Scam Squad

We appreciate it when fraud and scam victims are brave enough to share their stories in order to warn others. In this episode, Doris (our victim), received a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Holly, a Cox Cable technician. She knew that Doris had been having conectivity problems and asked Doris if it was any better. (There had been repair trucks on Doris' street, which probably tip...

Rick Copelan President of BBB of the Tri-Counties Talks with Deputy District Attorney, Vicki Johnson by Hub for Podcasting

Scmsqd - 2022 - 12 - 31 - Dayton by Hub for Podcasting

With Special Guest, Criminologist, Dr. Judy Christman Yates In this episode, Dr Christman Yates points out dark patterns in advertisements that are psychologically deceptive, specifically designed to induce false beliefs. They often get us us to purchase more than we want or misunderstand what we're getting. Here are common tricks that are used: 1. We're told that the product or service is only av...

Montecito Bank & Trust Senior Fraud Specialist, Doris Roof, reports on a recent scam. Here's what happened. A woman attempted to Venmo money to her son, but the transaction was declined. She looks up Venmo's number online and inadvertantly contacts the scammers who have a phony site that looks like the legitimate Venmo website. The scammers talk her into giving them remote access to her computer a...

Medicare is a federal government health insurance program in the United States. Of course, it doesn’t cover everything. Most people buy additional insurance to bridge the gaps. The two main types of coverage that you can buy to help with this are Medicare Advantage (also called Part C) or a Medicare Supplement which is also referred to as Medigap. If you choose a Medicare Advantage Plan, you've ba...

Victims of tech support scam often give their computer access to scammers who claim they are trying to help them.

It's sometimes easy for us to think that we would never fall for a scam. But in today's episode, a woman who has worked in the IT departments of many large companies ALMOST gets taken in by a complicated scam. Hear her story on this week's Scam Squad episode. And be sure to subscribe to Scam Squad today so you don't miss any important warnings!

Scmsqd - 2022 - 11 - 05 - Crimnologist Judy by Hub for Podcasting

Shawn Dyer, Senior Fraud Specialist from Montecito Bank & Trust Gives the Latest Warnings: : 41 When you receive a text from what you think is your bank--telling you that there has been fraudulent activity on your account, DO NOT call the number back from the text, DO NOT click on a link in the text and DO NOT give personal information verbally to someone who called you. ALWAYS confirm that it's n...

Scmsqd - 2022 - 10 - 22 - Disaster Relief by Hub for Podcasting

It’s Medicare Open Enrollment from now until December 7! In this episode, HICAP (Health Insurance and Advocacy Program) manager, Julie Posada, guides listeners through the maze of choosing the best Medicare program for your individual needs. HICAP is run through the California Department on Aging, which also manages their 1-800-434-0222 hotline. HICAP counselors will meet with you remotely or in p...

Scmsqd - 2022 - 10 - 08 - Caretaker by Hub for Podcasting

Doris Roof, Senior Fraud Specialist at Montecito Bank & Trust shares cyber -crime stats from a USA Today article. Here are some of the findings: - 84% of Americans have been scammed through social engineering - Scam victims pay out more money to scams as they get older. Victims younger than 50, on average were scammed out of $324.00 Victims in their 60's, on average, were scammed out of $426.00 Vi...

Today's special guest is Dayton Aldrich, a colleague of Vicki's and the Restitution Specialist for the District Attorney's Office in Santa Barbara. He shows real-life footage of a woman having second thoughts about stealing from a carport. When she notices that she's being filmed on a security camera, she quickly puts her loot back. The topic then turns to mail fraud. Dayton recommends that unless...

Scmsqd - 2022 - 09 - 17 - Identity Theft by Hub for Podcasting

Scmsqd - 2022 - 09 - 10 - Kidnapping Scam by Hub for Podcasting

Senior Fraud Specialist Shawn Dyer, from Montecito Bank & Trust, reports that several scams are still rampant. 1. Most recenty, people are getting emails from a scammer pretending to be from Norton Lifelock, telling you that your account has been compromised. Of course, when you email them back, or call the number in the email, they'll try to get the banking information they need to hack into your...

Scam Squad Special Guest--Dr Judy Christman Yates, (Criminologist and Financial Exploitation Specialist) SMISHING 1:15 Dr. Judy Christman Yates explains Smishing & Gives Tips to Avoid it. Here’s an example of smishing. You receive a text message. It may claim to be from a company, such as Amazon, saying that there’s a problem with your account. However, when you open the text and click on the link...

Chief Deputy Clerk in Santa Barbara County, Melinda Greene, works to protect seniors with capacity issues. If an older adult comes into the Hall of Records with someone who takes over the conversation in order to obtain a marriage license or a real estate record, the staff at the Hall of Records are on high alert and are unlikely to process the request. Instead, they are likely to contact Adult Pr...

Scmsqd - 2022 - 08 - 13 - Summer Scams by Hub for Podcasting

Special Guest, Doris Roof, (Senior Fraud Specialist from Montecito Bank & Trust), says that email compromise scams are on the riise, especiallly for businesses. Here's how it works. A business receives an email from a vendor, asking them to change the routing number and account number on their ACH deposits. If the person who receives the request believes it and makes the change, (without double ch...

GRANDPARENTS SCAM by Hub for Podcasting

Special guest, criminologist Dr Judy Christman Yates, gives advice on the legitimate way to find out if you have unclaimed money just waiting for you! But don't be fooled! Scammers are contacting people, telling them that they are a claimant in a class action lawsuit that was settled for $4,800,000. To get your share, you need to send $30 - $50 to a processing center within five days. While this i...

It's difficult for some people to understand how anyone falls for a Romance Scam. In this episode, Vicki explains how it happens and gives a real life example. An older woman named Sue lost her husband of 40 years and began reminiscing about him--posting old vaction pictures and beautiful memories on Facebook. A scammer, pretending to be a widower too, send an encouraging note, telling her to stay...