In the past year complaints of financial scams have more than doubled, as scam artists continue to craft “too good to be true” offers, phony employment schemes, fraudulent internet auctions, and bogus sweepstakes scenarios.

In a recent report from the Attorney General, someone posing as PA’s Attorney General Tom Corbett, tried to convince a senior citizen that she had won a large sum of money, claiming that he was calling to personally vouch for the contest. In other cases, callers have claimed to be “agents” or “officers” of the Attorney General’s Office, asking consumers to wire-transfer money to cover the fees and taxes to secure a much larger prize. Some scammers have even asked for consumers’ bank account information or social security numbers, telling them that the information was necessary in order for prize money to be transferred.

If you’ve been a victim of a scam, you can contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or visit their website to file an online complaint: www.attorneygeneral.gov.

http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2009/09/14/news/doc4aadb4866323e539858461.txt

http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=4696

The popular “Cash for Clunkers” program was a deal for some, but for others, it was far from that. The cumbersome regulations have caused some applications to be kicked back because of technicalities, and some consumers have been told that their rebate was rejected, after already taking their new car off the lot. Dealers are not allowed to ask for repayment- it’s their responsibility to verify the paperwork before completing the transaction.

In addition to dealers rejecting the rebates and asking for repayment, there is also a growing concern that dealers are asking consumers to repay rebates after the government has already reimbursed them. A number of consumer groups are collecting data on rejected deals, and plan to turn the results in to the National Safety Administration to make sure that buyers are being treated fairly. If you’ve been a victim of a “cash for clunkers” fraud, visit Edmunds.com and email them to state your case.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-09-07-clunkers-buyers-protection_N.htm

After being hard hit by the stock market crash, many are desperate to rebuild their portfolios and recoup financial losses- but be careful.  Scam artists are taking full advantage of eager investors by luring them with bogus, yet convincing offers. In response to this widespread trend, the Securities Commission’s Chief Counsel, Michael Byrne has compiled a list of the top 10 investment scams to look out for: http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2009

Almost all of us have experienced it- an unwanted or predatory phone call from a company or individual we do not know. Some phone scams offer foreclosure help or credit card debt assistance, while others warn that your car’s warranty will soon expire. State officials blame the tough economy for a rise in unwanted calls, and even those who have registered on do-not-call lists are receiving these calls.

The Federal Trade Commission receives more than 100,000 complaints a month and between July 2008 and June 2009, complaints were up 11%. The spokesman for PA’s attorney general’s office said that financial scam call complaints have doubled from last year.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-08-18-do-not-call_N.htm

At a time when people need their paychecks most, more workers are being stiffed. Complaints of wage theft have risen nationally, with allegations ranging from underpayment to complete neglect of payment. Despite not getting paid, workers are desperate so they’re sticking with their jobs in hopes that their employers will pay up in the end. Low-wage earners and day laborers including non-immigrants and immigrants both illegal and legal, are most often the victims of wage theft.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2009-08-16-wagethreat_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Like clockwork, scammers seem to take advantage of consumers when new programs and incentives make the headlines. The Better Business Bureau has received numerous reports from consumers who received phone calls offering them assistance with filling out paperwork to obtain a voucher for the “Cash for Clunkers” Program- which is completely unnecessary because the dealers are responsible for filling out the appropriate paperwork. Don’t fall for their schemes- do your homework before you even consider trading in your clunker by visiting www.cars.gov. For more information on popular misconceptions to look out for: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2009/08/15/business/srv0000005570368.txt

11 NY car dealers were accused of deceptive advertising practices in connection with the “Cash for Clunkers” program. The dealers neglected to mention important requirements, which misled consumers to believe they were eligible for the incentive when they were not, or that their car qualified when it did not. Before stepping foot at a dealership, do your research and understand the terms by visiting  www.cars.gov.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2009/08/cash-for-clunkers-scam-fraud-new-york-attorney-general-cease-desist-order-misleading-deceptive-advertising-cars.html

You knew it was only a matter of time before scam artists found a way to “tweet” money out of people. The BBB is warning people about “make money with Twitter” schemes.They offer people the opportunity to make a lot of money, working fro home, using Twitter. Officials say these fall in line with other work at home scams…beware- if it sounds too good to be true- it probably is.

A powerful new type of Internet attack acts like a telephone tap, but works between computers and Web sites they trust. A serious flaw in the way Web browsers dismiss untrustworthy sites and block anybody from seeing them has come to the surface. Hackers can set up a secret eavesdropping post and take in credit card numbers, passwords and other sensitive data being transferred between computers on that network and sites their browsers have thought to be safe.

In an even more evil plot, an attacker can hijack the auto-update feature on a victim’s computer, and trick it into automatically installing malware pulled in from a hacker’s Web site- making the computer think it’s an update from the software manufacturer.

Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer browser is the world’s most popular, said it was looking into the the issue. Mozilla Corp. said most of the problems being addressed were repaired in the latest version of its browser, and that the rest will be fixed in an update coming this week.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Hackers-expose-weakness-in-apf-684913613.html?x=0

In an uncertain economy, we tend to be more vulnerable, and as promising opportunities present themselves- like a seemingly easy and well-paying work at home job, a congratulatory letter for a monetary reward, or a too good to be true government grant, it’s easy to fall victim. Nearly 1/3 of adults have been approached by a scammer trying to pass off fake checks, and at least 1.3 million people have become victim of a scam with an average loss of $3,000 to $4,000.

Scams involving fake checks usually require the victim to deposit a check into their bank account then wire money back to the scammers. While the check may initially be deposited into the victim’s bank account,  the fake check will eventually be discovered within a couple weeks and the bank will take the funds back out of the account. The victim loses whatever money they sent to the scammers and will be responsible for paying the bank back if their account is overdrawn.

The three most popular scams are lottery and government grant scams, a mystery shopping scam, and overpayment scams. For more information: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2009/08/01/business/srv0000005804761.txt