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How to negotiate with debt collectors 06/28/2023 10:35am • Whether you owe a debt or not, getting a phone call from a debt collector is never a pleasant experience. And it's one that may be happening more frequently in recent months. The hiatus that some states and companies put on debt collection activities at the height of the pandemic has largely ende How to protect yourself from 'deepfake' AI robocall scams 06/26/2023 11:15am • A recent consumer survey by Transaction Network Services, a telecommunications service provider based in Reston, Virginia, found two-thirds of Americans are concerned about artificial intelligence-generated "deepfake" robocalls. These scam callers can use AI to mimic the voice of a victim's f Jobseekers beware: Phony postings and job scams are on the rise 06/25/2023 05:27am • With the country’s sizzling hot jobs market, many people are finding and securing choice employment positions. But some are seeing an uptick in job scams, according to a recent survey by a cybersecurity research group. Nearly one-third of the people surveyed told PasswordManager.com that th Data Doctors: Why paying with a smartphone is safer 04/21/2023 04:43pm • Q: How can I tell if my Android smartphone can be used for mobile payments and is it safe? A: There are good reasons to consider using the mobile payment systems that most of today’s smartphones support, ranging from convenience to security. The key feature that your smartphone must have is DC leads nation for IRS robo-scams (and no, the IRS won’t text you) 04/07/2023 09:49am • Reston, Virginia-based Transaction Network Services has seen a spike in recent months in IRS-related robocall and robotext scams — and residents in the D.C. region are getting a lot of them. “What we see now in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area there is the highest level of per-capita spam It may sound like a family member on the phone — but it could be a scammer 03/06/2023 03:32pm • When you get a call from a family member in trouble, you would probably do just about anything to help them, including giving them money. But watch out — scammers are taking advantage of this reaction. Jen Golbeck, a computer science professor at the University of Maryland, said this is an old Data Doctors: Pros and cons of authentication apps 02/24/2023 05:16pm • Q: What are the pros and cons of using a third-party authentication app? A: Every user of the internet should be familiar with the security concept known as two-factor authentication (2FA), which typically uses your smartphone to verify that you are the owner of an account, while logging in via a Data Doctors: Why scammers love gift cards 02/10/2023 05:41pm • Q: How and why are gift cards used by scammers to steal money? A: Using gift cards is one of scammers' favorite methods to extract money from victims for a variety of reasons. They are available everywhere, easy to buy, easy to use and generally impossible to trace. The lack of recourse for vi Beware of scammers impersonating Prince George’s Co. sheriff’s deputies 01/26/2023 07:36am • The sheriff's office in Prince George's County, Maryland, is warning people of a recent phone scam involving calls with scammers impersonating deputies. The callers are claiming to be from the Prince George's County Office of the Sheriff and are using internal office phone numbers, according to a Prince William Co. warns residents of scam letter 01/01/2023 12:13pm • Prince William County Tax Administration officials and county police want residents to know that a scam letter sent to residents is not legitimate. In a notification to the community, the county said that the fraudulent letter is not from the county's "Tax Processing Unit." More Prince Catfish scams target everyone: Here's how to keep kids safe 12/03/2022 07:13am • Catfishing crimes have ensnared people for years. This week, a grieving family implored parents to monitor their children's online activity after a former Virginia state trooper catfished a 15-year-old girl online. He then traveled to Southern California, where he allegedly killed the girl's moth Fairfax Co. police want victims of cash-for-gold ruse to come forward 12/02/2022 09:01am • Fairfax County police are still looking for more victims of a bizarre cash-for-fake gold scheme where drivers who stop to help a fellow driver on the side of the highway end up possibly getting abducted and intimidated into draining their bank accounts. Three people have been arrested in the Virg Reston firm warns about a texting scam called 'Pig Butchering' 11/28/2022 08:34am • Phone call scams have morphed over the years into text message scams. A recent report said Americans receive an average of 16.9 spam texts every month. One of the newest ones has earned the name "Pig Butchering." "It is the idea of finding a target, fattening up the target, building trust Data Doctors: Tips to avoid LinkedIn scams when job searching 10/07/2022 06:56pm • Q: I’ve never used LinkedIn for job searches — what should I watch for so I don’t get scammed? A: LinkedIn is the largest social network for business professionals, which also makes it a common way for scammers to trick those looking for work. They’ll use a host of tricks to get people Police arrest LA woman in connection with Rockville lottery ticket scam 09/22/2022 09:50am • A California woman has been arrested for her part in what police describe as a lottery ticket scam. Police in Maryland's Montgomery County say 54-year-old Daisy Castillo Badillo, of Los Angeles, California, worked with two others to steal nearly $14,000 from a local woman. In April, police sai