New year, new resolve
Instead of—or in addition to—the typical New Year’s resolutions (go to the gym, get organized, etc.), how about making this the year you resolve to protect your money and personal information from scammers. Ohio’s Putnam County District Library posted this video on Facebook highlighting suggested resolutions, provided by the BBB, that you can make to evade fraudsters in 2026. These range from regularly checking your financial statements to catch possible fraudulent account activity to actively staying informed of the latest scams (this is one resolution regular SCAM GRAM readers have in the bag!). The BBB explains the reasons why each resolution is important and offers helpful tips to achieve them. But why stop there? Brad Fritzhand, CEO of Approvd, a company that verifies online sellers, in a PIX11 News segment alerts consumers to some of the scams to look out for this year and offers five resolutions that could help you avoid fraud—for example, create a family code word to be used to thwart imposter schemes such as the “grandparent scam.” And if you are already the victim of a scam, the six resolutions suggested by SCARS (Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams) Institute are “designed to help you reclaim your strength, rebuild trust in yourself, and slowly, intentionally, stitch your sense of self back together” (useful even if the scam you’re a victim of wasn’t a relationship scam). Let’s do this!
Keep an eye on AI
Despite the high hopes every new year brings, it’s important to be realistic (and not just about your weight loss resolution). Despite the unwavering commitment of so many agencies and organizations to stop fraud, scammers just keep on scamming, and artificial intelligence (AI) has given them a powerful new tool. Knowing this, this year it’s more crucial than ever before to understand the threat and be vigilant. AARP says the five scams likely to be the most problematic in 2026 are employment scams, recovery scams (where fraudsters re-scam you through bogus promises to recover the money you lost to a previous scam), digital arrest (fake threats from law enforcement imposters), “Hello pervert” blackmail scams, and romance (and friendship) scams. More broadly, artificial intelligence is expected to play a growing role in scams going forward. “The sophistication level of AI will make it that much harder for people to discern legitimate from illegitimate, real from fake,” said Identity Theft Resource Center CEO Eva Valasquez, who was interviewed for the article. Because of this, she “encourage[s] people to adopt a zero-trust attitude.” AI is used to create deepfake videos, audio recordings and images that make all sorts of scams that much more convincing. In “The 7 Most Popular AI Scams in 2026,” CanIPhish, an Australia-based cybersecurity company, reveals how AI is being used to make many of the most common types of scams even harder to detect. For an alarming example of this, the CanIPhish webpage includes a recording of a robotic, obvious scam call transformed into a much more human-like, believable scam call. The future is here.
Subscription subterfuge
Brutal dishonesty. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced via a January 6 press release that it would be sending refunds to NGL users who were charged for a subscription to the app without their consent. NGL (short for “Not Gonna Lie”) is a messaging app that lets users receive anonymous questions and comments from followers on platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. The press release explains that, in July 2024, the FTC and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office alleged that NGL and two of its co-founders engaged in a slew of illegal practices, including “sending fake messages…and trick[ing] users into signing up for paid subscriptions to NGL Pro…,” and allegedly charged consumers for recurring subscription charges without their consent. If you paid for an NGL Pro subscription between January 2022 and July 2024 without having authorized the charge, you may be eligible for a refund out of the $4.5 million the agencies required NGL to pay. Submit your claim here by April 6, 2026. Let this case (and the following two) be a reminder to check your monthly credit card and/or bank statements for subscriptions you never signed up for or no longer want. (And if you really want brutal honesty under the cover of anonymity, you can probably get it without paying for a subscription.)
Don't add to cart. In December, the FTC announced that Instacart would pay $60 million in consumer refunds to settle the agency’s lawsuit against the grocery delivery company for allegedly engaging in illegal business practices. According to the press release, the allegations against Instacart include falsely advertising free delivery for new customers but then charging a mandatory “service fee” to receive their groceries; falsely advertising a “100% satisfaction guarantee” but then providing dissatisfied customers only a small credit to be applied to future orders; and charging membership fees for Instacart+ subscriptions at the end of the free trial period without customers’ consent. To help consumers avoid the (apparently widespread) problem of being unexpectedly charged for an unwanted subscription, the FTC offers three useful tips: 1) Read all the details before signing up; 2) look for pre-checked boxes and uncheck any you don’t agree with; and 3) make sure you know how to cancel (businesses must provide simple ways for you to cancel an unwanted subscription). And if you do end up being charged without your consent and the company won’t refund your money, the FTC advises you to dispute the charge with your credit or debit card company right away, and then notify the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Tips
Prime time for a scam. Last week, NBC 10 News, out of Providence, Rhode Island, warned consumers that scammers are attempting to capitalize on the Federal Trade Commission’s 2025 Amazon Prime settlement, which provides $1.5 billion in consumer redress for—you guessed it—subscription-related violations. The agreement, which includes an additional $1 billion civil penalty, settled allegations that Amazon “enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent, and knowingly made it difficult for consumers to cancel.” Of course, any win for consumers brings out the scammers, and this record-setting settlement has them circling the waters. Interviewed for the news report, Bentley University professor and creator of Scamicide.com Steve Weisman cautioned consumers to be suspicious of settlement refund-related emails purporting to be from Amazon or the FTC, which scammers are sending in an effort to get recipients to reveal sensitive personal and financial information. Weisman says you can immediately ignore any email about the settlement that comes from the FTC, because any legitimate email about the settlement will come directly from Amazon. An email from Amazon asking if you want your $51 refund via Venmo or PayPal is likely legitimate, but, as the NBC 10 News reporter reminded viewers, “you want to be really careful the email is coming from the real Amazon before you respond.” How can you know if you’re dealing with a scammer or the real McCoy (er…Amazon)? Well, for one thing, Amazon is “not going to be requesting any personal information from you,” Weisman says. Also, check the sender’s email address. If it’s not from a legitimate Amazon address, ignore it. If you’re just not sure, you can always confirm directly with Amazon that the message you got is legit. At the end of the story, the reporter reassured viewers that even if you don’t respond, you’ll still get a check in the mail.
Going solo. Aware that getting fit tops the list for many of those who make New Year’s resolutions, the BBB says there are some things to be aware of before you sign a gym contract. “We do see a lot of extra hidden fees in gym membership contracts,” cautioned Amie Mitchell, CEO of the BBB of Eastern Oklahoma, in a FOX 23 News segment. So, she says, you should “really review that contract.” She also says to always use a credit card for gym memberships, in case you “get into a shady gym that you can’t get out of the contract.” Credit cards are the payment option that offers the greatest consumer protections, including the right to dispute a charge. Using a credit card is particularly important because, while gyms make it easy to join, many make it much more difficult to end your membership. (Just last year, the FTC sued LA Fitness for allegedly putting up roadblocks for members wanting to cancel.) If you find yourself stuck in a gym membership you no longer want, Yahoo Health provides a guide to canceling at five popular gym chains. You might find the information helpful even if your gym isn’t on the list. Rest assured, canceling your gym membership doesn’t mean you need to give up on your fitness resolution. Check out Healthy Monday’s “7 Ways to Get Fit Without a Gym” for tips to achieve your goal (without towel service).
Don't pack your bags just yet. Do the frigid temperatures have you dreaming of a tropical getaway? Or have you resolved to finally take that bucket list trip this year? A story out of New York earlier this month serves as an important reminder to vet any travel agent before booking a trip. As reported by local News 12, Tavia Thomas, the owner of Destiny Travel in East Meadow on Long Island, was arrested and accused of multiple counts of grand larceny and scheming to defraud. The charges stem from events beginning on July 8, when Thomas received $35,753.98 (to be precise) from nine customers for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Upon arrival for their trip, the customers learned from a cruise employee that their tickets were fraudulent and the cruise they booked didn’t exist. According to the news report, police say that the following week, Thomas received $7,666 from a group for a destination wedding, but the ALG Vacations resort venues were never booked. And in September, the news report continues, Thomas allegedly booked a 75th birthday trip to the Dominican Republic for another victim and her 50 family members, pocketing $10,034.16 without ever paying for the accommodations. None of the victims received refunds for the unfulfilled bookings. For a heads-up on all manner of travel-related scams, from hijacked vacation home listings to bogus international driving permits, and tips for avoiding them, check out the FTC’s “Avoid Scams When You Travel.” Senior Travel World’s “6 Ways to Spot Fake Travel Agents and Avoid Cruise Scams” video will help you spot imposters and vet any travel agent you consider doing business with. Happy trails!
Groundhog Day again. We wrote about it in 2015, 2016 and 2017, but we’re saying it again in 2026: No phone call demanding money or personal information because you missed jury duty is legitimate! Unfortunately, jury duty scams—attempts to scare victims by threatening jail time or other consequences for missing jury duty and, typically, demanding immediate payment of a fine—are still rampant because they work. An Arizona victim was in the news this week after losing $35,000 to just such a scam. According to the First Alert 6 story, Kristine (no last name provided) got a call from someone posing as a police officer, who told her that she would have to pay to stay out of jail for missing jury duty. She complied, but toward the end of the ordeal (which had the victim visiting four different banks to collect the demanded funds), she said she knew something was wrong. She now has this advice for others: “Just follow your gut. Because if I would have done that, it would’ve ended way sooner,” she said. Far away, in Georgia, two Calhoun State Prison inmates were convicted of perpetrating a—you guessed it—jury duty scam. As reported by WALB News 10, the two men, posing as law enforcement, told the scam victims that they had warrants for their arrest for missing jury duty, and demanded that the victims purchase gift cards and read the numbers off the back of the cards to them. All told, the scheme netted the fraudsters $464,920 from over 100 victims nationwide. A press release put out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced that the convicted men face a maximum of 30 years in prison for wire fraud and a maximum of 20 years in prison for money laundering, to be followed by three years of supervised release along with a $250,000 fine per count. Sounds like the jury in this one did its duty.
Rough way to end 2025. WTEN News10, serving New York’s Capital Region, recently provided an update on the investigation into a phishing scam that, in December, succeeded in having the Warren County Treasurer’s Office make two electronic payments totaling $3.3 million into a fraudulent bank account. As the story goes, an imposter posing as an employee of Peckham Materials Corp., a legitimate company that had been contracted to do work for the county, contacted the county treasurer’s office and asked to set up an Automated Clearing House (ACH) account so that payments (which had previously been made by check) could be made electronically. Subsequently, a payment was made, on Dec. 12, for $2.1 million, and another, for $1.2 million, was made on Dec. 22. “This was a very basic act of fraud that was easily preventable,” said Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr, quoted in the coverage by WRGB CBS 6, driving home the point that whether a scammer is attempting to steal $33 or $3.3 million, the same tactics can work—as can the same preventive measures. As part of WTEN's coverage of the breaking story in December, cybersecurity expert Christopher Wagner, of Interactive Cyber Control, cautioned that “it’s important to double-check any large financial requests before approving them. Especially through email, there always has to be a double chain of communications.” He advises always reaching out directly to the email sender to verify that the request is actually coming from them. Investigators told the county the $1.2 million payment will be recovered and returned to the treasurer’s office. Officials added that they hope to recover additional funds from the first payment. And we’re hoping 2026 is off to a better start for everyone involved.
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