Scam Squad

HOME IMPROVEMENT SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

Does your purse or wallet feel like a filing cabinet? Crooks want wallets for MORE than the cash they contain. With the information they may find, fraudsters often steal our identity to open bank accounts and credit cards in OUR NAMES! Stay safe by taking the time to clean out your wallet or purse today!

Shawn Dyer, Senior Fraud Specialist at Montecito Bank & Trust shares the following warnings: 1. Don't unsubscribe to an unwanted email by clicking on a link you receive in an email or text. It can be another way for scammers to install malware on your computer. Instead, go to the company's legitimate website and safely unsubscribe. 2. If you are a business owner, or work at a business and receive...

Supply chain issues have made some items, such as popular toys, hard to find. Scammers have been taking advantage of this problem by creating phony websites and links featuring these hard-to-find items. In this episode of Scam Squad, learn how to recognize phony websites and links that can cause BIG problems!

With the holidays upon up, porch pirates are once again stealing our packages. Be sure to listen to these tips to keep your precious packages safe from thieves!

No one is immune from being targeted by scammers; not even a judge! In this episode of Scam Squad, Retired Superior Court Judge, George Eskin, shares his story of how scammers targeted him--and how they hacked into private email correspondence, giving them private details/information that made them seem very believable. Luckily, the Judge didn't fall for the scam. Learn what tipped him off so that...

When a woman believes she is corresponding with her friend (who has really hacked her friend's account), she is led down a primrose path with promises of a $90,000 grant--but first, she needs to pay a few fees, to the tune of $12,000. Beware of this vicious scam!

Montecito Bank & Trust warns that scammers may call to question an Amazon transaction. They may pretend to be confirming a transaction which they feel may be fraudulent but they're really trying to get your person/financial information. Another scam involves logging into your Amazon account or convincing you to allow them to access it remotely. Don't fall for it!

Special guest, Carol Baizer, from the Independent Living Resource Center of the Tri-Counties, shares a threatening voice mail from a fraudulant bill collector. While it sounds official, Baizer points out that the caller omitted vital information such as what the bill was for and what agency they were with. The caller did, however, ask for a call-back where they most certainly would have tried to g...

CABLE TV REPAIR SCAM by Hub for Podcasting

COURT SUMMONS SCAM by Hub for Podcasting

Senior Fraud Specialist Shawn Dyer, from Montecito Bank & Trust, reminds us to only use P to P apps to pay friends or family. She warns us that fraudsters are requesting payments via P to P apps such as Venmor or Zelle and then don't provide the goods. Also, caller ID can be spoofed so don't be fooled! If you receive a call that says it's from your bank, call them back instead of trusting that it'...

Beware of emails which appear to come from friends, but aren't what you'd expect to receive from them. In this special edition of Scam Scam, a retired defense attorney shares the red flags he recognized when a board member from an organization he's a member of asked for gift cards for what seemed to be a 'good cause.' Then, the County of Santa Barbara's restitution specialist, Dayton Aldrich, shar...

ONLINE ROMANCE & INVESTMENT SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

MOST COMMON SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

Doris Roof, Fraud Manager at Montecito Bank & Trust, shares a warning from processors of debit and credit cards. Fraudsters have found a way to trigger an alert about a suspicious transaction (which they instigated). After you receive a two-step verification code, the crooks call you and pretend to be your bank. They may request the two-step verification code that you were sent, pretending to try...

NEW GRANDPARENTS SCAM by Hub for Podcasting

PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE SCAM IS BACK by Hub for Podcasting

REFUND SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

VACCINATION CARD SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

Santa Barbara Police Officers, together with the Secret Service, work quickly and recover 50 K to a ninety-year old gentleman who was scammed by ruthless con-artists who used the Social Security Scam.

Shawn Dyer, Senior Fraud Specialist at Montecito Bank & Trust, reports on the Craigslist Overpayment Scam and Tech Support Scams. Beware of fraudsters who overpay or try to get you off the Craigslist platform for your communications. Don’t click on links that pop up on your computer or phone, telling you that you’re having a technical problem. And once again, we’re reminded that gift cards should...

Deputy District Attorney, Vicki Johnson, speaks to criminologist, Dr Judy Christman Yates, who walks listeners through steps that can be taken to stop unsolicited junk mail and 'junk phone calls.' Together, they also review the guidelines that legitimate telemarketers MUST follow. If they don't, you're urged to file a complaint with the FTC. Telemarketers who are violating the guidelines face seri...

FAKE ELECTRIC BILL SCAMS by Hub for Podcasting

Dayton Aldrich, restitution specialist for the County of Santa Barbara shares tips on how to choose a financial advisor. Then, Jeannie West, from Hospice of Santa Barbara, shares a personal story of sending money to a scammer through Western Union. The story has a happy ending because Western Union has been ordered to pay back victims who sent money through Western Union and after more than ten ye...