Western Union and Better Business Bureau Fight Online Rental Scams, Consumer need to be on guard against common rental scams

Rental Property scam

Victim sends money for deposit on a rental property and never receives access to the rental property or the victim may also be the property owner who is sent a check from the renter and asked to send a portion of the check back using a money transfer and the check bounces.

Associated with: Internet Purchase, Fake Check, Overpayment

Social Networking scam

If a cybercriminal gains access to your social media accounts, they also gain access to your close friends and family. Criminals and con artists can take advantage of how much personal information people share online, and then use this information to make skillful and highly targeted pitches to their friends and family, often involving requests for money.

Associated with: Phishing, Emergency, Grandparent, Military, SMS/Smishing, Advanced Fee/Prepayment, Relationship, Identity Theft

SMS/Smishing

Beware of texts that spark urgency, asking you to click on a link, taking you to a compromised site, or get you to unwittingly divulge some personal information that could be used against you.

Associated with: Identity Theft, Phishing, Anti-Virus, Advanced Fee/Prepayment, Lottery/Prize

Tax scam

Victim is contacted by someone claiming to be from a governmental agency saying that money is owed for taxes, and it must be paid immediately to avoid arrest, deportation or suspension of driver’s license/passport. The victim is instructed to send a money transfer or purchase a pre-loaded debit card to pay the taxes. Government agencies will never demand immediate payment or call about taxes without first having mailed a bill.

Associated with: Advanced Fee/Prepayment, Overpayment

Telemarketing

Telemarketing broadly covers almost any commercial transaction that involves the use of a telephone to place or receive calls between a consumer and a telemarketer or seller for the transferring of funds, such as cash-to-cash money transfers or funds loaded onto a prepaid card, as payment for goods or services offered or sold through telemarketing, often relating to a promotion for a “free” or heavily discounted vacation, prize or sweepstakes scams, or the sale of “bargain” magazines.

Associated with: Charity, Advanced Fee/Prepayment, Rental Property, Lottery/Prize, Internet Purchase, Identity Theft