The Daily Money: Cybercriminals at your door?

Business Betty Lin-Fisher 03/02/2024

Happy Friday! This is Betty Lin-Fisher with today's The Daily Money. Each Friday, I will bring you a consumer-focused edition of this newsletter.

Scammers are always coming up with new and elaborate ways to trick you out of your money. If it wasn't so lucrative, they'd stop. But scammers are upping the ante, now using in-person couriers or mules to come collect money directly from victims.

This is a change in the playbook and more brazen, Chris Pierson, CEO of BlackCloak and a security expert, told me a few days ago. He was referring to new actions that were referenced in an alert this week by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Scammers usually are hiding behind the veil of the Internet to scare victims into handing over their life's savings or important personal information. But there has been an uptick in the use of in-person couriers who are part of the crime ring and go to the victim to collect the money.

Read more in my story about how the scam works and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

Target apparently is in need of a Black History Month history lesson.

The retailer this week has pulled a "Civil Rights Magnetic Learning Activity" because it misidentified several Black icons.

The error was highlighted when a consumer and history teacher on TikTok posted a video showing the mistakes and comparing the misidentified people to historical photos. It had more than 840,000 views this morning after it was posted on Tuesday.

Read more in a story by my USA TODAY colleague James Powel.

📰 Consumer stories you shouldn't miss 📰

  • Some retailers are using your phone to unlock secured store items, CNN reports.
  • Should you wear a mask on a plane?
  • How did the jobs market do in January, and what does it mean?
  • You can return a couch to Costco after 2½ years? Yep.
  • Have an unrecognized charge on your credit card?

🍔 Today's Menu 🍔

It's Girl Scout Cookie season. You probably either love them or hate them – or just want to support the cause. I've got two Girl-Scout related items for you today. USA TODAY Deputy Opinion Editor Louie Villalobossays they're bad, but he still buys them. Here's why.

And in another story, colleague Sarah Alarshani expains what NOT to say when you're asked to buy Girl Scout cookies.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.

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