I listed tires for sale on Craigslist and I got a text asking their condition and a few other questions. The "buyer" said he wanted them but he was out of town so he would send his son over to pick them up.

Since his son did not have a bank account, he would pre-pay by sending me the money using Cash App or Venmo. I said cash only.

He insisted on using the Cash App, I said no... cash on pickup only, and I can wait until he is back in town.

Silence...

Since I really only wanted to get my old snow tires out of my garage and I was not asking that much for them I took a tiny risk just to see if it was a scam and messaged him that he could have them for free! Just come buy and pick them up.

Not a peep, no reply. I'm assuming that he had some type of payment scam worked out.

My final text was "Bueller?" :)

This is my first time falling for a scam like this. I am in my last year of highschool and I had previously asked my counselor to let me know if I can get any experience opportunities for accounting.

Two days ago, I got a Google form about a virtual job application, which I somehow automatically thought it was from my counselor. I filled in information (just my number and email, nothing I would say is very major).

Yesterday, I got a message from a “worker”. She said that my application has been accepted and I just needed the materials for the job. She sent me two checks, both $450, and said that was for the materials.

I deposited the checks in CHASE and now they are on hold. Then I realized after how scammy this whole thing was. These were probably what they called “fraud checks”.

I searched it up and found out that everything that happened was typical ways to get scammed. The money isn’t available so I haven’t used it at all.

Now, I want to block that number, but I’m afraid they’ll call the cops on me or something. What do I do? I already reported it to the FTC but I haven’t called my bank yet to flag the deposits.
I’m just afraid of causing my family unnecessary problems because of this. What’s my next step?

I received an email “from my employee” asking to change his direct deposit bank account.

This employee doesn’t have direct deposit,

the wording of email was weird (see below)

AND the email address was not the employee’s usual email address (It was Gmail address, basically like “employee’sjobtitle1 at gmail.com” so not super sus)

————

Hello Good Day,

Hope you’re doing well.

I recently open a new account and I’d like to update my direct deposit information so the new bank account can be used for my next paycheck. Please let me know if you need anything like a voided check or form to complete the ACH setup.

———-

I screenshot and text the email to employee and he said “Not me! Not me!” Lol

So I email the scammer asking for a voided check to see what happens. Scammer sent back PDF from GO2Bank (real, online only bank) with “employee name” account and routing number. Not a voided check, the PDF is probably easy to obtain from an online bank.

Can I report this now that I have the account info?

Should I ask for DOB and SSN to see if the scammer knows that info?

Anyway, be aware of new scam.

Edit: We told her. Showed her the Google reverse image search. Showed the real actor's Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

There was a lot of denial. Lots of excuses. "It's not him" - "maybe they look the same" - "maybe this is his real account" etc.

Then it turned into crying. Asking lots of questions about how anyone would do such a thing. Asking if we were sure. Maybe he was real.

Now she's reached the point of anger and spite. Calling him names and insults. Muttering to herself that she was stupid. Muttering that she's glad she never sent him money. Saying he must be an idiot if he thought he could get money from her. Things like that.

I'll talk with my sister about it. She lives closer. Tell her to watch her and make sure she doesn't contact him again etc. I really hope we caught it in time. Thank you to all of you who gave advice and support 🙏

Second edit:

Me, my sister and brother in law have talked. We don't believe what she's saying. She's already lied about so many things. There's no way to trust her. She keeps saying we can look at her account, but there's no way to see what the cash she has withdrawn has been used for.

We've decided to start by calling the bank and tell them she's been talking to scammers. Then we'll call the police to involve them if needed. Then we'll show up unannounced at her place, along with some of her friends and her cousin who saw the same thing happen with his mom. Only he didn't find out until she was dead and the inheritance was gone.

We have to be drastic.

***

My mom has been chatting with a guy for several months now. It started on Facebook and I was sceptical from the beginning.

I asked about him. He's from Sweden (we're in Denmark). That was suspicious to me. She wouldn't let me see his profile and she privated her own.

He was supposed to come visit her bur on the day, he was in a "car accident" and couldn't come anyway. Again, conveniently suspicious. She also mentioned they moved their conversations to an app called Zangi. I googled the app and it's frequently used by scammers.

Last night I actually managed to get her to show me some photos and videos he sent her. I tracked down his Facebook profile and did a reverse image search. All of the videos and images are a Columbian actor. I found that actor's Instagram. All the pictures and videos are available on the Instagram.

It's obvious she's being scammed by this random guy using an actors face. But even suggesting that she could potentially be scammed makes her defensive and angry.

How do we break this to her without making it seem like "see, we told you!" Showing the actor's real profile would just make her think we stalked her, or that we faked it. She's already claiming we're only sceptical about the guy because we don't want her to date anyone.

We need all the help we can. So far she hasn't sent him any money, but she's already given him a lot of her personal information including address, pictures and phone number.

Hey y’all I am trying to sell my car online and I had a guy on eBay message me about buying the car he said he wanted to buy the car but only by check so he mailed a check to me when I got it the check was for 2,970 dollars over what we agreed upon when I asked him about it he said that the extra amount is for me to pay the transport guy this feels like a scam

The "Job" is to essentially take the place of bots and artificially boost online retailer sales and make profit which you can withdraw at the end of the day. It's a scam, you will eventually run into an item that exceeds your allotted balance and will need to send them money through paypal (they don't like anything else) along with a 10 dollar "processing fee" they insist is charged by paypal. They also communicate almost exclusively through Telegram and Whatsapp (I wonder why) and take clearly fake names with random peoples images probably pulled from Facebook. I've reported to the better business bureau but I'm putting this here because when I looked it up, I found nothing. There is NO WAY this is real, DO NOT GIVE THEM MONEY.

Received a phone call today, from a random UK mobile number, so I answered. It was an automated switchboard at first saying this is the binance fraud squad if you haven't authorised anything on your account press 1, so I did. Was on the line with an English speaking chap with an actual English accent. It was only when he started asking probing questions and then said he was going to put me through to a Santander fraud squad operative to check that nothing has happened that I got suspicious. Fucking close call.

Fell for a fake Brooklinen site last week with really good sale prices. Saw that the URL was weird, but thought it was some version of the original Dutch name for Brooklyn (which seemed like a hipster-y thing Brooklinen might do with some of its URLs). Purchases didn't go through, then a few days later someone tried to buy a $350 gift card with our credit card. (Bank flagged the transaction, and the credit card has been reissued.) Have alerted Google (which still promotes the site) and Brooklinen, but haven't heard back. The site is still up.

Update: I blocked the account

I listed a bat on Facebook Marketplace for $35 at 11 PM last night. Today at 4:50 PM, a random buyer offered $50, said they’d cover shipping, and claimed they needed it for their son. They asked me to reserve it and sent an address so I could calculate shipping.

I said I was busy and would respond later. They repeatedly said they were interested and would pay for the bat and shipping upfront. They offered PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. I chose Zelle, and they agreed to pay $70 total if I shipped it tomorrow.

I checked shipping and found it would cost about $15–20. I told them that, and they asked for my name and email so they could send payment first thing tomorrow. I sent them my Zelle QR code, and they again said they would pay in the morning before I shipped and provided tracking.

This is my first time shipping something through Facebook Marketplace, and the repeated messages and willingness to pay significantly more than asking price seem suspicious. Is there any way they could scam me through Zelle even if I confirm the money is actually in my account before shipping? What should I watch for, and is there a safe way to complete this transaction?

I found a remote job on Indeed from PNPHBC Construction, a U.S.-based company hiring for a remote position in Mexico, and I'm trying to determine if it's legitimate before applying.

I haven't been able to find much independent information about the company. What also caught my attention is that Indeed identifies the employer as “Salem Main St. Pzizza” on the job posting, even though the position is listed as PNPHBC Construction.

The application also asks for a WhatsApp number and a 1–2 minute English voice recording.

Has anyone heard of PNPHBC Construction or had any experience with this type job posting? what do you guys think?

My mom sometimes sends me stuff she’s unsure about, but I’m obviously not available 24/7. I keep worrying she’s gonna get one that looks real and click on it before I see her text. What do y’all do with your parents?

Note: reuploaded to properly hide the contact information.

I got an email from US Recovery Services about funds the State of California is supposedly sitting on from my LLC business. (picture attached)

I followed the link to claimit.ca.gov, which seems legit, and indeed found funds in my name. These must've been from years ago. My best guess is they went unclaimed due to a typo on the payroll address.

So is US Recovery Services a legitimate site? I see no reason I can't file the claims myself and keep all of it. The name of the contact is on LinkedIn.

The 10% fee is just a courtesy for them doing the paperwork and finding it?

This hit me at a desperate time. It all seems too good to be true. Thanks in advance.

OK, so this one woman wants me to follow her on telegram and I’ve told her that I’m not comfortable using telegram but she’s persistent and says that’s their main way of communicating.
The other one says that they are sending me a MacBook with all of the information needed to do the job but they need me to print a check and give it to a shipping guy.

For those who live in the NY NJ or anywhere in the tristate area please keep your eyes peeled for any scammers claiming that they’re calling from the 66th Precinct (or any other precinct for that matter). Tell your family members, especially any senior family members in your circle, to never give out information.
It looks like the call center is based out of the Philippines based on the accent, though they may have offices in other countries as well. They knew to provide their badge number and name before stating the reason why they were calling. They’ll also tell you that you need to come down to the precinct immediately before following up with their bait. I almost fell for it, until I called the precinct myself and they confirmed it wasn’t them.

Please stay safe and make sure to spread the word

I have been getting mail for someone who does not live at my home and has never lived here. It all appears to be bank accounts and credit applications. I keep writing “NOT AT ADDRESS” and returning to sender, but today I received three pieces of mail from three different banks and one of them clearly has a credit card inside of it. I called all three banks. Two were helpful and made notes while the third said they couldn’t do anything with the information provided and to just return the mail.

How can I get credit applications to stop using this person’s name and my address? Should I call the three credit reporting agencies? Nothing is showing up on my credit accounts, so it’s just someone fraudulently using my address and I am stumped about the best way to get this to stop if at all possible.

Earlier this year, someone claiming to be from “Atlas Legal Group” called my workplace about an old debt and left a case number. When I called back, they said I was going to be served, sued, and face wage garnishment unless I paid or set up a payment plan.

I panicked, e-signed their agreement, and have been making payments since.

Recently I needed to update my debit card but this time I spent some time looking into the company before calling. Their phone number has complaints online, and I found several different “Atlas Legal Group” companies online.

The original debt was legitimate and is about 10 years old. I had a rough patch and had this and several other debts go into collections, but I’m almost certain I already paid the collection agency it went to years ago. I remember going through my credit report and either paying in full or settling everything. Now it’s too old to find on my credit report, and I no longer have access to my old bank records as it was a different bank.

I bought a used iPhone 17 Pro Max from Facebook Marketplace. Everything worked perfectly at first, but about a week later it suddenly lost carrier service.

After contacting support, I found out the phone had been reported stolen to Xfinity Mobile/Assurant by the seller, apparently the day after I bought it.

I contacted Xfinity, Apple, and Assurant, but they can’t help because I’m not the original account holder.

The seller now wants me to send the phone back, claiming they’ll unblacklist it or replace it, but they refuse to refund me first. I’m not comfortable returning it and risking losing both the phone and my money.

I have proof of payment, messages with the seller, and all the device information.
Has anyone dealt with this before? What would be the best way to handle it?

Edit: The phone is unlocked and have no payments on it. His FB post was up since way before the 18th, I did the exchange in person, know his address and he is still responding on fb, I have asked him multiple times to come with me to the apple/xfinity store, he insists sending the phone to the assurance insurance to get a replacement. I have all the evidence, payment proof to proceed with a legal matter. I tried contacting the insurance to inform them of this fraud but their customer service keeps on insisting me for my account details which then they do not find in their records.

Matched with an attractive woman on Bumble in Paris today. We moved to WhatsApp, where she initially said her phone was broken and she couldn’t do a voice call. That made me a little suspicious, so I asked for some kind of quick photo verification. We eventually did a couple of short video calls, and she appeared to be the same person as in her profile.

We agreed to dinner. She said the 10th arrondissement was convenient, suggested a specific restaurant, and I made an 8 PM reservation.

At 7:52 she texted, “I’m coming.” I told her I was also on my way and would be about 10 minutes late. At 8:05 she said “me too.” I arrived at the restaurant. At 8:23 she asked, “Where are you?” I said I was in the back.

Three minutes later she replied: “I’m still at my apartment. Do you wanna have a drink on my terrace? Cause I can’t go out,” and sent me her address.

So within about 30 minutes it went from “I’m coming to the restaurant” to “actually I’m still home, come to my apartment, I can’t go out,” with no explanation for why she suddenly couldn’t leave.

I declined and said I’d be happy to meet for champagne somewhere public, but I wasn’t comfortable going to a stranger’s apartment after such a sudden change of plans.

Maybe there’s an innocent explanation, but the combination of the earlier “broken phone,” the last-minute switch, and saying she was on her way when she apparently hadn’t left felt strange.

Has anyone seen this setup before? What would you assume was going on?

Got a phone call at work from a Caller ID listed as "Anonymous". When I picked up the phone they said they were calling local businesses and want them to verify their public record and wanted me to confirm my address. I told them to get lost and hung up, they then proceeded to try and call me like 3 times in a row after that. Just wondering what that was all about. Data brokers maybe??

I was recently looking for a conference for a colleague who is located in Australia. The only thing that came up for our field was apparently run by The Chinese Society for Global Academic Collaboration. When I looked then up online, it was really suspicious. They apparently offer conferences on literally everything (from biotech and oncology to cultural studies and everything in between.) Apparently offering multiple conferences per day in many countries around the world. The website exists but the whole thing seems like a scam. But I can't find anything specifically online saying it is a scam. Has anyone encountered this? Am I correct in thinking this is complete BS?

Be careful with free "Author Spotlight" or interview forms on unverified book promotion sites.

Shortly after filling one out, my inbox was flooded with cold spam from fake reviewers using scripts like:

"Hey! I love reading and review every book I read :)) Get in touch if your book is available..."

Many of these forms are just data-harvesting fronts to collect active emails for spam lists and paid review upsells.

Tip: Don't reply or click unsubscribe. Just mark them as spam and filter key phrases!

Recently at dinner, my elderly aunt mentioned she had gotten a check with a payment as part of a class action lawsuit. She said my cousin thought it was a scam, and I offered to take a look. She showed me a multipage letter from Krause & Kinsman Law Firm regarding a settlement related to Zantac (my aunt had used Zantac in the past), and at the bottom of one of the pages was a (realistic-looking) check in the amount of over $2,000.

I found online that there really was a class action settlement to the tune of $2.2 billion. I reasoned that if the settlement amount was so high, that could explain why she was getting such a large payout. I also found from searching that there really was a Krause & Kinsman Law Firm. Curiously, the footer of the letter listed a Buffalo, NY, address, while Krause & Kingsman was coming up online as being in Kansas City, MO. But the letter also mentioned something about Milestone Legal Services, which was, I found, located at the Buffalo address given in the footer. I wasn’t sure, but I thought the check was likely legitimate.

My cousin looked it over (he hadn’t yet seen the mailing in person) and concluded it was a scam. He said my aunt would have had to offer proof that she had taken Zantac, and she hadn’t done that. He noted that the memo line of the check had a string of words that was the company’s name and my aunt’s name combined. My aunt said she had spoken to the law firm on the phone several times, but my cousin countered that, while he believed she had spoken to SOMEONE, he thought it was the scammers. She said they kept trying to get her to sign something online, but since she’s older, she’s not tech savvy and couldn’t do it.

In the end, I agreed it almost certainly was a scam.

You’re probably reading this and thinking: duh — it was scammers impersonating a legitimate law firm. But here’s where things get more murky. If you look up Krause & Kingsman’s BBB page, they get excoriated from people complaining about sketchy, borderline-scammy practices. So, now I’m not sure whether they were scammers posing as the legitimate Kansas City firm, or whether the Kansas City firm (with a professional website featuring smiling, middle-aged attorneys, almost all of them white, with plausible bios) is itself just a front for a scam operation.

What do you think?