2020 is such a different year compared to what we are used to. There are some of us out celebrating, going to the beach with friends, shopping for the latest deals, traveling, and barbequing some delicious food. For others, the coronavirus still has them quarantined in their homes, wondering how they are going to celebrate the holiday without spreading the virus even further. Scammers know this and will try to scam people out of their hard-earned money this upcoming Labor Day. They will track down what people are doing on their computers, track the latest deals, and even put skimmers on devices to try and rip us off with coronavirus Labor Day scams.
Coronavirus Labor Day Scams to Look Out For
Catfishing Scams
Be careful if scrolling on dating sites while bored this Labor Day! Scammers are roaming dating sites as they pretend to be the person in pictures they stole, looking to steal money from their victims. They pretend to fall in love with them and say all the sweet things they need to in order to sweep them off their feet and drain their bank accounts.
Premium Girls Scams
Premium girls are lurking dating apps, looking for men to scam out of their money. They invite them to follow them on Snapchat and OnlyFans, then make them pay for anything they want. Once the guy pays, the girl blocks them and doesn’t follow through with what the guy paid her to do.
Skimmers on Gas Pumps and Store Card Readers
Scammers insert a skimming device in card readers throughout stores and gas stations which reads the card information from the victim. The victim can then take the information from these skimmers and transfer it to a blank credit card, where the scammer can use wherever they want to. It’s as if they have your physical credit card on them as they shop!
Labor Day Online Shopping Phishing Emails
We can all agree that some stores have Labor Day deals that are just too good to pass up! However, scammers know this as well and will try to take your money before you can even use it to shop. They will send out legit-looking emails promoting major discounts on items you love from your favorite stores.
However, once you click on the link to get the best deals, malware will get downloaded onto your device, stealing personal information from you. The scammers can then use this information to access your bank accounts and steal your life savings.
Airbnb Scams
Maybe the lister told you that the property you’re renting is more luxurious than it actually is to make you pay more money. Maybe the property you are trying to rent has some sort of plumbing issue, and now you can’t stay at the property but the owner is refusing to give you your money back.
Maybe they want you to pay for the property outside of the app, or even double-book it and you have no choice but to stay somewhere else. These are all signs of Airbnb Scams that can happen to you during this Labor Day Weekend.
Travel Scams
Scammers pretend to be travel agencies and send out phishing emails, pop-up ads, or robocalls promoting their services. Once people “book their trip” with their card information and personal information, scammers can then use it against their victims, stealing every penny they have.
How to Avoid Coronavirus Labor Day Scams
- Avoid giving anyone your personal information.
- Research the travel site you are using to make sure it is legit and has decent customer reviews.
- Don’t give money to someone outside of the app you’re using when booking the trip.
- If booking an Airbnb, report any scams to them immediately.
- Tug on the card readers to make sure they don’t have any skimming devices.
- Don’t form a relationship with someone right away without video chatting them or meeting them in person.
- Do your research on premium girls before paying one for content.
- Don’t click on any random links sent to you via email or text messaging.
- Only shop on official store websites, or go out to physically shop if your store isn’t closed.
Social Catfish is Here to Help with Coronavirus Labor Day Scams!
You can also go onto Social Catfish if you suspect that you’ve been scammed this Labor Day weekend. We can reverse search any name, email address, phone number, social media username, address, or image to see who it is you’ve really been talking to.