I posted this as a public service..... To keep freepers from being scammed by fake Bruce and fake Kenny Chesney etc etc
MORE——
Celebrities have started warning fans to beware of these “Fan Scams”. A group of country music stars have issued a public service announcement in which they urge their fans to ” not engage with these people or send them money.”
“Impostor scams was the number one fraud for the FTC last year,” said Todd Kossow of the Federal Trade Commission.
The F.T.C. says all kinds of imposter scams cost consumers $328-million in 2017 with over 350,000 complaints.
“If somebody asks you to send money through a money transfer or through ITunes gift cards or through prepaid gift card, don’t do it,” warns Kossow.
Recent court rulings obtained by the F.T.C. now require money transfer companies to warn customers about possible scams.
The 2 Investigators wondered if they were following these new rules, so we visited ten MoneyGram and Western Union locations posing
as a soon-to-be victim of the Jamaican lottery scam..
Pam Zekman: “I got a phone call that i won a lottery.”
Clerk: “No, that’s a scam, don’t send the money, no.”
Or needing money to bail out a young relative in what’s known as the grandparents scam.
Pam Zekman: “He’s in jail and I have to pay the bond to get him out.”
Clerk: “Absolutely not, do not send any money that’s a scam.”
All locations either gave us a verbal warning or had signs or brochures posted regarding potential fraud.
Our fake Bruce Springsteen victim concedes she was warned multiple times, but chose to send the money anyway.
“I was just so fooled,” Mary said.
“I got a little nervous thinking oh, I wonder if this is someone pretending to be Derek Hough,” said Kathy Marden.
Kathy Marden was nervous because the Derek Hough, of Dancing With The Stars Fame, she met on Instagram had an odd request.
“He said would you want to donate to an orphanage house in support of me,” Marden recalled.
Marden reached back out to “Fake Derek” during our interview telling she suspected fraud.
Pam Zekman: “He’s responding?”
Kathy Marden: “Yes and his response was LOL, which is laughing out loud.’
Pam Zekman: “He’s laughing out loud at the suggestion he’s scamming you.”
At least Marden never sent any money.but says
“It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s fake anymore and i think that’s the sad part,” Marden said.
Facebook recently revealed that in the first quarter of the year they disabled 538-million fake accounts, which represented about 3-4% of their total, active accounts.”
It’s difficult for local law enforcement to help with these scams because the perpetrators are mostly overseas.
Help/ Links:
To report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission:
https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/submit-consumer-complaint-ftc
You can also report impostors on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger at: www.facebook.com/help/fakeaccount
Spotting scams: Here are some things to look out for when trying to spot a scam:
People you don’t know or any person asking you for money or financial information
People asking you for advance fees to receive a loan, prize or other winnings
People asking you to move your conversation off Facebook (typically another messaging service)
People claiming to be a friend or relative in an emergency – In these situations it’s probably best to call that person before you respond.
People or Pages claiming to represent large organizations or celebrities, particularly those who are not verified
I thought it was Skinny Chesney.
I was going to rhetorically ask “How stupid can a person be?” - but then I realized she was a Springsteen fan, after all.