While the internet has brought us so many great things, it has also proven to be a fertile field for fraudsters. While you’re probably aware of such time-tested scams as phony virus warnings on your computer and fake IRS “warnings” on your cell phone, here are two of the newest scams and how to protect yourself from them:
Fake Celebrities: AI is certainly proving to be a mixed blessing as we are having a harder and harder time determining what’s real and what’s fake. Con artists are now using AI to create phony product endorsements from celebrities you may like or follow. In some cases, these fake audio and video messages can actually be tailored to make you think you’ve entered into an actual relationship with a celebrity (who will, at some point, hit you up to buy something).
You can protect yourself by remembering that 1.) celebrities are really too busy to be asking you personally for money or getting into a relationship with a total stranger, and 2.) you can double check anything by going online yourself and search by the celebrity’s or product’s name with the word “scam” included.
Fake Jobs: We have personal experience with this one. Crooks will assume the name of actual businesses and may even copy the name of the firm’s HR director or hiring manager and make you think they’re looking to hire you. They can even engage in phony job interviews and skill assessment tasks. Then, they will send you a “hiring bonus” check or a check to “cover equipment” they want you to purchase (this is used often with work-from-home opportunities). Then, they will claim the bonus contained an “overpayment,” and would you please send them back a portion of the check. In the case of equipment, they’ll want you to purchase it from their “preferred vendor.” In most cases, they’ll ask for you to use an electronic transfer app like Zelle because the transaction is hard to trace, and you getting a refund once you realize you’ve been scammed is impossible!
Of course, these checks will bounce, but the fraudsters are counting on you to fork over your money before you find out their check has bounced.
You can protect yourself by visiting the company’s website and seeing if the job opening is real. Or you can call them (that’s what we did) and speak to the actual hiring manager or HR director.
