CUSTOMER ALERT — CHARITY SCAMS EXPLOIT COMPASSION

A global crisis — from a natural disaster to a humanitarian emergency — will evoke a powerful urge to help. Scammers exploit this compassion for their own gain, weaving elaborate webs of deceit disguised as charitable efforts.

Here are the most common types of fraud used by scammers after such tragedies:

• Fake websites or social media pages that look like they belong to a legitimate charity – Scammers will use the same name or logo as a legitimate charity, or a similar name or logo. They may also copy the charity’s website design or create a fake website that uses a similar web address as the real charity.
• Crowdfunding scams – We’ve all seen people ask for donations on social media to help fund someone’s medical bills or provide aid following a natural disaster. Keep in mind that scammers also use sites like Go Fund Me with fake stories to solicit donations.
• Direct contact with people to ask for donations – This can be done in person, by mail, by phone, or via email, text message, or social media messaging. The scammer may claim to be a representative of a legitimate charity, or say that they’re raising money for a specific individual or family in need.

To protect yourself from these scams, always verify before donating to any charity by using independent resources like Charity Navigator or GiveWell. One rule of thumb that works consistently is to ignore unsolicited pitches. If you didn’t call, text, or email the organization, don’t respond. You’re better off sending money directly to the charity of your choice.

Short Tutorial/FAQ – How do I browse more privately in Chrome or Safari?

If you don’t want Google Chrome to remember your browsing history, you can browse the web privately in Incognito mode. This same type of feature is known as Private Browsing in Safari on Apple devices, and it prevents your browsing from being recorded and stored on your device.

How to Use Icognito Mode in Google Chrome

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. At the top right, click the stack of three dots, then select New Incognito Window.
3. A new window appears. In the top corner, check for the Incognito icon (hat and glasses).

You can also use a keyboard shortcut to open an Incognito window:

• Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Shift + n.
• Mac: Press Command + Shift + n.

You can switch between Incognito windows and regular Chrome windows. You’ll only browse in private when you’re using an Incognito window.

How to Use Private Browsing in Safari

1. Open Safari and click on File in the menu bar at the top.
2. Choose New Private Window, and you will get a new window to browse privately in Safari on Mac.
3. Alternatively, you can use the Mac shortcut Command + Shift + N to access Private Browsing.
4. You will see a dark Smart Search field with white text.
5. If you open multiple tabs within a Private Browsing window, they will work as individual private sessions and Safari won’t share any data between the tabs.

Stay Alert – DON’T FALL FOR ROMANCE SCAMMERS

A romance scam occurs when a criminal creates a fake profile — on social media or through a dating app — and feigns romantic interest to create a feeling of trust and scam the victim out of money. To spot a romance scam, watch for these red flags, which identify what scammers typically do:

• Pretend to be heroes in faraway places. They may claim to be Marines, soldiers, admirals, generals, diplomats, or surgeons.
• Say they’ve “fallen in love” quickly. They’ll often use endearing terms such as “darling” and “love of my life” and attribute the budding romance to destiny or fate, making the victim feel as special as possible.
• Post a profile with vague or few images across platforms. These scammers will usually impersonate someone else and have only one or two images of the person they’re pretending to be.
• Try to move to a more personal communication platform. Dating sites and apps have parameters in place to help spot scammers and ultimately remove them. That’s why scammers may try to quickly get you to move to a more private communication platform, such as emailing or texting.
• Ask for money. If a love interest you’ve met online asks for money before you’ve met in person, you’re being scammed.

If you think someone is a scammer, cut off contact immediately and tell the dating app or social media platform about your concerns.

Short Tutorial/FAQ – What is Extended Reality?


QUESTION: What is Extended Reality and how is it being used?

ANSWER: Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term encapsulating Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and everything in between. XR offers an experience for the senses, where the line between reality and the simulated world becomes blurred as you dive into another world visually, acoustically, and through tactile sensations.

XR is revolutionizing everyday consumer experiences and transforming manufacturing and other industry segments. Here are a few examples:

Retail: XR lets you try out a product before you buy it. For example, IKEA is giving customers the opportunity to place furniture and accessories in their homes using their smartphones.

Training: XR can provide hyper-realistic training tools to help soldiers, medical personnel, pilots/astronauts, chemists, and others to find solutions to problems or learn how to react to dangerous circumstances.

Remote Work: Employees can connect to their home office or to professionals around the world in a way that makes both sides feel like they are in the same room.

Entertainment and Gaming: Consumers can virtually experience live music and sporting events from the comfort of their VR headsets. Gamers can intimately feel what their selected scenes would resemble in the flesh, whether crossing into another era, place, or exploring fantastic futuristic worlds.

Health Care: Medical imaging technologies like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT scans now make extensive use of XR. It gives staff full 3D representations of human bodies rather than traditional 2D imaging.

Stay Alert – Watch Out for Online Ticket Scams

Scammers are taking advantage of the fact that many concerts and sporting events are replacing paper tickets with digital tickets — which are bought online, downloaded into a phone app, and then presented at the arena gate for scanning. Instead of having to print counterfeit tickets and peddle them on a street corner, scammers can now stay home and post ads for tickets on online marketplaces.

Enthusiastic fans, desperate to get tickets, are losing hundreds or thousands of dollars. Many don’t realize they’ve been scammed until they show up at the venue and can’t get in. Some learn they bought counterfeit tickets. Others have legitimate tickets that the scammer sold to multiple people; in that scenario, the first person who has their ticket scanned at the gate gets in, but the others don’t.

How do scammers get away with it? It’s relatively easy to forge barcodes, QR codes, and logos of legitimate ticket companies using consumer-grade graphic design software. Scammers can also create counterfeit websites that look like the real thing, with a URL that’s only slightly different.

Here’s how to reduce your odds of being scammed:

• For ticket purchases, avoid Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Instagram. The safest way to buy tickets is from the venue, either in person or through its official website.
  
  
• Don’t try to buy tickets from an individual unless it’s someone you actually know.
  
  
• For a sold-out event, an online reseller (such as StubHub, Vivid Seats, or SeatGeek) may be your only option. Live Nation and Ticketmaster also resell tickets. If you’re not familiar with the resale company, check it out at BBB.org.
  
  
• Steer clear of any reseller that won’t accept credit cards and especially those that want payment via gift card, wire transfer, or a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment app. Criminals prefer these payment methods because they’re instant, untraceable, and irreversible.

Do your homework and be careful out there. You don’t want to lose a ticket to theft!