Tag Archives: Scam

ADOT alerts trucking companies to possible scam by individual impersonating police officer

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PHOENIX – Trucking companies should be on alert for an individual impersonating an Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement and Compliance Division officer.

Earlier this month, a man identifying himself as an officer with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division contacted a Mesa-based trucking company saying one of its trucks was damaged in a crash and that the company needed to send payment for a mechanic called out to make repairs.

Inconsistencies in the suspect’s story led the company’s operations manager to suspect a scam.

Trucking companies should be aware of the following if contacted by someone identifying himself or herself as an ADOT Enforcement and Compliance Division officer:

  • While ADOT officers assist state troopers and local police agencies with commercial vehicle safety inspections, they don’t investigate crashes or typical traffic incidents.
  • ADOT officers will assist drivers who have been involved in crashes or have mechanical problems but will never unilaterally call mechanics and hold trucks until payment is made.
  • ADOT officers may call for heavy-duty tow trucks, but this would be discussed beforehand with the trucking company.
  • An ADOT officer will give a trucking company his or her name, badge number, location and contact information. The officer will also provide the truck number and driver’s name. Typically, the officer will have the driver speak with his or her company.

If a trucking company has suspicions, the owner or manager can call the ADOT Enforcement and Compliance Division dispatch center at 602.712.8396.

When is your sister not your sister?

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Earlier in the evening of November 25, I got an unusual friend request on Facebook. It was from my sister. Which is unusual because I did not know that we were on unfriendly terms. It was a particularly busy afternoon, so—presuming that she accidentally unfriended me and friended me again—I accepted.

“She” started to PM me, which is highly unusual since she has my phone number. No you cannot have it.

The “conversation” started off with how ya doin’, how’s your day kind of messages. Then she told me that the IMF is giving away grants for money that does not have to be paid back. All I would have to do is fill out an application and if approved, pay a delivery fee.

Bingo. The scam.

First of all, the IMF is presumably the International Monetary Fund. That IMF is hardly in the business of giving away money. They are a group of scumbag bankers whose function is to consolidate the wealth of countries—particularly the United States—for use by global elitist who believe it is their job to rule the earth. They are not nice, they are not friendly and they are hardly charitable.

The second point was the “delivery fee.” You are telling me that the IMF is giving away money and cannot pony-up 35-cents for a stamp? I have been contacted by overseas people by phone telling me that Obama was going to send me a million dollars, all I had to do was pay a $250 delivery fee.

I replied as much to my “sister.” I logged off because I had other things to do. When I logged back on, I received a message demanding that it was not a scam because the delivery fee was not much. When I went to look at the message, Facebook had, apparently, caught up with the scam and deleted the profile.

The point of the story is this was obviously not my sister. If you get caught up in a “free money” scam and go to any links attached to them, you might actually go to an official looking “application.” Meanwhile the web site is loading viruses and Trojans into your computer. If you fill out any application, you are giving them your personal information for identification theft.

So here are some Facebook tips.

If you receive a friend request from a friend and you have their phone number, call them and ask them if they “friended” you.

Click on the name of any person wanting to friend you. Check their profile. If they have very few posts or haven’t posted for awhile or if their posts are exactly what you would post and you do not know them, delete the friend request.

The government creates profiles and friends people they want to fry. Those profiles are not deleted by Facebook because they know about them.

So choose your friends wisely.

New Windows scam emerging

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phoneA friend of mine on Facebook reports that he received a call from an 800 number from someone purporting to be from “Windows Security.” The person asked if he could go to his computer and type in what the person instructed.

Sadly, my friend could not. He owns a MAC.

With the problems associated with Windows 10, people might be lead to believe this is the real deal. IT IS NOT.

Microsoft will not call you to do anything over the phone. They charge you to call tech support. Why would they give up a cash cow for free? They will continue to force the security updates down your throat through their update mechanism. Since you also agree to allow Microsoft to store your emails anytime they want, they will even check your spelling.

Scams are getting more sophisticated and there are those who will prey on your lack of computer knowledge and scares over viruses and updates. Do not fall prey to any scams. If you are not sure, hang up and call a friend who is more knowledgeable. These people are simply trying to get you to set up a remote link—so convenient with Windows—to steal your personal information.

If your remote access feature is not turned off, you need to do it. Have a person with knowledge do it for you if you do not know how. It is different in each version of Windows.

I just refuse to answer any calls that are not in my book or not identified by caller ID. Some of the scammers will actually leave a message on your phone. There are no “free” trips to Jamaica. If you want to travel, consult a reliable travel agent.

Walmart receipt scam may be a hoax

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10488232_10201272146525278_5503251707837464755_nWalmart receipts, such as the one shown here, are appearing on Facebook with a scam warning. The recent one I saw indicated that it was a personal experience.

The basic scam claim is that the person checked the receipt after the cashier rang up and found $40 cash back on the receipt. The cashier claimed they could not take it off and offered up the $40. The supervisor called to the scene claimed the same thing and ordered the cashier to cancel the whole order and start again. The person claimed there was $20 cash back on this receipt, but it was corrected the third time.

Hoax web sites across the Internet universally agree that this is probably a false scam claim. Walmart has been attacked by several organizations and this could be another attack.

This, however, does not mean that you should let your guard down this holiday season. You should check the receipt for any irregularities and challenge them immediately. Look for double-charges and any extra charges. Most likely you will find only honest human errors.

You should access your account regularly to see if any charges are added to your credit card that you did not make. Report them immediately to your credit card issuer.

If something like this scam were to occur, Walmart or any other retailer would likely fire the person caught, at the very least.