WYDOT Alert:

The Wyoming Department of Transportation wants you to know that scammers are sending text messages that claim to have a final notice about a ‘license waiver validation.’ These texts include a link to a website designed to look like WYDOT’s but are not. The text asks you to click on the link to ‘avert a suspension’ and provide your personal information. WYDOT does not send text messages. wyomingnewsnow.tv/2021/07/19/wydot-warns-against-scam-texts

Password Expiration Reminder Scam Alert:

A Casper citizen reported an email with the subject line containing his organization’s name and a control number/date saying his password had expired. The email was from suppport@politologiskbogformidling-dk.awsapps.com. The email was a little different from other scams as it said “If you wish to keep using the same password, click Keep my password” which sent him to a link that captured his password. The email claimed to be from San Francisco.

BBB and Compensation of War Victims Impersonation:

Sometimes scammers just throw in a lot of different trusted business names to look legitimate. A Sheridan citizen reported an email with the subject line of “Your unpaid compensation” from mothersusangeorge171@gmail.com and the foreigndebt.office@iiiha.com saying you are the beneficiary of a compensation fund for war victims through the Better Business Bureau. (CyberWyoming Note: those two organizations sure are a strange pairing!) The email asks you to provide your personal information to the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which is a real United Nations committee but definitely impersonated.

It’s Not a Slam Dunk:

If you receive an email from Mr. Margaret Dunk, a ‘seriously ill widow with a God fearing heart’ who wants you to help her make a $3.3 million donation to help orphans in the US, please know that a Laramie citizen reported this as a scam. The email came from Margaret.dun22@gmail.com with the subject line of “Good Morning My Dearest One Am Mrs Margaret Dunk Am In Need Of You Pls is Urgent.”

“My Beloved” is a Dead Give Away:

A Laramie citizen reported an email from Mrs. Anita N’Gussan Ndoi who claims to be deaf, has cancer, and wants to donate $8.5 million to you to help ‘poor ones.’ The email starts with “Greetings my beloved” which is not normal language in the American culture. Thus, a good rule of thumb is to delete anything that has ‘my beloved’ in the text. The email is from info@sosgastronomia.it with a subject line of “Greetings.” Note that the email repeats itself in Spanish.

Huge Week for Dying Widows to Give Away Money:

A Laramie citizen reported an email from Mrs. Debby Hallcom, claiming to be a widow dying of a brain tumor who wants you to be paid a 35% commission to take custody of $12.5 million to give to the less privileged. The email subject line was ‘Hello’ and the sender’s email address was debbyhallcom137@gmail.com. CyberWyoming Note: These emails are usually from people whose English is their second language and they are poorly written. The poor writing, use of words like My Dear and My Beloved, and offers that are too good to be true are indicators that these are a scam.

Zantac Contaminated Scam Alert:

A Laramie citizen reported an very professional looking email with a picture of a pharmacy claiming that Zantac heartburn meds were contaminated with a cancer causing impurity and that Zantac users who were diagnosed with cancer may be entitled to compensation. This is an example of a scammer taking advantage of a current event. According to the FDA’s website, the US FDA asked for Zantac to be withdrawn in September 2019 because of a chemical that potentially causes cancer in humans but scientists are still studying it. The citizen identified it as a scam because it came from a previously reported email address of newsletter@teckntech.com. Here is the link to the FDA’s article: fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-alerting-patients-and-health-care-professionals-ndma-found-samples-ranitidine

FTC MoneyGram Transfer Deadline:

If you used MoneyGram to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017, you may be eligible to file a claim for a refund but the deadline is August 31, 2021. For details on filing, read this FTC article: consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/moneygram-refund-program-opens-take-claims.

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 HP, Xerox, and Samsung printer drivers, Google’s Chrome browser, Adobe products (Dimension, Illustrator, Framemaker, Acrobat, Reader, & Bridge), Apple products, and Oracle’s suite 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