And A Few More Scams!

Posted: August 21, 2019, 1:40PM

I just read on the Federal Trade Commission's web site about two more scams that are making the rounds!

One of these targets people of faith pretending to be a pastor, priest, rabbi, imam or bishop. They ask those (who are unfortuante enough to answer the phone) for gift card contributions for a worthy cause. They contact people by email, text or phone. The bogus emails often contain the name of a local pastor and a legitimate looking email address. Look for red flags like incorrect spelling of the pastor's name, an email address not used by the church, and there may be a different service provider.

Beware of this scam! If you paid a scammer with a gift card, report it as soon as possible. Call the card company (for example: iTunes, Google Play, Amazon)and tell them that the card was used in a scam. Then, contact the FTC and tell them.

Another scam that is making the rounds is that callers claiming to be from Medicare are asking people for their Medicare numbers, Social Security numbers and other personal information in exchange for DNA testing kits. The callers might "need" your numbers to activate your account, straighten up an error (any number of reasons) and in exchange for the information, you get a free DNA kit. Medicare does NOT market DNA testing kits to the general public and this is a scam!

www.ftc.gov