ChangeHealth Care Scam:

An email with an attachment claiming to be an EFT (electronic funds transfer) payment from www.exp.paymentxchange@gmail.com with the subject line of “EFT Payment Awaiting Approval.” The attachment was found to have a virus by Google’s email protection software. Reported by a Laramie citizen.

McAfee Antivirus Renewal Scam:

A Sheridan citizen reported an email impersonating McAfee claiming the free trial was over and the invoice was attached. The branding and invoice look very real, however, the email was from a Gmail address and the McAfee support number listed was a Utah number and the REAL McAfee company is located in California.

PayPal Scam:

An email was reported by a Sheridan citizen imitating PayPal saying that a person has been trying to contact you to transfer money. The email uses the PayPal brand, looks very real, but is from a Gmail address and uses day-month-year date format instead of the US’s month-day-year. While there are no links on the email, don’t call the phone number, which has a Hawaiian area code (808) and been linked with fake Amazon recorded calls (robocalls).

Dr. Ava Smith Email Scam:

A Laramie citizen reported an email from Dr. Ava Smith whose email is tracywilliamusa@gmail.com asking you to respond. This is often a ploy to see if the email is valid and to get you to engage.

Dear Friend Greeting is a Dead Giveaway:

A Laramie citizen reported an email from Mr. Abu Salam, supposedly from Vietnam, whose email is george89733@gmail.com asking you to contact his secretary, George Smith in Burkina Faso so he can send you $450K for the ‘investment project’ that Mr. Salam is very busy with. (You are right, nothing is adding up here!)

Gift for Paying Your Bill Scam:

If you receive a text saying “Your bill is paid for March. Thanks, here’s a little gift for you” with a link to supposedly see the gift, do not follow the link. The Laramie citizen that reported this wants to remind you that no company gives gifts for paying bills, that’s just odd. CyberWyoming Note: The link has been reported as phishing, spam or malware by 3 security vendors.

If It’s a Secret, It Isn’t Legit:

A Laramie citizen reported an email from Mr. Daniel Kabore claiming to be with ADB Bank and wanting to transfer abandoned money to the citizen’s bank account. Kabore claimed there was “no risk” but asked the citizen to “keep it secret” twice. The email’s subject line was “Compliment of the Season” and came from a Gmail address.

Google My Business Robocall Scam:

A Laramie citizen reported a Robocall (recorded call) impersonating Google saying her company’s Google My Business listing needed immediate attention. The recording encouraged you to press 1 to speak to a customer representative or call an 800 number to fix the problem.

How to Block Unwanted Calls:

With scam calls costing Americans $30 billion a year, how can we protect ourselves?

1. Look for a “block this number” feature on your cell phone.
2. Check with your cell phone carrier for advice about how to block unwanted calls.
3. Buy a spam blocking app for your cell phone from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. For landlines, check on Amazon for recommended call blocking devices that connect to your phone. They range from $50-$150. Brought to you via Scambusters.org.

Don’t Use These Passwords:

The top 20 most often used passwords are the first ones that scammers try to crack accounts. The cloud security firm Lookout just published an advisory list so, don’t use these passwords: 123456, 123456789, Qwerty, Password, 12345, 12345678, 111111, 1234567, 123123, Qwerty123, 1q2w3e, 1234567890, DEFAULT, 0, Abc123, 654321, 123321, Qwertyuiop, Iloveyou and 666666. Brought to you via Scambusters.org.

FTC Alert Free Tax Filing Programs:

On March 29, the FTC announced administrative action against Intuit (TurboTax) for misleading people about free tax filing with their software. So, what are truly free programs? If your 2021 adjusted gross income was $73,000 or less, you qualify for the IRS’s Free File Program: https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile. If you are a Service Member or Veteran and meet eligibility requirements, then you can use the Department of Defense’s free filing program: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/preparing-filing-and-refunds/miltax-frequently-asked-questions/.

MS-ISAC Patch Now Alert:

The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) has published a patch now (update your software) alert for Google’s Chrome browser and Sophos Firewall’s user portal and Webadmin products. If you use these products, make sure the software (or firmware) is updated.

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Please report scams you may experience to phishing@cyberwyoming.org to alert your friends and neighbors.

Other ways to report a scam:

• Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker: bbb.org/scamtracker/us/reportscam
• Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection 307-777-6397, 800-438-5799 or ag.consumer@wyo.gov
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftccomplaintassistant.gov
• Report your scam to the FBI at www.ic3.gov/complaint
• Reported unwanted calls to the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call Registration. Online at donotcall.gov/report.html or call 1-888-382-1222, option 3
• Office of the Inspector General: oig.ssa.gov
• AARP Fraud Watch Network (any age welcome) Helpline 877-908-3360
• IRS: report email scams impersonating the IRS to phishing@irs.gov
• Call the Wyoming Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for assistance with potential Medicare fraud, abuse, or errors at 1 800 856-4398
• Victim Support: The AARP Fraud Watch Network and Volunteers of America (VOA) created a new, free program to provide emotional support for people impacted by a scam or fraud, called ReST. Visit www.aarp.org/fraudsupport to learn more about the free program and register