Slate: Inside the Weird, Thriving World of Fake Vaccine Cards. “First, people cheated to receive a COVID vaccine shot. Now, they cheat to not get one. As some venues, businesses, workplaces, and gatherings of all kinds ask for vaccination proof, people who wish to avoid the shot are turning to the black market to buy vaccination documents.”
City A.M.: Rip-off travel ads ‘rife’ on Google as scammers exploit Brexit confusion. “Rip-off copycat adverts for travel documents are ‘running rife’ on search engines such as Google as unscrupulous sellers look to capitalise on confusion over post-Brexit travel arrangements.”
ProPublica: A Banking App Has Been Suddenly Closing Accounts, Sometimes Not Returning Customers’ Money. “Chime, a ‘neobank’ serving millions, is racking up complaints from users who can’t access their cash. The company says it’s cracking down on an “extraordinary surge” in fraudulent deposits. That’s little consolation to customers caught in the fray.”
WSMV: ‘How to’ videos of false positive Covid tests removed from TikTok. “Faking a positive Covid test to get out of school is what some students in the United Kingdom are doing and they are putting their fake COVID tests on social media. TikTok blocked the hashtag ‘fake Covid tests’ because some TikTok users in the United Kingdom were posting videos of how to create a fake positive COVID test.”
New York Times: Four States Start Inquiries Into Recurring Donation Tactics of Both Parties. “Four state attorneys general have begun looking into the online fund-raising practices of both political parties, specifically seeking information about the use of prechecked boxes to enroll contributors in recurring donation programs that spurred a wave of fraud complaints and demands for refunds last year.”
CNET: How fake reviews flood Amazon, fueled by Facebook groups like this one. “Valerie Zhong, the administrator of the Club Ki-Fair group on Facebook, made a simple commitment: Join her group and get free samples of household products. The generous offer promised to put hair care products, nail polishes and coffee makers into the hands of members. There was, of course, a catch. Club members had to buy the products and write a review for Amazon, where they were sold. Then, the purchases would be refunded.”
WUSF: State Launches Website To Provide Surfside Assistance, Warns Of GoFundMe Scams . “Florida has created a new website that pools together federal, state and community efforts to help victims, families and first responders affected by the Surfside collapse, amid warnings of GoFundMe scams.”
BBC: Amazon and Google probed over efforts to stop fake reviews. “Amazon and Google are under investigation over concerns fake five star reviews on their websites could be misleading shoppers. The Competition and Markets Authority is also worried that ‘law-abiding businesses’ who sell over Amazon and Google may be losing out to firms using false recommendations.”
EveningStandard: New Twitter prompt to offer support to online scam victims. “A new tool offering support and guidance to people who have been the victim of an online scam will begin appearing on Twitter on Tuesday.”
Arab News: Fraudulent ad promoters on social media could face hefty fines, jail in Saudi Arabia. “Those who promote and advertise fraudulent goods on social media sites have been warned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution that they could face up to three years in prison or a SR1 million ($267,000) fine, or both.”
ShareCast: FCA warns Google to stop accepting scam adverts . “UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority has warned tech giant Google that it will take legal action if it continues to accept advertisements for online financial scams.”
The Guardian: Amazon blames social media for struggle with fake reviews. “Amazon has blamed social media companies for its failure to remove fake reviews from its website, arguing that ‘bad actors’ turn to social networks to buy and sell fake product reviews outside the reach of its own technology.”
MakeUseOf: 5 Facebook Marketplace Scams and How to Avoid Them. “When used responsibly, Facebook Marketplace is an excellent resource for getting anything you need at an affordable price. Learning how to identify sketchy situations and suspicious items lets you take advantage of everything the platform has to offer while keeping yourself safe.”
World Trademark Review: Concern voiced as low-cost filer Trademark Terminal launches new platforms. “Recently-launched low-cost trademark filing offerings ‘Trademark Kingdom’ and ‘Trademark Nations’ appear to be linked to controversial platform Trademark Terminal, WTR can reveal. In response, an industry expert continues to call on the USPTO to do more to monitor low-cost filers.”
The Guardian: Revealed: rightwing firm posed as leftist group on Facebook to divide Democrats. “In an apparent attempt to split the Democratic vote in a number of close races, the ads purported to come from an organization called America Progress Now (APN) and used socialist memes and rhetoric to urge leftwing voters to support Green party candidates. Facebook was aware of the true identity of the advertiser – the conservative marketing firm Rally Forge – and the deceptive nature of the ads, documents seen by the Guardian show, but the company determined that they did not violate its policies.”
