By Mark Hedin<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a sad fact of life: If it seems too good to be true, beware!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this Wild West era of still largely unregulated online portals such as Instagram, WeChat, Tik Tok and others, the Federal Trade Commission is battling a new crime wave: huge networks of criminals offering fake but real-seeming ways to make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a whole range of different, horrible business practices scammers use,\u201d Kati Daffan, of the FTC\u2019s Marketing Practices division, said at an Aug. 9 press briefing hosted by the FTC and Ethnic Media Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese schemes are having an incredible impact,\u201d Daffan said. Already this year, the agency has fielded 26,000 fraud reports describing $223 million lost to fake job and \u201cbig opportunity\u201d scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s just the ones that have been reported, she noted, adding scams in general are unreported, especially by communities of color. \u201cWe know that\u2019s just a fraction of what\u2019s actually happening to people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scams range from offers of what appear to be job opportunities to \u201ccoaching scams\u201d that claim they\u2019ll quickly teach you how to make money investing in real estate, the stock market, or various self-employment strategies, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She described one FTC shut down, \u201cMy Online Business Education.\u201d In that case, the FTC last year was able to return $23 million to people who\u2019d been scammed trying to learn how to make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FTC has more information on this particular type of rip-off available at ftc.gov\/IncomeScams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go the extra mile to avoid being scammed
\u201cWe\u2019re all potentially vulnerable to the increasingly sophisticated and varied ways people and organizations all around the globe are tricking people out of their hard-earned money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She and her colleague, Rosario Mendez shared some examples of these tricks and some strategies for avoiding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
High among their suggestions: Be careful, and do your research. For instance, Daffan said, when it comes to bogus job offers that could eventually cost you money, scammers are getting better and better at looking legitimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re contacted by someone claiming a company wants to hire you, or that they\u2019re helping an employer find workers, check it out. Go the extra mile, research that company, find their telephone number without relying on the numbers you were given, and call them to ensure they\u2019re truly hiring for this position you\u2019re considering \u2013 and that the people you\u2019re talking to are really the ones doing the hiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt takes the extra step of reaching out to the company to know it\u2019s legitimate,\u201d Daffan said. \u201cThat really is the safest thing to do these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s more on this type of scam at ftc.gov\/JobScams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And never send money to someone expecting you\u2019ll soon be able to earn even more back. Or if you\u2019re asked to buy equipment up front, don\u2019t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be careful what you disclose
Another common crooked strategy has been to get people to agree to mail out gift cards after receiving a check seemingly worth more than the value of those gift cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But here\u2019s the problem: It\u2019s not enough to see the deposit was made to your account; it takes banks days at least to actually clear that check deposit. And if the check proves to be no good, you have to pay that money back to your bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And meanwhile, guess what? Those gift cards you sent out went right back to the scammers and are almost impossible to recover by the time you learn their check bounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes something as simple as providing personal information winds up costing you. Sure, it seems reasonable that someone offering you a job might want your Social Security number, or information on where you bank so they can pay you with a direct deposit to your account, or other personal information such as your name and address, information for a background check, etcetera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the people requesting the information might only be doing so to then sell it to another criminal operation, and making their money that way. So be very careful about what you disclose until you\u2019re confident you know who you\u2019re dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coming forward to report scams
And don\u2019t fall for claims there\u2019s been a problem delivering something you maybe didn\u2019t even order. Clicking on a link accompanying such a text or email just provides the scammer new ways to reach you and collect your data, or know you might not be wise to them yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In general, if you get emails, text messages or telephone calls from names or numbers you don\u2019t recognize, your safest bet is just to ignore them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mendez described the case of a recent immigrant, eager to work, who was taken in by a Spanish-language TV ad for \u201cModa Latina,\u201d that got people to put up money for luxury goods they could then sell at a profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she became interested and called the advertiser, she was soon threatened that she\u2019d made a commitment, and had better have a money order ready when they delivered the box of jewelry for her to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, she got the $299 money order, but the package she got in exchange didn\u2019t live up to Moda Latina\u2019s 14-carat promises. When she called them on it, all she got was an offer to sell her pricier things, with similar promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering how often victims don\u2019t even want to report having been robbed to people whose job is to help them, it was noteworthy that this particular person intended to tell her story herself at the briefing, an unusually brave move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making a report won\u2019t impact anyone\u2019s immigration status, the FTC speakers said, and they strongly encouraged everyone to report any suspicions they might have to ReportFraud@ftc.gov and ReporteFraude\/ftc.gov (ReporteFraude.ftc.gov-presentar-reporte), whether they\u2019re the intended victim or only worried for a friend, neighbor or relative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n