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!!!!!SCAM ALERT!!!!!

2/20/2022

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Bank Scams investigated by Colorado Springs Private Investigator
The Zelle text scam has reared its ugly head again! First it was Bank of America customers, now Wells Fargo customers are being targeted. If you receive this text, or something similar purportedly from your bank, delete and block the number immediately. THIS IS NOTHING BUT A SCAM!!! How does it work? Like this:

The mark, or victim, receives the text, or something very similar, from what looks like their bank. As soon as they reply NO they get a call on their cell phone. The victim is told by the "bank employee" that someone is withdrawing money from their account and that they need to go into their Zelle account and replace the number listed with their first name. The caller ID even shows the call is coming from Wells Fargo Fraud Protection or something else that looks official and like it's from the bank. The scammers are then able to withdraw as much money as the account contains as they have the keys to the castle namely the name listed as a Zelle recipient.  

How is the scammer able to be successful with this scam? First they play on people's fear of having their money stolen and the texts play on that fact. Second when the call comes in from "the bank" the scammers use a spoofing service that will display whatever the scammer wants it to display. Private investigators and law enforcement use these type of services quite often and they cost next to nothing to use. In some instances an astute victim has even Googled the person who claims to be from the bank and discovered that the name matches. All the con has done is a similar search themselves and knows to use a real bank employee's name when calling the victim.

​Unfortunately if you are the victim of this scam your chances of recovering the money are almost zero. The banks have no requirement to return stolen funds from scams like these so you must be aware that you're going to be out the money if you do.

Our Colorado Springs professional investigators have years of experience working all types of cons/scams. If you suspect someone is trying to con or scam you, please, please, give us a call before you move forward. A conversation doesn't cost a thing and we're more than happy to provide our opinion based on over thirty years of experience. Stay safe.


EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
Colorado Springs, Colorado
​Serving all of Colorado and beyond
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SECURITY TIP #3: BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE BEHAVIORS

2/13/2022

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Dating App Scam Investigator in Colorado Springs
Today's Security tip involves those of you who are on the various dating apps. It's an area we written about before, but we're revisiting it because there are so many victims of dating app scams that we want to make sure you don't have to contact one of our Colorado Springs private investigators after you've lost money. Statistics show that hundreds of people have recently lost $32 million in romance scams with 200 of those living in Colorado and Wyoming. The people most victimized are women over 40, the elderly, widowed, divorced or disabled people due to perceived, and real, vulnerabilities.

Some of the things you should look out for when getting involved with anyone you meet on a dating app:

1. The individual presses you to leave the dating app and turn solely to message or email and somewhat soon.

2. The individual uses a photo that appears to be a glamour shot or looks like it has been professionally done. We've seen scammers download photos of unknown professionals, usually men, that have been professionally done. At EXCALIBUR Legal Support - Private Investigation we use proprietary software to scan the internet and dark web to find if a photo has ever been used before. In one case we were able to show our client that the photos of a guy claiming to live in northern California and working on an oil rig, were actually photos of the CEO of Coca-Cola Europe.

3. The individual professes love quickly, much more quickly than if you met in person somewhere.

4. The individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family. These scammers don't want any other party to be able to point out inconsistencies in their stories.

5. The individual claims to live or work far away. We've seen numerous scammers claim to be working on oil rigs or in the Middle East in the oil or gold business. Not sure why these two professions are chosen by scammers, but they are.

6. The individual makes plans to meet in person, but always cancels because of some emergency. Along with this, the scammer will always have an excuse why they can't get on a Skype or other video call. If you want to test early on if a person is who they claim they are, demand they get on a video call. A scammer will never agree to that. Or if they provide an excuse why they can't get on a video call, their computer doesn't have a camera, etc., etc., then have them take a photo of themselves holding a sign with your name and current date handwritten on it. A scammer will also never agree to this as you'd then see the photos on their profile are fake.

7. The individual asks you for money. That's all of these scammer's ultimate goal. To separate you from your money. Sometimes they will wait 6 to 8 months before asking to "borrow" money or they will claim their account is frozen and they can't pay for the ticket to come and see you in person. Believe me, we've heard it all.

Think you're talking with someone legitimate on ____________ fill-in-the-blank dating app, but your spidey senses are tingling? Contact us and let us vet the person you're in contact with. You've got nothing to lose and will gain peace of mind knowing if they are who they say they are.

Lee Walters
President
EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
Colorado Springs, Colorado
​Serving all of Colorado and beyond
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PART II: BANK IMPOSTER SCAMS

11/15/2021

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Bank Scam Private Investigator in Colorado Springs
The bank employee imposter scam has been around for awhile, but it continues to be used by criminals for one very good reason. It works!!! This is how it usually plays out. A criminal, having obtained your sign on information through a data breach or other means, impersonates an employee from your bank. The criminal will usually call or text you claiming that suspicious activity has been detected on your account, saying he, or she, will send you an access code that you can text back or repeat over the phone to verify your identity.
The criminal then uses your information to sign on to online banking and prompts the access code to be sent to your mobile device. If you provide the code, you may enable the criminal to access your account and perform fraudulent transactions, including sending money.
​
What you need to be aware of
  • Don't assume that just because a number pops up on your caller ID or a text reads "Chase Bank", "Wells Fargo", or any other bank, big or small, that it's actually someone calling from that bank. It's so, so easy to spoof a phone number, we in the private investigator world do it all the time, and criminals are well familiar with the technique. 
  • Know that all banks will only send you a code when prompted by an action that you’ve initiated, such as signing on to online banking, sending money, or when you call them directly. They are never going to initiate it without first having some type of interaction with you. If you're suspicious at all tell them you'll call them back, then look up the number online and call it directly. 
  • Remember, if it seems suspicious or out of the ordinary, it's probably a criminal trying to separate you from some of your hard-earned money.

Have you been a victim of a Bank Imposter scam or a potential Bank Imposter scam? Call one of our Colorado Springs Private Investigator to discuss what you can do about it.

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PART I: TECH SUPPORT SCAMS

11/13/2021

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Tech Support Scams Colorado Springs Professional Investigators
Today we'd like to talk to you about some of the Tech, or Computer, Support Scams we've seen recently, particularly targeting senior citizens. 

You're surfing along on the internet because, after all, it's not going to surf itself, and you receive an unexpected telephone call or pop-up message on your computer warning of an issue, such as a virus or other malware. The caller or pop-up claims to be from tech support and asks for access to your computer to fix the issue. Typically, the scammer will ask you to type a specific command to enable this access. Once they have control of your computer, they may require payment for technical assistance, install malicious software, change settings to leave your computer vulnerable, or ask you to log on to your bank account to steal your financial information.

What you can do
  1. Never give control of your computer to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.
  2. If you get an unexpected or urgent call from someone who claims to be tech support, hang up. It’s not a real call. We've actually had callers claiming they were from Microsoft Windows technical support unaware that we use a Mac.
  3. Don’t rely on caller ID. Scammers can spoof the name of a company to make the call seem legitimate. Spoofing of telephone numbers is widespread as anyone can do it through numerous online telephone number spoofing websites.
  4. If you get a pop-up message warning you about a computer problem or telling you to call tech support, ignore it. There's no legitimate virus software that's going to give you a pop-up message telling you to call tech support.
  5. If you’re concerned about your computer, call your security software company directly using the number on the company’s website.

There's plenty of cybersecurity experts that can help you if you've already fallen for this scam. Please feel free to give one of our Colorado Springs Private Investigators a call and we'll be happy to put you in touch with one we recommend.
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