MARCH ROARS IN LIKE A …Blizzard!
Ah, Colorado weather! I hope this most recent blizzard has put a metaphorical ‘period’ on COVID and winter. Unfortunately, we know better.
Looking back on our March 2020 Fraud Newsletter, we wrote about Covid scams, Covid ‘cures’ and fake tests. A year later the scams keep coming.
Scams played such a big roll in 2020 that Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 4.7 million scam and fraud reports totaling nearly $3.3 billion in losses compared to a total number of $1.8 billion in overall fraud losses in 2019.
Recently, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office stated that the state’s top categories of complaints and inquiries were:
– Airlines
– Fraudulent or Unwanted Calls
– Retail Sales
– Collection Agency Complaints
– Government Agency
– Lending Complaints
– Fraudulent or unwanted Emails
– Telecommunication Providers
– Individuals
– Travel Agencies & Bureaus
And finally, unemployment scams are on the rise in Colorado. Read below about what to do if you have received a bogus unemployment claim from a current or former employee or if you, as an employee, received a 1099 Tax Form when you did not file an unemployment claim.
Don’t forget to sign up for these newsletters that come right to your personal email. Send an email to amc@denverda.org with “subscribe” in the subject line. If you think you have been scammed call our Fraud Hotline at 720-913-9179.
As always, keep safe and stay well,
Beth
CAN YOU TRUST SHOPPING ONLINE?
It’s important to read product reviews before you buy. But watch out for fake reviews. Did you know that an increase of just
1-star rating correlates with a 26% increase in sales?
Criminals love to post fake reviews. Make sure you look at the reviews for the same product on multiple sites.
TIPS
* Do not store your credit card on the website. Input your credit card each and every time.
* Change your passwords to shopping sites frequently and make sure you don’t use the same password for all sites.
UNEMPLOYMENT SCAMS
As a result of Covid-19, there has been a rise in legitimate unemployment insurance claims, yet at the same time, there has been an alarming rise in fraudulent claims. If you received a Reliacard debit card or other paperwork from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and were not the person that initiated the claim, or if you are an employer and have received false unemployment claims, click here to file a report of fraud to CDLE.
TIPS:
Colorado Department of Labor Employment (CDLE) will never ask for personally identifying information by text message, social media, or email. Be wary about clicking links that purport to be from CDLE but do not begin with: ColoradoUI.gov or cdle.colorado.gov