Scams Alert for 2022-It's a Jungle Out There!

As we get closer to the Holidays, you are working on shopping lists and organizing gatherings with your family while scammers are working on new and creative ways to get you to bite the bait.

In the U.S. there is about 1 in 10 adults get scammed every year, and if you think this isn’t that bad, this has jumped up 34% since 2018.

Now, if you thought only the older population falls for scams, I’m sorry, my friend, you are wrong.

Scammers have gotten more sophisticated than even the young and “young at heart” have fallen victim to lately.

So what are the scams of 2022 that are common but not so easy to spot? And how do you protect yourself?

10 Scams to Beware of in 2022

Cryptocurrency Scams Romance Scams

Google Voice Scam Rental Assistance Scam

Coronavirus Scams Zelle Scams

Employment-Related Scams Fake Amazon Employees

Local Tax Impostors Energy Bill Scams

Cryptocurrency Scams

We all have heard of cryptocurrency, and although you may be skeptical many people have had great success with their investments in crypto.

But with every new and exciting venture out there, there’s a scammer waiting to take advantage of the buzz.

Avoid purchasing cryptocurrency at ATM machines in convenience stores, gas stations, or major retailers. These purchases are often untraceable so there is no way to get compensated for your loss.

Also, many have fallen victim to sweepstakes, prize contests, or investment opportunities stating they must send money to qualify.

The scammers impersonate celebrities and/or real cryptocurrency websites to lure in victims.

Red Flags for Cryptocurrency Scams

If anyone asks you for money upfront, they are usually scamming you. No sweepstake contest, government entity, prize promoter, or utility company will ask you to pay money to get money.

Romance Scams

We have all seen documentaries on Netflix this year about people getting scammed by their hot steamy social media lovers. Well, this is still a very common scam.

Most people that get scammed are using legitimate dating sites to meet people, so they let their guard down, assuming they're protected.

The scammer usually uses a fake profile to set up an account on a real dating app and starts grooming you from the minute you swipe left.

If you are not the dating app type and think you’re safe, think again. Within the past 2 years, social media has seen an increase in scammers connecting with potential victims via dm.

Red Flags for Romance Scams

• If your in-person meet and greet is always getting postponed,

• or if they ask you to send money, or

• they require certain payment methods, or

• live so far away you’ll never be able to visit them,

They are 9 times out of 10 scamming you. Love is not that hard!

Google Voice Scam

This one is pretty clever; if you have recently posted something online to sell, the caller will ask you to allow them to check that you’re not a scammer by asking you to await an email from their Google voice number.

They’ll then ask you to say the verification code that you received; you think that they are verifying you, but what they are actually doing is scamming you by setting up a Google voice account in your name.

What’s the harm in that? Well, they can now create scams and carry them out using your name as their alias.

Red Flags for Google Voice Scams

Never read or share your verification code with anyone.

Rental Assistance Scam

Millions of people are still trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

With so much money flowing through assistance programs, scammers have found a way to impersonate rental assistance programs, government or non-profit, to obtain information from victims, stealing their identity and assistance benefits.

Red Flags for Rental Assistance Scams

So how do you spot the fraud? Remember that most programs will ask for your personal information via an application.

Most likely, if you get a text, phone call, or email asking for your information, it is not legit.

Next, you can not pay for expedited service regarding this type of assistance. If someone tells you otherwise, they are lying.

Last, avoid clicking a legit website through your email. If you get an email about links for official sites, avoid clicking and typing in the official site in your search bar as an extra precaution.

Thinking about purchasing a home, watch out for predatory lending, aka mortgage scams as well.

Coronavirus Scams

By now, fears and apprehension about coronavirus have somewhat subsided. However, people are still testing to return to work, attend large gatherings, and/or take flights.

So here’s what scammers are doing, setting up fake testing sites to obtain people’s personal information so that they can use it to commit other scams.

Red Flags for Coronavirus Scams

Avoid pop-up testing sites by small and seemingly unknown organizations. Although some of these organizations seem legit, it is hard to tell, so avoid getting testing at these locations.

Instead, get tested at your local pharmacies or clinics offering free testing.

Zelle Scams

In this scam, someone will call you, claiming to be from your bank. They will tell you that someone tried to send money through your Zelle account.