The Flim-Fan man

 

 

The Flim-Flam Man (titled One Born Every Minute in some countries) is a 1967 American comedy film directed by Irvin Kershner, featuring George C. Scott, Michael Sarrazin, and Sue Lyon, based on the 1965 novel The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man by Guy Owen. The movie has well-known character actors in supporting roles, including Jack Albertson, Slim Pickens, Strother Martin, Harry Morgan, and Albert Salmi

 Mordecai C. Jones – a self-styled "M.B.S., C.S., D.D. – Master of Back-Stabbing, Cork-Screwing and Dirty-Dealing!" – is a drifting confidence trickster who makes his living defrauding people in the Southern United States using tricks such as rigged punchboards, playing cards, and found wallets. He befriends a young man named Curley, a deserter from the United States Army, and the two form a team to make money. In their escapades, they wreck a town during a hair-raising chase in their stolen car, steal a truck loaded with moonshine whiskey that they sell, break out of a sheriff's office, and discover a riverboat brothel. In the ending scene, Mordecai explains how he sees himself.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flim-Flam_Man

 This movie came to mind today because of two emails that I received.

 The first one was allegedly from Microsoft, who told me that they were going to charge my account $99.99 on April 1 to pay for my Office 365 account. The other was from PayPal (who I do not have an account with)

 Just for fun, I called Chase to tell them about the Microsoft email, and they told me that they see scams like this every single day.

 I am not fond of Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas, but he DID publish some useful information on how to avoid scams:

 https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/common-scams

 We're always tracking consumer scams. Here's a list of some common types—and how you can spot, avoid, and report them.

 

Advance Fee Scams

 

Tech Support Scams

 

Phishing

 

Emergency Scams

 

IRS or Government Imposter Scams

 

Foreign Money Exchange Scams

 

Counterfeit Cashier's Checks

 

Bogus Debts

 

Home Repair Scams

 

Business Opportunities or Employment Scams

 

Shopping Sprees

  

Scammers often pretend to be legitimate companies, like Microsoft, Amazon, or Google.

 To avoid getting stuck, do some research before taking any action. 

 NEVER send money to them, ESPECIALLY if they want to get paid by Zelle. Although it is owned by the major banks, the fraud protection they offer is not offered by Zella. Once your money is gone, you will not be getting it back

 Here us some advice from Microsoft:

 https://www.google.com/search?q=microsoft+scams&rlz=1C1GCCA_enUS1151US1152&oq=microsoft+scams&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABKgCCLACAfEFN23HTiCYiQg&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

 

• Don't call any numbers in error messages or pop-ups.
• Don't provide personal information to unsolicited callers or emailers.
• Close your browser if you see a pop-up that scares you.
• Be cautious of emails that don't authenticate.
• Check the email address for @accountprotection.microsoft.com.
• Be wary of unsolicited offers of technical support.
•  

How to report a scam

• Use Microsoft's form to report your interaction with a suspected scammer. 
• Provide as much information as you can about the fraudulent company, but don't include sensitive information. 
•  

What Microsoft says about scams:

Microsoft will never ask for personal or financial information, or to pay for support in cryptocurrency or gift cards. They also won't call you to offer technical support unless you contact them first. 

To quote B.T. Barnum, there is a sucker born every minute - but you do not have to be one of them.

The 5 most spoofed brands are Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

https://keepnetlabs.com/blog/top-5-most-spoofed-brands-in-2024

According to Check Point Research's Brand Phishing Ranking Q3 2024, Microsoft remains the most imitated brand, accounting for 61% of all brand phishing attempts. Cybercriminals exploit Microsoft’s widespread use of services like Outlook and Office 365 to send fake account alerts and login requests. Always verify the sender’s details and avoid clicking on urgent verification emails.

Apple holds the second spot in phishing attempts, making up 12% of attacks in Q3 2024. Scammers often send fake Apple ID verification emails and iCloud security alerts. Be cautious of emails asking for immediate action and verify through official Apple support.

Google climbed to third place, representing 7% of phishing attacks in Q3 2024. Phishing attempts often mimic Gmail login pages and Google Docs sharing notifications. Double-check unexpected document alerts and verify links carefully.

 

Facebook accounts for 3% of brand phishing attempts in Q3 2024. Attackers send fake security alerts or friend request notifications to steal login credentials. Be wary of emails prompting you to reset your password or check unusual activity.

Amazon remains a popular target, with 1.2% of phishing attempts in Q3 2024. Scammers frequently use fake order confirmations, delivery notifications, and special offers to steal personal information. If in doubt, log in directly to your Amazon account to verify any suspicious emails.

One final word of advice:

Be leery of surveys that promise some type of award for answering “just a few questions”. We know people who have been victims of this scam, and we also know people who were scammed by people pretending to be from Amazon.

If it seems to good to be true – it is.