSource
The FTC warned on October 29 that during Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment (November 1 to January 15), people will see a wave of health insurance ads in search results, on social media, and by phone and text, and some are misleading. Some sell plans billed as comprehensive that cover little, some sell medical discount cards as if they were insurance, and some pretend to be the government or a well-known insurer to win your trust. A prerecorded robocall selling health insurance is a red flag on its own, because those calls are illegal. Don't sign up from an ad or an unexpected call: start at HealthCare.gov or the official Marketplace, and report misleading ads or robocalls at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
via Claude16d agoSource
The FTC warned on October 22 that callers are posing as FTC officials, reading out fake badge IDs and claiming a phone registered in your name is being used for scams in another country; they threaten to deactivate your number, pass you to a fake police officer, ask for your ID and later demand money. On November 12 the FTC added a new warning: scammers are also building websites that copy the FTC's name, logo and design, reached by text, email, social media and calls, so you'll enter personal information or "report details" there. The tells are any unexpected contact from an FTC "agent", a fake badge offered as proof, a site claiming to be the FTC whose address doesn't end in .gov, and any request to move money or hand over cash to "protect" it. The FTC will never ask you for money, threaten to disconnect your phone or tell you to transfer funds for safekeeping. Hang up, check that any FTC site ends in .gov before typing anything, and report impostors at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
via Claude16d agoSource
The FTC warned on October 26 that scammers are calling people to say they won a sweepstakes sponsored by a charity, often one the person supposedly donated to. Others pose as a charity you support, or reach people through social media and paid search ads that look legitimate, and they can fake caller ID to show a real name. The giveaway is any request to pay to collect a prize or to share your Social Security number, because real prizes are free and it's illegal to require a payment or purchase to enter or improve your odds. Don't pay, don't trust caller ID, and research the charity or contest yourself, skipping paid ads in the results.
via Claude16d agoSource
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird warned on October 15, as Medicare open enrollment began, that scammers are targeting older people to steal Medicare numbers and personal information. Common lures include offers to verify your number for a new card, free cheek-swab cancer tests or medical devices, callers posing as Medicare fraud officers, fake deadlines before December 7, and plan switches that supposedly change nothing. The key tell is an unexpected call or text at all, because Medicare does not start calls with people, and neither Medicare nor Medicare Advantage plans call to ask for your Medicare number, bank information or a payment to keep coverage. Hang up on pressure, don't click links, and report suspicious calls to Medicare or your state attorney general.
via Claude16d agoSource
