We’re seeing *** new twist on some familiar scams. The Federal Trade Commission says it’s getting reports of scammers using the conflict in Iran to try to steal your money and personal information. Here are 3 scams to watch out for. First, the fraud alert scam. You get *** call or *** text that looks like it’s from your bank warning about charges from Iran. Then you’re transferred to someone claiming to be with *** government agency like the FTC, for example, who asks for your bank information. Now, government agencies will never ask for your financial details. Second, *** romance scam with *** twist. Someone you’ve been talking to online says they’ve been deployed to Iran and suddenly needs money for an emergency or because they can’t access their account. Either way, that’s *** major red flag. Third, fake charities. Scammers may claim they’re helping people affected by the conflict and pressure you to donate using gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. That’s another sign, it’s *** scam. If you think you’ve encountered one of these scams, report it to the FTC at report fraud.FTC.gov. Reporting in New York, I’m Ali Jasinski.
Scammers use fake calendar entries to target personal information
Scammers are bypassing email inboxes and targeting online calendars with fake entries designed to steal personal information.Related video above: How the Iran conflict fuels scamsPatty Gray said she first received a text message about a product renewal. “And it said this Pulse Plus protection premium plan. And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s odd. Maybe it’s a scam.’ So, I just closed it, and I actually deleted the text message,” Gray said. A few weeks later, Gray noticed something unusual on her calendar. “Just Monday, I opened my calendar, and there’s an appointment,” she said. The calendar entry referenced the same Pulse Protect product mentioned in the text message, claiming the membership would automatically renew that day.Gray and her husband called the number listed in the calendar item to stop the transaction. “‘Oh, well, if you want to cancel, no problem. I’ll help you. Just go in front of your computer, and I’ll tell you what keys to press.’ We said, ‘Why do we need to do that?’ And he said, ‘You need to fill out a form to cancel,'” Gray said. The couple quickly realized they were being targeted in a remote access scam, in which scammers attempt to gain access to computers to steal personal information. They ended the call immediately. Preventing these scam calendar entries depends on the type of calendar program being used, such as Outlook, Gmail or Apple.
Scammers are bypassing email inboxes and targeting online calendars with fake entries designed to steal personal information.
Related video above: How the Iran conflict fuels scams
Patty Gray said she first received a text message about a product renewal.
“And it said this Pulse Plus protection premium plan. And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s odd. Maybe it’s a scam.’ So, I just closed it, and I actually deleted the text message,” Gray said.
A few weeks later, Gray noticed something unusual on her calendar.
“Just Monday, I opened my calendar, and there’s an appointment,” she said.
The calendar entry referenced the same Pulse Protect product mentioned in the text message, claiming the membership would automatically renew that day.
Gray and her husband called the number listed in the calendar item to stop the transaction.
“‘Oh, well, if you want to cancel, no problem. I’ll help you. Just go in front of your computer, and I’ll tell you what keys to press.’ We said, ‘Why do we need to do that?’ And he said, ‘You need to fill out a form to cancel,'” Gray said.
The couple quickly realized they were being targeted in a remote access scam, in which scammers attempt to gain access to computers to steal personal information. They ended the call immediately.
Preventing these scam calendar entries depends on the type of calendar program being used, such as Outlook, Gmail or Apple.
