Scam Squad

In this week’s episode of Scam Squad, Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson interviews our special guest Sarah. Sarah got in touch with Vicki Johnson through the Scam Squad Fraud Hotline. Sarah has a rental property in Santa Barbara County. It turns out that Sarah was renting her home through a property manager which may have allowed opportunity for a fraudster to infiltrate her beautiful propert...

This week highlights what Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson calls the ‘Amazon scam’. There are multiple ways that fraudsters impersonate Amazon or other online retail stores. Pay attention if you receive an email notice from any of these companies, as it could be an imposter! Since online shopping is so common these days, watch out for scammers trying to phish your information. To report a sc...

Everyone dreams of winning the lottery. But don't be fooled! If you receive an email, text message, phone call, or social media notification that you won a sweepstakes that you did not enter, chances are it is a scam! To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442 Follow Scam Squad and other great podcasts on our website! hubforpodcasting.com/scam-squa...

With quarantine measures in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, people are finding new ways to meet and socialize online. As a result, online dating and social media websites are increasingly popular. But not everyone browsing social media sites is looking for innocent relationships. Professional scammers and fraudsters are stalking online social media and dating sites in order to steal valuable p...

Scam Squad welcomes Criminologist and Financial Crime Expert, Dr. Judy Christman Yates. Dr. Yates discusses upcoming scams to look for as the new COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll-out. Dr. Yates reminds listeners to seek official information from legitimate sources. Do not answer anonymous calls from strange phone numbers. Be sure to identify who exactly you are communicating with, especially if...

As you get older, it is normal to check the obituary to see if you know someone who passed on. Obituaries sometimes contain personal information about the deceased to tell a story of their life. Sometimes obituaries contain the full name of the deceased, as well as their residential address. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of any situation in order to capitalize. Beware of obituary scams, b...

Happy New Year to all of our listeners, from our heart to yours! Unfortunately, scammers don’t take breaks for the holidays. With COVID-19 vaccines now available, it is predicted that there will be large scale scams related to COVID-19 testing kits and vaccines. Not only is it a financial danger to get scammed with fake products, but fake testing kits and vaccines could negatively affect your heal...

This episode of Scam Squad features Senior Fraud Specialist at Montecito Bank and Trust, Shawn Dyer. Shawn talks about a few reoccurring scams that seem to recirculate regularly. These common scams include, tech-support scams and scams where fraudsters impersonate official organizations like the FTC. Shawn reminds us that scams can happen to anybody! Be aware when giving out your personal informat...

This episode of Scam Squad features Judy Christman Yates, a senior financial fraud expert with over 13 years’ experience working in the Financial Fraud department as a volunteer with the Port Hueneme Police Department. She is also the author of a monthly financial exploitation newsletter. As online shopping during the holidays is increasingly popular, there are more ways for scammers to phish your...

This episode of Scam Squad features Judy Christman Yates, a senior financial fraud expert with over 13 years’ experience working in the Financial Fraud department as a volunteer with the Port Hueneme Police Department. She is also the author of a monthly financial exploitation newsletter. Judy talks about how to protect your identity and credit card information.

The holiday season is here! Especially this year, many people are shopping and buying gifts online. As we know, scammers are trying to take advantage of people in any way possible. When shopping online, be aware that fraudulent websites do exist. Only make purchases from secure websites and reputable sources. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2...

This week’s episode features Victim Witness Advocate Dayton Aldrich. Dayton talks about the importance of secure digital passwords and provides tools that can help you protect your identity when shopping or browsing online. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

Thank you to Montecito Bank and Trust for making Scam Squad possible. This episode features Montecito Bank and Trust’s very own Senior Fraud Specialist, Shawn Dyer. When mailing checks at the big blue post office boxes, it is important for people to be aware that these mailboxes are targets of theft. Fraudsters also steal account information, write themselves counterfeit checks, and try to pass it...

Online shopping scams and tech support scams are the two scams most likely to trap seniors. Shopping scams also often happen to people who are actively searching for a particular product on the internet. Online shoppers can be enticed by a reduced price on a specific item or shoppers can stumble upon items that are otherwise difficult to find. The most risky items to buy online are pets and pet su...

This week on Scam Squad, Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson shares a warning that she received from the FBI, regarding potential charity fraud associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic. If you feel called to donate to charity, listen to this episode to get tips about what to look for when donating. If you want to learn more about a particular charity, you can learn more by searching about that cha...

Our guest, Sue, called in on our fraud hotline to report that her purse was stolen at the grocery store! Believe it or not, there are groups of people who go into grocery stores for the sole reason of stealing people's purses! Shoppers beware of strangers starting suspicious, 'random' conversations and do not leave your purse or valuables unattended! To report a scam or if you believe you have bee...

This episode of Scam Squad welcomes Senior Fraud Specialist from Montecito Bank and Trust, Shawn Dyer. In this episode Shawn discusses Utility Scams, Tech Support Scams, and she warns about automatic “robo-calls”. Tech Support scams occur when you are on your computer and you see an internet pop-up claiming that you need to fix your computer. Or the pop-up says you have a virus etc. It is true tha...

This episode of Scam Squad features Dr. Judy Christman Yates a criminologist, specializing in financial exploitation. Judy shares the latest news on financial crimes and discusses how scammers use fear tactics to take advantage of unsuspecting people. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

This week’s special guest, Susan, contacted Vicki via the fraud hotline. Susan found out that she was lured into a scam by receiving a phone call allegedly from Amazon. The scammers offered to send Susan money as a rebate, as long as Susan provided sensitive information like bank account information. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442

Scam Squad welcomes this week’s special guest, who contacted Vicki Johnson via the fraud hotline. One day, our guest received a phone call from El Paso, Texas, allegedly from the Social Security Administration and the DEA, notifying her that she is being monitored because her social security number is involved in various crimes. Even scammers will wrongfully impersonate authority figures! To repor...

Scam Squad would like to welcome this week’s special guest Doris Roof. Doris Roof is the Senior Fraud Specialist for Montecito Bank and Trust. She is on the show today to tell us about some scams that are all too commonplace. One common scam is a sweepstakes scam; where scammers claim that you are the winner of a large sum of money – but you won’t go claiming that prize unless you send them money...

This week’s episode of Scam squad features special guest, Joni Maiden. Joni is now the director of Santa Barbara County’s Department of Child Support Services and Co-chair of SB County’s Census 2020 Complete Count Committee. Joni shares information about the census, which is conducted every 10 years. Anyone can go online to complete the census at www.my2020census.gov or English Speakers can call 8...

Special guest Marie called the fraud hotline because her 83 year old mother had gotten involved in a scam and lost a considerable amount of money. Marie’s mother was called by a man who claimed to be from Apple Computers. The fake Apple representative insisted that her system was hacked and the only solution was to purchase and send gift cards to the perpetrators. To report a scam or if you believ...

According to new data from the federal trade commission, the most common scam during the pandemic is Identity Theft. Particularly, fraudsters are filing fraudulent unemployment claims with a false identity. It is rumored that certain identity thieves have multiple government checks, addressed to different names, coming to one address. If you believe that you have been victim of identity theft, and...

This episode tells the story of a friendly stranger who suddenly enters the life of a lonely senior. In this particular instance, a young woman befriended an older gentlemen and ended up stealing millions! Countless stories similar to this continue to play out and we are warning others to not be fooled. To report a scam or if you believe you have been scammed, call Vicki Johnson at 805.568.2442