Better Beware!

Just because scammers are thinking up new ways to swindle you, with Coronavirus hooks, doesn’t mean they’ve stopped doing their good-old – I mean, bad-old Standbys. Duke Energy is warning of Disconnection Scams again – that’s where you get a phone call or email from somebody claiming to be from Duke (maybe with the correct Caller-ID), threatening to cut off …

Gee, you think we’d be safe, staying at home all the time. Well, that does make it hard for a stranger to pull you into a dark doorway, or a pickpocket to stumble into you and lift your wallet. But ironically enough, it’s actually made it easier for swindlers to work some of their games. The Better Business Bureau is …

Police agencies around the country are reporting a gang of con artists who are working a fraud they call, quote, “far-reaching, complex, and well-organized.” Their most successful tactic to hook victims has been an email saying the sucker has won something – money, a trip, or something expensive like a car or even a boat. Or, recently, they’ve been sending …

There’s been a lot of information flying into my eyes and ears lately about the Coronavirus pandemic, and some of it has turned out to be just plain wrong, even though it really did come from somebody I know. News stories, emails, facebook posts, text messages and even robocalls are flying around with all kinds of information about the COVID-19 …

Let’s face it, the COVID-19 outbreak has been a major interruption in all our lives, and for many, the shutdown has been a financial disaster. But you know what it’s been for scammers and swindlers? It’s a Bonanza! It’s getting wild out there, and not just in the west. The FTC reports that Americans across the country have already lost …

Staying home all the time can be very stressful, and lots of people feel frustrated, lonely, and afraid. But remember that a hundred years ago, people coped with a much worse pandemic, and in those days they didn’t have the internet – in fact, they didn’t even have radio. Today we’re much more connected, and that helps. But watch out …

I got an email saying people are needed to maintain fan Facebook pages – work from home and earn a hundred bucks an hour! So much for that. Then there’s a product being heavily advertised – like right up front on the Yahoo website – called OkoWatt. It’s a little plastic doodad that claims to reduce your electric bill just …

Do you know who you are talking to? Someone who gets in couch with you over technology could be an imposter. This is a person pretending to be someone else to deceive others. Almost half of all American have been targeted by them, so watch out!

Well, it’s April Fool’s Day, and if scammers and swindlers had a national holiday, this would be it. For the rest of us, let’s not give them anything to celebrate. At the moment, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is what the low-lifes are doubling down on, and their latest sideshow is fake tests for the Coronavirus. Also, what with the lockdowns …

Oh, life is wonderful. Gas is cheap, there’s plenty of parking, and nowhere to go. Ain’t it the truth. So while you’re staying home, or working from home, like me, here are some things you should think about doing.