Inner Security Systems

Scams

Census Scams

Just in time for the 2010 Census, a new round of scams are coming out. Don't be a victim - read here to learn more: Census Scams

Jury Duty Scam

This has been verified by the FBI (Their link is included below). It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced.

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo, your identity just got stolen. The scam has been reported so far in 11 states, including Illinois.

This (scam) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they're with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Check it out here:

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/092805.htm

ATM Scam

You may have seen this before, but it never hurts to get a reminder. The bad guys use the same tricks over and over and over.

A team of organized criminals are installing equipment on legitimate bank ATM's to steal both the ATM card number and the PIN. The team sits nearby in a car receiving the information transmitted wirelessly over weekends and evenings from equipment they install on the front of the ATM (see photos). If you see an attachment like this, do not use the ATM and report it immediately to the bank using the 800 number or phone on the front of the ATM.

The equipment used to capture your ATM card number and PIN are cleverly disguised to look like normal ATM equipment. A "skimmer" is mounted to the front of the normal ATM card slot that reads the ATM card number and transmits it to the criminals sitting in a nearby car.

At the same time, a wireless camera is disguised to look like a leaflet holder and is mounted in a position to view ATM PIN entries.

The thieves copy the cards and use the PIN numbers to withdraw money from many accounts in a very short time directly from the bank ATM.

An Ordinary-looking ATM?

A False card slot is affixed over the original card slot. The false
slot holds an additional card reader used to copy card information.

An ordinary monitor and pamphlet holder?

The pamphlet holder houses a hidden micro-camera.

The hidden camera is angled to view the monitor and the
keypad and transmit wireless photos of them up to 750' away.