Business
Opinion: Scam calls and texts on the rise
RoboKiller predicts that scammers will design even smarter, more believable phone scams in the future. Spam calls could reach 70 billion and texts 90 billion by the end of 2021.
Randy Hutchinson
Columnist
Randy Hutchinson is the President and CEO of the BBB of the Mid-South, serving 28 counties in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. He graduated from Western Maryland College and has an MBA from Wilmington College. He can be reached at rhutchinson@bbbmidsouth.org
There are 62 articles by Randy Hutchinson :
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May 2021
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Business
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April 2021
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Business Opinion: The Nigerian prince scam has grown more sophisticated
Nigerian letter scams now reap only $700,000 annually, but the same crooks get billions of dollars from more sophisticated scams: ‘That Nigerian prince has grown up, has gone to college, and has found a new, lucrative career,’ says an expert.
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March 2021
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Opinion Opinion: Taking dietary supplements can be harmful
The FDA has found hundreds of dietary supplements containing ingredients that weren’t listed on the label.
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February 2021
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Business Opinion: Beware of ever-evolving COVID scams
The variety of COVID-19 scams we’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic are overwhelming.
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January 2021
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Opinion Opinion: How to choose a tax preparer
You’re entrusting a tax preparer with sensitive information, so it’s important to do your due diligence in choosing one.
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October 2020
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Business Data breaches in 2020: up or down?
Some of the biggest breaches include one at Marriott that affected over 5 million customers and one at Nintendo that compromised 300,000 user accounts. At least five state unemployment databases have been hacked.
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August 2020
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Business BBB: Don’t fall for a mortgage relief scam
According to Black Knight, a mortgage technology and data provider, mortgage delinquencies almost doubled in April. That’s fodder for mortgage relief scammers.
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Guest Column
BusinessBBB: Thoroughly research a for-profit school
Millions have advanced their careers attending for-profit schools that operate virtually as well as through physical campuses. But the industry has a checkered history.
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July 2020
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guest column
BusinessCryptocurrency scams are on the rise
Consumers who were exposed to a cryptocurrency scam were far more likely to fall for it and lost far more money than the average for all scams. The median loss in a cryptocurrency scam was $3,000 compared to $160 for all scams.
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June 2020
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Business FTC warns companies about phony coronavirus claims
Famous, or infamous, people have peddled products they claimed could prevent or treat coronavirus.
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May 2020
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Business Kids more vulnerable online during pandemic
The FBI issued an alert warning that with schools closed and other activities curtailed, children spending more time at home and online are at greater risk.
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April 2020
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Business Seniors more vulnerable to scams during pandemic
In today’s coronavirus crisis, crooks impersonating the government promise seniors government grants and stimulus payments in exchange for an upfront fee or confidential information they’ll use to commit identity theft.
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March 2020
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Business BBB: Here come the coronavirus scams
In its first coronavirus-related fraud case, the Department of Justice shut down the website “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” that offered consumers a World Health Organization vaccine kit. There are currently no legitimate vaccines.
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Business Beware: Rental scams are rampant
A BBB investigations specialist estimated that more than 5 million consumers have lost money to rental scams. The average loss reported was $996.
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February 2020
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Business Don’t let a bad vendor ruin your wedding
There’s no second chance with a wedding, so brides and grooms and parents need to do their due diligence in choosing vendors.
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January 2020
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Business BBB: Scammers exploit Kobe Bryant’s death
Fake videos of Bryant’s helicopter crash have already shown up on YouTube and other websites, although it’s not clear if they’re nefarious or just cruel hoaxes.
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Business Be sure Internet-connected security cameras are secure
Four days after a DeSoto County couple installed a Ring system, their 8-year old daughter heard a man talking in her bedroom. The father disabled the system to stop the harassment and the couple is now dealing with their kids’ trauma.
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December 2019
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Business Beware of health claims for CBD products
Since 2015, the FDA has sent warning letters to at least 23 companies about claims regarding their products. The FTC co-signed some of the FDA’s letters, including three sent in March, and sent letters to three companies on its own in September.
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November 2019
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Business Online fraud picks up over the holidays
Crooks will often create lookalike websites with URLs that are a character or two off from the real thing. More sales are being made using mobile devices and the small screens make it more difficult to detect the deception.
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October 2019
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Business Report finds military consumers more at risk than others
The top industry generating complaints from military consumers for six years in a row is new car dealers. Service members also encounter more struggles than the general public in home-related needs because they move, on average, every two to four years.
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Business Think twice before clicking on lurid celebrity sites
Crooks exploit our fascination with celebrities by luring us to websites that may claim to have the latest gossip about a celebrity but that also contain malware.
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August 2019
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Business Vet a crowdfunding campaign before contributing
Crowdfunding platforms have rules for what kinds of projects can be posted on their website and vet them to some degree, but they don’t guarantee success. As with any new product, there are risks that include delays in completing a project or failure to bring a product to market at all.
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July 2019
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Business Ransomware can cripple organizations of all sizes
In 2017, the largest simultaneous ransomware attack ever affected tens of thousands of organizations in 74 countries, including FedEx’ Memphis operations. Collierville's town computer system was the target of a ransomware attack in July.
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Business Use caution with timeshare relief companies
People desperate to unload their timeshares are vulnerable to timeshare relief firms that offer to sell their property for an upfront fee. The firm collects the fee but never delivers the service.
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June 2019
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Business BBB: Get a home inspection
Be present during the inspection, which can take two to five hours. Most home inspectors will be fine with you tagging along and asking questions. You’ll end up with a much better appreciation for the condition of the property, good or bad.
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