Car owners get hit by extended warranty scam

In my experience, extended warranties are rarely worth the money (with some exceptions of course, I personally always like extended warranties on computer or other tech purchases) . But there’s a car-related scam currently making the rounds that really stretches credulity.

The pitch uses a recorded phone call to remind you that your car warranty is set to expire, offering to help you out with an extended warranty. I’d say I’ve been getting at least two or three of these calls a week, some weeks its daily (funniest part here is, I don't even own a car LOL) .

Here’s the pitch: "Your factory warranty is about to expire ... You are still eligible to reactivate warranty coverage ... This is the final call before we close the file. Press 1 to speak to a representative about your vehicle, press 2 to be taken off the follow-up list."

Most of the calls originate out of St. Louis, but police suspect that the numbers are being spoofed to mask their origin. The calls originally started showing up out west but have now made their way into Ontario.

Going under monikers like Canadian Auto Warranty Services and World Wide Warranties, the scammers offer you the chance (even though they have no idea what kind of car you actually own) to purchase a five-year extended warranty for $175 – by credit card, of course.

The whole thing is nothing more than a phishing expedition designed to get that card data. If somebody does bite, they run the risk of dealing with a company that no longer exists. The few who do get something in return quickly find that the warranty isn't honoured by most mechanics.

Steer clear, warns the RCMP's Louis Robertson, who also works for Phonebusters - the centralized police agency that handles telemarketing fraud across the country. Call your dealership to check on your existing warranty, he says, and see if they can suggest any reputable companies that provide extended warranties.

Facebook hit by scams and viruses

The Better Business Bureau is warning that your Facebook site can be targeted by hackers, scam artists and ID thieves.

Facebook and other social networking sites are extremely popular because they allow us to connect and reconnect with people we know and trust.

Scammers take advantage of that trust.

Some of the top scams that have hit Facebook recently include the Friend in Distress Scam, the Koobface Virus, and the Viral Wall Post.

In the Friend in Distress Scam you get an email from a friend who says they are in trouble -- maybe stranded in a foreign country -- and need money wired to them.

The Koobface virus is spread when you get a message apparently from a friend saying "you look awesome or you look funny in this video". You're directed to an outside website and then instructed to download an updated version of Flash to view it. Agreeing to the update actually installs the virus. It can allow hackers to retrieve personal information and is very difficult to remove.

The Viral wall post is a similar scam which directs you to an outside page to view a photo. But-clicking on the link will allow hackers to gain access to your personal account and post the same message -- seemingly coming from you on your friends' walls.

To limit your risk, keep private information private. Take down unnecessary personal information. It's not being coy to withhold your year of birth. That information can be enough to make you a victim of ID theft. The same applies to your phone numbers and addresses.

Be extremely wary of messages that direct you to another web site via a hyperlink.

Use your computer's antivirus and firewall software and update them regularly, and finally be selective when choosing friends. You might not want to be rude, but you should decline a request for friendship if you don't actually know the person.

Do-Not-Call scam

I found this scam warning and I thought that I would post it here for anyone that may be reading:

Cellphone providers are warning against a scam circulating via e-mail regarding the CRTC's recently implemented do-not-call telemarketing list.

The e-mail warns recipients that cellphone providers are releasing their customers' numbers to telemarketers, so they should expect calls that will inevitably waste their airtime. Recipients are urged to call one of two phone numbers purportedly attached to the national do-not-call list, which the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission launched on Sept. 30, in order to block such unwanted calls.

"All cellphone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls," the e-mail says. "You will be charged for these calls."

The e-mail suggests the release of number databases has been confirmed by Telus Corp. and urges recipients to pass the message on to their friends.

Telus, however, issued an advisory on Tuesday evening warning that the e-mail was "fraudulent and dangerous" and urged customers not to respond to it or forward it.

Spokesman Shawn Hall said the company has no intention of releasing wireless numbers to telemarketers.

"We have no plans to do that ever," he said.

Telus is working on determining the source of the e-mail. Marc Choma, spokesman for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, said a similar scam was run a few years ago in the United States when the country rolled out its own do-not-call list.

One of the numbers in the e-mail is in fact the CRTC's do-not-call contact number, but the other has been linked to telemarketing scams going back a number of years, Hall said.

The do-not-call list allows Canadians to add their phone numbers - both landline and wireless - to a database that is circulated to telemarketers. A telemarketer that calls a number on the list is liable for a fine up to $15,000.

While the CRTC requires landline providers to list customers' numbers in the phone book, it is illegal for wireless companies to release cellphone numbers without their subscribers' express consent.

Telus has polled customers as to whether they would want their wireless numbers published in the phone book but found the majority believed their contact information to be private.

"It came back rather resoundingly that people did not want their cellphones listed in the phone book, and we respect that," Hall said.

Thank you to Sympatico, Telus, and the CBC for the heads up


Until next time........