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Be Prepared for Electronic Fraud On The Rise
We are starting to see a great trend in electronic fraud on many levels, not to
mention virtual kidnapping, which has seemed to spread north of the US/Mexico
border. I wanted to let our client friends and acquaintances know of this, so you
can take measures to minimize this happening to you or someone you know.
One of Glazer's clients called to let us know what had happened to them recently.
Joe had one of his friends contact him saying that he was at US customs and he
had brought $19,455 dollars to buy equipment, and that US customs was fining
him $995.00 dollars. In order to get his money back he was asking Joe to send him
the $995.00. Joe said his friend voice was the same, but sensed something wasn't
right. He asked his friend why didn't he just call his wife to take him the money
and why didn't the US customs just take the $995 from the $19,445 and give him
the difference. But at each suggestion the caller seemed to balk at the
suggestions saying he just needed the money. After a long phone call Joe said no,
but just knew something wasn't right, so he called a friend with good contacts in
Mexico and the US to ask him what to do. It just so happened that the guy that
was supposedly calling him asking for the $995 just happened by chance to be
with the friend Joe called. They went back and forth, but it was a bogus call.
People are now able to use voice synthesizers and are able to hack people's
phones, so please use your better judgment if you receive one of these strange
phone calls. If it doesn't feel right most times it isn't. This is just one of the many
things we have to deal with as well as the alert being sent out by the IRS and
many other industries that deal with online fraud.
The Real Estate Industry has been hit hard with so many fraudulent emails and
schemes aimed at Realtors, Title Companies, Buyers, Seller, almost anyone and
everyone involved in a transaction. If an email is intercepted with specific dates
and instructions a very official looking email is sent, that upon closer inspection
tends to give you a feeling that something doesn't pass the smell test. Some
unfortunate errors have been made like the sellers proceeds several hundreds of
thousands of dollars at closing being re-routed to an offshore bank. Also emailing
that Earnest Money should be wired to a bank in another state.
It has become such an issue that now many companies are starting to have their
clients sign a Beware of Wire Fraud warning document, to help inform, protect
and try to reduce the possibility of fraudulent emails ruining the clients
transaction.
The horrible part is they are invading all industries Medical, Legal, Financial, and
almost anything else you can think of that links to the net. There's even insurance
being offered to protect companies in the event of a hacking nightmare. Ever
think you'd hear of identity theft being a problem, well it is here and only going to
get worse, so please be cautious of funny smelling e-mails or phone calls that
don’t pass the smell test.
Even with today's technology this seems to be happening on a much broader and
quicker pace than ever before1 so please take precautions. Software programs
such as RPOST, Sharefile, etc. etc. and other programs that allow or minimize
possible breaches of emails and or data can minimize risks and possibly save you
from a terrible ordeal.
Regards,
Morey Glazer
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