CONSUMER ALERT:

“Boss Scam” Targets Employees With Texts and Emails From Fraudsters Posing as Employers Asking for Gift Cards With More Employees Working Remotely Due to COVID-19 Safety Measures, AG James Offers New Yorkers Tips to Protect Themselves

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James issued an alert to New Yorkers today, warning them about the “Boss Scam. “A standard text and email scam in which fraudsters pose as a consumer’s employer and request gift cards due to a purported work emergency. This scam may rise during the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since many employees are working remotely.

“Due to COVID-19 safety measures, many employees are still working remotely which makes it easier to fall for this common scam,” said Attorney General James. “A legitimate employer will never ask you to purchase gift cards in order to pay clients or for other business purchases. I urge all New Yorkers to be on the alert for this type of fraud, and to protect themselves and their wallets by following our simple tips.”

The scam typically works as follows: An employee receives a text or an email from someone pretending to be their employer who claims there is an urgent matter. The text or email may ‘spoof’ an employer’s actual name, phone number, or email address, making it seem legitimate. The ’employer’ then requests that the employee buy a certain number of Target or other store gift cards in specific denominations and promises to reimburse the employee quickly. As in the example below, the ’employer’ may ask the employee to scratch off the back of the card to reveal the PIN or claim code — thus making the gift card the equivalent of cash — and send photos of the card to the scammer.

A real example of a 2021 text message from a ‘fake’ employer to an employee seeking $1,400 in Target gift cards.

Gift card scams of all types are very prevalent. Most involve some imposter scam, such as scammers pretending to be employers, the government, family, or tech support companies. A December 2020 data analysis by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shows that “About one in four [consumers] who lost money to a fraud say they paid with a gift card. In fact, gift cards have topped the list of reported fraud payment methods every year since 2018. During that time, people reported losing a total of nearly $245 million, with a median individual loss of $840.” According to the FTC, some of the most reported gift and reload card brands consumers mentioned in fraud reports included eBay, Google Play, Target, iTunes, and Amazon.

Attorney General James offers the following tips to protect against the “Boss” gift card scam:

• Take a pause. Scammers create a sense of urgency to prey on victims’ emotions.
• Take a second pause. A legitimate employer will not ask you to handle company business through gift card purchases.
• Verify any supposed emergency by contacting an employer at the number you know. Do not reply to the text or email sent, even if it appears to come from a known email or phone number.

Tips to avoid gift card scams generally:

• Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you unexpectedly asking to be sent gift cards.
• Never purchase gift cards to transfer money. Gift cards are solely for gifts.
• Scammers often train their victims to give false information to retail clerks when clerks ask questions about large gift card purchases. If a retail clerk warns you that you may be the victim of a gift card scam, heed their advice and contact law enforcement officials.

New Yorkers targeted by this scam are urged to file a complaint by completing and submitting a Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau online complaint form or by calling (800) 771-7755.

Source: Press Release
Date: August 13, 2021
Attorney General’s Press Office/212-416-8060 nyag.pressoffice@ag.ny.gov

Experts recently highlighted in a discourse series that artificial intelligence (AI) creates new opportunities that traditional technology could not achieve and could be used for health care and many other present and future challenges in various sectors.

“AI would not replace people but create new opportunities in various fields. It works on data, and if we could train our machines, it could do wonders for us in milliseconds by automating processes. It can be used for diagnostic purposes for various diseases, including COVID-19, and could prove very effective in remote areas where adequate health facilities are unavailable. Key to success in using AI for various problems is to reach out to the maximum number of people,” said Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST) Prof Ashutosh Sharma at the online DST Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Discourse Series New India @ 75, organized by National Council for Science & Technology Communication and Vigyan Prasar.

He spoke about how DST has progressed over the last few years, seeding foundational technologies and launching several schemes to tackle the challenges coming at a faster speed with science, technology, and innovation-based solutions. “The emergence of disruptive and impactful technologies poses new challenges and simultaneously greater opportunities. DST is a nursery to help, nurture and grow young talents for the progress and development of the country,” he added.

Anna Roy, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog, pointed out that AI can effectively address the country’s various challenges.

“India has several challenges, but at the same time, we also have the advantage of being a data-rich country with a lot of IT professionals, educationalists, and a demographic dividend. All this could prove a boon for us if we could use these for the progress and development of the country”, Anna Roy said.

She highlighted NITI Aayog’s role in identifying various problems in the country and suggesting a future roadmap for India. “NITI Aayog,, as the leading think tank for the government and country, is creating policies for widening the science and technology ecosystem and taking industry and academia along for progress and development of the country in every sector,” she emphasized.

Source: Press Release
Release ID: 1741413
Date: August 02, 2021
PIB Delhi
Ministry of Science & Technology