Latest news with #KarinZilberstein
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Student loan debt relief scams rise as repayment resumes
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Student loan payments are back for millions, but so are scammers. Millions of borrowers need to be on high alert, and 36-year-old Devin Virissimo is one of those. He works here at 8 News Now, and starting in August, he will begin paying back his loans. 'Honestly, it's going to be like a whole car payment,' Virissimo said. 'I've already started budgeting now.' The pause on federal student loan payments, as a COVID-19 relief measure, ended nearly five years after it began. Virissimo graduated from UNLV in 2021. He, like millions of others, received notification two months ago about the loans he needs to start paying off. 'Sitting about 25 thousand in student loans.' Millions of borrowers are at risk of becoming victims of student loan-related scams. Experts say scammers are personalizing texts and phone calls with AI, but don't be fooled. Messages coming your way with time-sensitive offers or special promotions should be a red flag. Guardio Vice President Karin Zilberstein said quick fixes like debt forgiveness or reduced payments for a fee are also a red flag. 'Nobody will ask you or offer you ways to pay your loans,' Zilberstein said. 'People should be suspicious when they see such offers.' These messages are not coming from the U.S. Department of Education or its partners. The scammers require you to pay up-front or monthly fees for help. They try to get your credit card number or bank account information. In some cases, they may even step in and ask you to pay them directly, promising to pay your servicer each month when your bill comes due. Free assistance is available through your federal loan servicer. Virissimo, meantime, verified the information he received was legitimate, before agreeing to the terms of his repayment plan. 'Eight payments of about 50 dollars, and then 120 payments of 250 dollars after that.' Many student loan debt relief companies charge a fee to provide services that you can take care of yourself for free by contacting your loan servicer. At no cost, the U.S. Department of Education and its federal loan servicers can help you lower your monthly loan payment, change your repayment plan, consolidate multiple federal student loans, and postpone monthly payments while you're furthering your education or are unemployed. Go to for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Expert Issues Warning Over 'Disturbing' TSA PreCheck Scam
Summer travel season is officially at hand with long lines expected at airport security over the next several months. If you've been tempted to apply for TSA PreCheck to help beat those lines, one expert has issued a word of caution. Karin Zilberstein of Guardio, a browser extension that identifies fake websites and other malware, recently warned of a "disturbing" increase in fake TSA PreCheck sites designed to scam travelers. "We are seeing a disturbing trend of mimicking TSA-like sites," Zilberstein told ABC11. Zilberstein says Guardio has discovered several fake TSA precheck websites and that they are getting better and more realistic looking as technology gets better. "The quality of the sites, obviously, scammers are getting better, using generative AI in producing more and more realistic sites," Zilberstein said, adding that the URL of the website often looks real and "something that you can relate to it, says the words TSA pre-check-in, and there are no fishy numbers, words, or symbols." The goal of these websites is twofold. Obviously, the sites collect money from their victims who believe they are paying the fee to enroll in TSA PreCheck. Additionally, however, the scammers are also collecting personal information that could be used for identity theft or other crimes. Zilberstein also warned that these scammers are using "malvertising," so travelers cannot simply search for "TSA PreCheck" and click on the first link on their search engine. "With those scams that we're seeing specifically around TSA, it's very, very complicated because they also use malvertising, which is advertising that is bought for malicious purposes," Zilberstein said. The best way to keep yourself safe from this scam is to make sure that you are using the official TSA website which ends in .gov, and look for the lock symbol or https in your web address bar, which means that the website is secure. Expert Issues Warning Over 'Disturbing' TSA PreCheck Scam first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 13, 2025
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Scammers using AI to create fake IRS sites. Here's other scams to watch out for.
Cybersecurity experts expect a significant surge in tax-related scams in the final month before Tax Day. Security software company DNSFilter found that traffic to malicious domains with "tax" in the name peaked 30 days before Tax Day in 2024. Phishing and smishing remain the most common forms of tax-related scams, according to DNSFilter, where attackers impersonate legitimate entities like the IRS through email, text, or phone calls to steal personal information. The IRS warns it will never threaten legal action, promise a refund, demand payment through text or email, or call and ask for your credit or debit card information over the phone. Yet scammers still manage to prey on thousands of taxpayers each year. The average tax scam victim last year lost an average of $8,199, according to McAfee. Cybersecurity firm Guardio has tracked a 77% increase in tax-related phishing scams in 2025. AI-generated imposter websites, emails Guardio's Karin Zilberstein said scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create realistic imposter websites and emails. "It's increased the quality of scams," she said. "So scams just look so much more real, their language is more eloquent, the links are more realistic, the visuals on the fake website imitate precisely the imitated brand." An official government website like IRS will always end in .gov. A site purporting to be the IRS ending in .org, .com, or anything else should be a red flag. Phishing texts A common imposter IRS text currently circulating asks for your personal information in order to receive your economic impact payment. The texts include a link to click to "provide you accurate personal information." Ignore it. The IRS says those who qualify for this legitimate credit because they didn't claim it on their 2021 returns don't have to do anything in order to get it. "No action is needed for eligible taxpayers to receive these payments," it reads on the IRS website. "Ghost preparers" The IRS also warns to be wary of who you hire to prepare your taxes. Scam preparers set up fake websites to steal your information. In other cases, the agency says so-called "ghost preparers" refuse to sign or include their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) as required by law. These fake preparers will often collect a fee and then leave you on the hook for fraudulent or incorrect returns. You should always ask for a preparer's PTIN up front and use the website to find preparers in your area who currently hold professional credentials recognized by the IRS. Bad social media advice The IRS, again, cautioned against taking tax advice from TikTok or other social media platforms. As CBS News Philadelphia previously reported, inaccurate and misleading advice has led to an uptick in wrongful claims in recent years, according to the agency. "Social media platforms routinely circulate inaccurate or misleading tax information, including on TikTok where people share wildly inaccurate tax advice," the IRS stated. Claiming ineligible credits could lead to fines and delay legitimately owed refunds. One piece of advice that continues to circulate is about a non-existent "Self-Employment Tax Credit" that's misleading taxpayers into filing false claims, according to the IRS. Promoters market it as a way for self-employed people and gig workers to get big payments for the COVID-19 pandemic period when in reality, the underlying credit being referred to is a much more limited and technical credit called the Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave.
