Latest news with #cryptoScam
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Arizona woman tricked into giving $50K in cash, home address to fraudster — how to protect yourself from scams
Crypto scams that leave victims in financial ruins are on the rise in 2025, but one Arizona woman's experience shows that scammers are becoming more brazen with their methods. As AZ Family reports, a woman from Prescott received a phone call from someone telling her that her Apple account had been fraudulently charged. The scammer reportedly told the woman that she could be arrested if she didn't submit a payment of $50,000. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) But this scammer didn't instruct the woman to pay using cryptocurrency. Instead, the woman was pressured into divulging her home address so that the scammer could pick up the cash in person. The scammer reportedly instructed the Prescott woman to withdraw the $50,000 that she "owed" from her bank account, but warned that she would need to lie to the bank to get the funds. The woman was then told to put the money into an envelope, which the scammer would then pick up. Driving a Toyota sedan, the scammer drove to the woman's house and instructed her to place the envelope in the trunk. It wasn't until several hours later that the victim realized she had been scammed. The woman called the sheriff's office to report the situation but, unfortunately, the police were unable to find the scammer's Toyota despite deputies conducting a search of the area. And just like many scam victims, the woman is unlikely to recover her lost money. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it As the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office (YCSO) explained to AZ Family, fraud cases have significantly increased in 2025, and scammers are becoming more bold with the ways that they con victims into giving up large sums of cash. Many of today's common scams involve either the exchange of cryptocurrency or convincing the victim to buy gift cards or wire money. Data from the FBI backs up what the YCSO has warned about the rising risk of fraud. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center said in its 2024 report that financial losses from fraud schemes were up 33% from 2023, exceeding $16 billion. There were nearly 860,000 fraud complaints in 2024, with people aged 60 and over making the most reports and collectively losing close to $5 billion. Phishing and spoofing scams remain the most common type of online fraud. These scams typically include criminals pretending to be from a reputable company or entity, such as a credit card company, bank or even the U.S. government. These scammers also con victims by pretending to be someone the target may know — such as a boss or someone in the target's family — conning innocent victims into downloading malicious software, providing personal information or handing over large sums of money. Identity theft, romance scams and check fraud are a few of the other common fraud schemes. With fraud schemes on the rise, Americans need to protect themselves so that they don't end up losing substantial sums of money like the unfortunate woman from Prescott. As the YCSO explained to AZ Family, Americans need to remember that government entities and police forces will never request payment in cryptocurrency, nor will they ever visit your home to collect penalties and fees. Keeping that in mind is a good way to avoid falling for an impersonation scam, which was the same type of scheme that the Prescott woman fell for. Here are some other tips that can help you avoid falling victim to a scam: Avoid answering phone calls from unfamiliar numbers. If the "government," a "bank" or another trusted institution calls, call the institution back on an official phone number, which can be found on the institution's website. Never give money, gift cards or personal information to anyone you do not know and have not met in person. Don't open or respond to any text messages or emails from unfamiliar people or entities. You should also be very careful about interacting with texts and emails that appear to come from your bank or another institution that you're affiliated with. The Federal Trade Commission has several tips on how to spot a phishing scam. Limit the personal information that you share online. Hopefully, following these tips will help you avoid criminals trying to part you from your money. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- The Independent
Martin Lewis issues urgent crypto scam warning costing victims dear: ‘It's the Wild West'
has issued an urgent crypto scam warning to the public after people continue to fall victim on social media. The Money Saving Expert likened the scam adverts, often seen on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube as 'the Wild West' as he warned: 'Do not touch it'. The financial guru appeared on This Morning on Tuesday (6 May), when he took a phone call from a member of the public whose relation had been scammed out of thousands of pounds. An angry Mr Lewis accused the former and current government of not doing enough to tackle the issue. He also offered support and advice on what people can do if they have been a victim of a scam online.
