#ScamBusters: Hackers exploit small business owners in Colorado Springs
A new twisted scam is targeting small business owners in Colorado Springs. The deal comes off as a promising way to make money, but ends up being a rip off where the owner is liable for fraud.
How it works
Hackers are targeting business owners via email. The message indicated the ‘man’ is looking for services, but can only pay with a credit card.
Before the initial payment is processed, the hacker will ask for an additional $25,000 dollars for a third party to do part of the work.
The catch? The scammer is paying with a stolen credit card, leaving the business owner liable for the fraud.
Meet Brian
Brian Way is the owner of “Way Restoration and Fabrication”. The business offers welding, metal fabrication, and home repair services.
He recently received an email from a potential client requesting a new gate.
“This guy says he is deaf and in the hospital for surgery and wants an estimate for a gate on his property,” he said.
Way gave him an estimate, but the ma claims he can only pay with credit card.
“He then said I was going to need a separate invoice for an engineer for $2,500 and include $200 for myself.”
The catch? The credit card he used to pay is stolen, leaving Way liable for the charges.
“It was a mess and so frustrating it took up my whole day,” he said.
Scams similar to this can also lead the way to business identity theft. For example, hackers will try to get personal or financial information about your company or customers by sending a malware-infected link in an email.
Detective Jon Price, with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office explains it happens all the time.
“We have to be super detail oriented and careful, because a O could be a zero or a 3 could be an E. Just one little difference like that could change everything,” he said.
Bottom line: keep an eye out for sketchy email domains or poor grammar in the body of a message.
Want to report a scam?
Email me at Stephanie.Sierra@KRDO.com
