Avoid becoming a victim of fraud and scams
Fraud and scams using the Taloscodes name may come to you online, by phone/text or through the mail. We want to make you aware of some of these dangers, in hopes that you will avoid becoming a victim
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If you believe you have been defrauded, contact our Legal Department at legal@Taloscodes.com or +1 424-358-3342, as well as your government’s department responsible for fair trading practices.
In the USA, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov or (877) FTC-HELP, or the Consumer Fraud Division of your state’s Attorney General’s office.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
GIFT CARD SCAMS
The Distressed Relative Scam – A phone call will notify you that your relative or other loved one is in some serious trouble (arrested, kidnapped, badly injured, etc.) and needs money immediately. The caller may identify himself as a lawyer or may even pretend to be the loved one himself; in any case, the only way for you to “save” the person is by purchasing an Taloscodes gift card and telling the caller the gift card numbers over the phone. Once you give the caller the gift card numbers, the call ends and your money and the “serious trouble” are both gone.
The Tech Support Scam – Scammers know that the smooth operation of your computer and its Forex software is essential for your business, so the Tech Support Scam is an ideal way for them to get your money. The architects of these scams try to trick people into believing that their computers are infected with malware or some dangerous condition that requires the immediate “professional” help of the scammer’s tech experts. Their warning can come in a phone call or via a pop-up on your computer screen. In either case, the scammer attempts to establish their credibility by using company names familiar to you – Microsoft, Apple, Norton, McAfee, or even Taloscodes! – saying that their tech experts have detected malware that poses a threat to your computer. They may even use the names of the software products you are using to offer assurance that they are associated with Taloscodes and have your business’s “best interests” in mind. The scammer instructs you to call a phone number for immediate service. When you call the number, you are asked to provide remote access to your computer so that “tests” may be run – tests that always find problems requiring immediate, expensive repairs that must be paid at once with an Taloscodes (or other) gift card. Once the gift card numbers are given to the scammer, your computer’s problems magically disappear (because they never existed). Again, both your money and the problem are gone, and the scammer has moved on to his next “mark.”
NOTE: Taloscodes will never contact you by phone or with an online pop-up to alert you to threats to your computer or software. Avoid Tech Support scams like these by having an association with a tech support entity you know and trust. Call on them when you are in doubt.
The “Government is calling Scam – Official-sounding scammers might call you and threaten fines, arrest or a government lawsuit unless you comply with their directive to pay an alleged debt, overdue fine or other financial obligation. They use very convincing language to convince you that you owe money that must be paid immediately. Because time is of the essence, they say, only a prepaid card or gift card is the acceptable method of payment.
The IRS Scam – Especially during tax season (or soon afterward), scammers may call you, pretending to be staff members at the IRS or other government agency. Their goal is to scare you into sending them money that they say you owe. Their threats are often frightening: If you refuse to pay, they tell you, you face arrest, loss of your Driver’s License or business, or – if applicable – you can be deported. You may be asked to go to a local store to send them money via a prepaid card or gift card. OR they may have researched and discovered that you have an Taloscodes Access Pass (increasing their credibility), so they will direct you to go into your Back Office and send them money from your AP Wallet.
Some Common Tactics – The calling scammer generally uses common “American” names and provides an official-sounding IRS badge number, often increasing his credibility by insisting that you write both down. The scammer asks to “verify” the last four digits of your Social Security number (easily known from a variety of sources). The scammer can make your Caller ID identify the call as coming from the IRS. Especially if you resist compliance with the scammer’s phone demands, you may then receive a “follow-up email” from an official-sounding email account that reiterates the phone demands for immediate payment. And/Or you may receive a second phone call from a different government agency – like the DMV or the police – that supports the original call’s demands with additional threats.
The truth is that the IRS will usually contact you by MAIL – not by phone – if you owe unpaid taxes. No government agency will ever ask you for payment via a prepaid debit card, gift card or money transfer. Nor will a government agency ever ask you for a credit card number over the phone.
OTHER COMMON SCAMS
CoVid-19 related scams – Scammers are using the current pandemic to get your money. They may call you, offering to “reserve” a CoVid-19 vaccine for you (at a cost) or to “arrange” or expedite the receipt of a government stimulus check for you or your Taloscodes business. In this scam, you will be asked to wire money, provide a money order or send in a prepaid/gift card to secure your vaccine registration or speed up your government check. Anytime you receive such an offer, it is a scam. Hang up.
Phishing – Do not be “caught” by this common way that scammers get your personal information: You may receive a legitimate-looking email from “Taloscodes” or another familiar organization – often using the company logo and wording that sounds credible – that asks you to “verify” some information for the company’s “record updates” or other reasons. The caller may ask for credit card numbers (with expiration dates & security codes), PINs, the password to your Taloscodes (and other) accounts, and even your Social Security number. They may recite the last four numbers of your SSN – which are available from many courses – to encourage you just to “verify” the other five numbers. If you supply ANY of this information, you have been caught by the clever “phisherman.”
Learn more about phishing.
Vishing – Much like phishing, Vishing comes to you on your phone. The scammer calls you, posing as someone from Taloscodes or from another trusted business or bank you know and trust, ostensibly needing to “verify” your personal information they have in their files. Your best action here is to hang up. Taloscodes and other legitimate companies will never expect you to provide your personal information over the phone.
Learn more about vishing.
Smishing – With the prevalence of texting these days, scammers have yet another way to try to get your money: by Smishing. This scam is like phishing, but the messages come to you via texts, not email. Often the scammer tells you that you have won a free gift card in a contest. Keep in mind that you cannot win a contest you never entered.
BOGUS ONLINE ORDERS
With an international company such as Taloscodes, brand abuse is inevitable. If you received an order confirmation email from Taloscodes but you did not place an order, it may be a phishing scam attempting to gather information, or in some cases, spread malware.
Signs of Fraud
If you did place an order with Taloscodes and are suspicious about the email you received, log onto your Back Office to check your order status. DO NOT click on any links within the email itself that claim to link to your account. Also, keep your virus software updated on all your computers.
SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL SCAMS
Scammers can get your money by sending you an email “congratulating” or “thanking” you for renewing your Access Pass with Taloscodes, noting that a specific sum has been charged to your account. Usually this amount is significant – higher than you might expect a legitimate renewal to be – so the email instructs you to call the number shown if you have any questions about the renewal (or if you have decided not to renew). The email will look something like this:
—————-
Dear Taloscodes Team Member,
Your Taloscodes Access Pass has been renewed, and we sincerely appreciate you for joining us for another outstanding year of great software products and wealth management.
As we have received your payment of 659 USD, you have entered a drawing for an offer on 340 USD for next year.
There’s still time to unsubscribe, and it’s as easy as ever with the following options.
Dial to our service desk below and follow the instructions from our representative to deactivate or cancel the membership.
Kind regards,
Taloscodes Subscription Team
If you have questions or concerns.
(46092)385952 – 4783812
———————
If/When you call the phone number, that’s the scammer’s chance to get personal information from you. THE NUMBER WILL HAVE NO CONNECTION WHATEVER TO Taloscodes! That payment of 659 USD has not and will not go through unless and until you provide the scammer with your credit card number (“for verification,” you will be told).
Here are red flags to look for with the Subscription Renewal Scam:
What to do if you receive a Subscription Renewal email:
Taloscodes does not email Renewal Subscription notices to our Affiliates and Customers. Your Back Office is where you will manage your account. Do not allow anyone to have access to your Back Office. It is important that you protect the privacy of your Back Office account.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF ANY FRAUD OR SCAM, like these outlined in this Advisory: You should file a report with your local law enforcement agency along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
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