Scams

Consumers in our state continue to be targeted by Canadian crooks posing as grandchildren in trouble.

A story about a financial scam ... new state proposals to protect vulnerable adults ... and signs of financial abuse ...

The Attorney General’s Office is warning Washington residents that they should not provide Social Security numbers, bank accounts or other personal information to callers claiming to be from the government. The U.S. Treasury Department announced today that more than 2 million Social Security recipients in a dozen Western states, including Washington, will receive information about the Direct Express Debit MasterCard along with their monthly checks this month. If past events are any indication, cons are likely to start working the phone lines.

Rising mortgage payments have paved the way for scammers who peruse foreclosure listings. Grasping at any offer for help, their victims have paid for false promises, been cheated out of equity and, in severe cases, were tricked into transferring ownership of their homes. Now, in an effort to shelter consumers from equity skimmers, the Washington Attorney General’s Office is using those same listings. ...

There is a virus circulating the Web right now that is targeting Facebook users.  This virus is being spread through a well-disguised e-mail that appears to be a video from a friend.

Fake online coupons are becoming a growing problem, shortchanging both shoppers and businesses ... Talk about it: Have you had any trouble redeeming printable coupons? Does your business accept them?  

Q13 TV recently aired a story about a man who bought a car he found on Craigslist. He thought it was a good deal until he went to the Department of Licensing to get his title. Turned out the VIN number didn’t match up with the license plate.

Spammers are using e-mails that appear to be from MSNBC.com and CNN to try to trick recipients into visiting Web sites laden with malware.

The Washington Attorney General’s Office is at the frontlines in the fight against online fraud, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress and the Center for Democracy and Technology. ...

Telephone scammers are on the loose again, this time pretending to represent Kitsap Credit Union and calling hundreds of Washington residents asking for card numbers, expiration dates, and PIN numbers.