Most scams seem to cast a wide net. From Nigerian prince emails to threatening phone calls about your social security number, to Ponzi schemes, the most common scams seek to target a large cross-section of the population, in order to find more victims. However, you might be surprised to learn that there are many forms of online fraud which target specific communities and professions with tailor-made messages designed to trick them out of their money. Here are just two unusual scams to be aware of.
Something Feels Fishy About This Online Fraud
We’ve already highlighted the increasingly online fraud that targets would-be adopters of cats and dogs, but there are also scams in the exotic pet trade. The Asian arowana is an endangered fish species that is illegal in some countries and highly prized in others. Rare color variants have been known to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some farms have been accused of running a scam where they sell the same fish to multiple buyers, without ever actually delivering the coveted pet.
Viral Dance Trend Inspires Scammers
Dance instructors are the target of one online fraud variant. The instructor receives an email, often from someone who purports to be trying to plan a surprise flash mob for a friend or family member’s wedding. Another variant involves arranging classes for a minor child who is visiting the area. Either way, the request tends to involve a lot of highly specific details designed to make it appear to be a real request, such as the number of participants for the dance, the date of the wedding, or the name of the minor and where they are visiting from.
Whatever the exact details of the message, the end result is the same: these are all bank transfer scams. If the teacher agrees to the gig, they are sent a check that is far more than the agreed-upon fee. The scammer explains this either by saying their secretary made a mistake, please send the excess back, or please forward the remainder to the wedding DJ via bank transfer. Either way, after the transfer has gone through, the check bounces, and the victim is on the hook for the fees as well as the money they wired.
No Matter the Scam, Help is Available
These two examples just serve to illustrate that no community is safe from scammers. Other highly specific forms of online fraud include things like selling fake memorabilia to sports fans, phishing attacks which target video game players, and fraudsters posing as music labels in order to take advantage of artists.
If you have fallen victim to a scam, it doesn’t matter whether it was specifically targeted towards you, or towards a general audience. You have still suffered a loss, and you still deserve reparations. Claim Justice is here to help. There’s no scam too weird and specific for us! We know how to get money back from a scammer, no matter how they took it from you. Contact us today for your free funds recovery consultation.
