The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

September 17, 2012

BBB warns of series of scams in region

The Daily Southerner SUBMITTED

TARBORO — RALEIGH —  In an effort to keep the public informed, Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina offers monthly Scam Alerts.

This month, the BBB urges consumers to beware of phony mortgage financing ads that can be found on social media sites. These ads often make false claims of being sponsored by government rescue programs. They may include a Web site link directing you to an "online refinance center." Many of these bogus sites request personal information and require upfront fees, as well. BBB reminds

consumers to never provide any credit card information or other personal information, unless you are using a secure Web site.

In another scam, the BBB warns that consumers have been contacted through fliers, e-mails, text messages and even door-to-door with claims that President Obama is providing credits or applying payments to utility bills. Scam artists are claiming they need the consumers' Social Security or bank routing numbers to arrange payments. In return, customers are given a phony bank routing number that will supposedly pay their utility bills. In reality, customers believe they have paid their bills when in fact they have not, and they have just provided the scam artists with their personal information.

The BBB has also issued a warning to consumers that scam artists are sending e-mails that appear to come from Facebook regarding recent activity they may have missed on the social media site. The scam artists do an excellent job of replicating Facebook's colors, logo and language, but hovering over the link will reveal that the real destination is a third party Web site. BBB reminds consumers

to avoid clicking on any questionable links or attachments, especially if the e-mail is from an unknown source.

The BBB has also been alerted that consumers nationwide are receiving phony letters claiming to be from a company called "U.S. Airlines." The letters tell the consumers that they have won two airline tickets and that they must respond soon to claim their prize. Respondents are then asked to attend an informational meeting about a travel club where consumers can expect to be pressured to provide a credit card number to pay for fees and taxes. BBB

reminds consumers to use caution when asked to provide any credit card information or other personal information. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you believe someone has tried to perpetrate a scam on you, contact your local law enforcement agency or the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern North Carolina at (919) 277-4202 or (919) 277-4220.

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