Regardless of the methods scammers use to contact potential victims, the FDACS fact sheet highlights five red flags that can help citizens detect and avoid potential scams.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has issued a vehicle warranties alert for marketing fraudulent calls, including requests to pay for services with gift cards and cryptocurrencies.
Consumer complaints about a rise in robocall scams, where scammers use pre-recorded calls to promote and sell fraudulent services, prompted the Bureau of Enforcement to order phone companies to avoid transmitting robocall traffic.
Regardless of the methods scammers use to contact potential victims, the FDACS fact sheet highlights five red flags indicating fraud.
Five red flags for fraud detection. Source: fdacs.gov.
The ad highlighted some of the most popular payment methods often recommended by scammers:
“Payment Method: If you are asked to pay with a gift card or cryptocurrency, it is a scam.”
In addition to asking Florida residents not to make crypto payments, the FDACS confirmed that no government official will ask for personal information such as a social security number or credit card, adding, “Only scammers will ask for one of these forms of payment.” and once you send money, you probably won’t get it back.”
While the fact sheet mentions the impossibility of tracing crypto funds from hackers, many companies, including Velodrome and Curve Finance, have successfully recovered stolen funds thanks to the immutable nature of blockchain technology.
On the subject: US Lawmakers Urge Mark Zuckerberg to Fight Crypto Scam “Hotspots”: Report
On September 5, U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman, a well-known crypto skeptic, acknowledged the rapid growth of the crypto ecosystem and stated that cryptocurrencies could no longer be banned.
Sherman explained that political donations and cryptocurrency lobbying make a total ban on cryptocurrencies impossible, adding:
“At first we didn’t ban it because we didn’t understand it was important, and we didn’t ban it now because there is too much money and power behind it.”
Most lawmakers, including Sherman, are in favor of introducing strict regulatory requirements for cryptocurrencies.
