Scam reports are coming in more frequently in the Maryville Daily Times newspaper, September 14, 2024 and September 7, 2024 . People are losing thousands of dollars.

Don't respond to emails, texts, and phone calls unless you are 100% confident they are valid. I got a phone call last night that said it was from Verizon and they wanted me to approve the two new purchases on the account. I hung up immediately. Even if you want to decline the request, don't do it in the email, text, or phone call. Hang up and call the company using the phone number on their bill or the number on the back of the credit card. If accessible, you can look up your account on the company website to see what is going on.

Place a credit freeze so scam creditors can't get access to your credit information. From the U.S. Government, How to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. You will have to remember to unfreeze your credit reports if you need to apply for credit (e.g. buy a car, open a credit card, buy a home, etc.)

Be careful out there.

bizgrrl's picture

Another scam... A Knoxville

Another scam...

A Knoxville woman lost $1,000 to a scammer who took control of her computer claiming he was trying to fix it.
...
The aim of malware scams, also known as tech support scams, is to steal your personal information and your money. To prevent this scam, don’t call the number on the screen or download a link. One way to avoid this scam is not to click on pop-up ads. Scammers insert unwanted software into the pop-up messages.

“Don’t ever give your information out, to no one. And if your laptop has a virus or if it’s ringing, shut it down,” said Hart

This happens often enough. Keep your personal information safe.

R. Neal's picture

Also, it's shocking how many

Also, it's shocking how many people withdraw money from their bank account, buy gift cards, deposit money into bitcoin ATMs (!?), send Western Union money, etc. just because some random grifter tells them to over the phone or text or email. Or gives some rando online access to their computer.

bizgrrl's picture

If it's sounds too good to be

If it's sounds too good to be true, it is.

A Knoxville couple lost hundreds of dollars believing they were going to rent a home at a bargain basement price. Now, they want to warn others about the hoax.

The cost to rent a home around Knoxville is at an all-time high. The median price to rent an average-sized home in Knoxville is $2,094. That’s $94 more than last year at this time, according to Zillow’s rental manager.
...
He wanted $550 as the rent, plus the down payment was $200. So, the move-in amount was $750.

bizgrrl's picture

a new type of scam, a Grant scam

An East Tennessee woman was hoping to remodel her home with money received from a grant. But it didn’t happen, as the grant was a hoax.

Grant scams continue to catch people because they prey on people’s hopes for “free money” from the government.

She received a friend request believing it was her brother-in-law, Terrance Schofield, but it wasn’t him.

“He told me, asked me if had I heard about this agent, James Brown, that you could get grant money from,

But first, she had to provide money upfront.

Be careful out there. If it seems to good to be true, it is.

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