By Nelson A. King
New York Attorney General, Letitia
James on Friday issued an alert
to New Yorkers, warning them about
the “Boss Scam,” a common text
and email scam in which fraudsters
pose as a consumer’s employer and
request gift cards due to a purported
work emergency.
James said this scam may be on
the rise during the coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
since many employees are working
remotely.
“Due to COVID-19 safety measures,
many employees are still working
remotely which makes it easier to
fall for this common scam,” she said.
“A legitimate employer will never ask
you to purchase gift cards in order
to pay clients or for other business
purchases.
“I urge all New Yorkers to be on
the alert for this type of fraud, and
to protect themselves and their wallets
by following our simple tips,”
she added.
The attorney general said the
scam typically works as follows: An
employee receives a text or an email
from someone pretending to be their
employer who claims there is an
urgent matter.
She said the text or email may
“spoof” an employer’s actual name,
phone number or email address,
making it seem legitimate. T
James said the “employer” then
requests that the employee buy a
certain number of Target or other
store gift cards in specific denominations
and promises to reimburse the
employee quickly.
She said the “employer” may ask
the employee to scratch off the back
of the card to reveal the PIN or claim
code — thus making the gift card
the equivalent of cash — and send
photos of the card to the scammer.
James said gift card scams of all
types are very prevalent, with most
involving some form of imposter
scam, such as scammers pretending
to be employers, the government,
family or tech support companies.
A December 2020 data analysis by
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
shows that “about one in four consumers
who lost money to a fraud
say they paid with a gift card.
In fact, James said gift cards have
topped the list of reported fraud
payment methods every year since
2018.
During that time, she said people
reported losing a total of nearly $245
million, with a median individual
loss of $840.
According to the FTC, some of the
most reported gift and reload card
brands consumers mentioned in
fraud reports included eBay, Google
Play, Target, iTunes and Amazon.
Caribbean Life, AUGUST 20-26, 2021 3
Guyanese at massive rally in Brooklyn on Sunday, Aug.15. Photo by Nelson A. King
Guyanese in NY hold massive protest
against alleged racism in homeland
By Nelson A. King
In the first of what organizers say
would be massive protests against the
policies of the incumbent People’s Progressive
Party (PPP)/Civic administration
in Guyana, including alleged wanton racism,
hundreds of Guyanese, other Caribbean
nationals and “friends of Guyana”
took to the streets of Brooklyn on Sunday
demonstrating their fervent disapproval
of the Guyana government’s policies.
Sunday’s march and rally in Brooklyn
were organized by the newly-formed
Guyanese Organizations Against Racism
(GOAR), which comprises 25 groups in
the New York tri-state area.
The Brooklyn-based group dubbed the
march and rally “Guyanese Organizations
Against PPP Apartheid Governance,
Racism & Injustice.”
The march started at Church Avenue
and proceeded south along Flatbush Avenue
to Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn,
culminating in a three-hour-long, highly
charged rally.
Marchers waved large and miniature
Guyanese national flags, and carried
placards, while swaying to Caribbean
music from a disc jockey.
Placards read, among other things,
“Stop Racial Profiling,” “Stop Systemic
Racism in Guyana,” “Under PPP/C
Increased Victimization,” “Hands Up Everybody”
and “We Must Work Together.”
The rally was punctuated with speeches
by several Members of Parliament
(MPs) in Guyana, Guyanese Diaspora
leaders, as well as US elected officials and
civil rights leaders.
Among dozens of speakers were seven
MPs in Guyana, one regional chairman,
one regional vice chairwoman, one
mayor and two City Council members
for the Georgetown (Guyana capital)
municipality.
High-ranking United States Congressman
Hakeem Jeffries, who represents
the 8th Congressional District, including
parts of Brooklyn and the Borough
of Queens, with a high concentration
of Caribbean nationals, also addressed
the rally.
“The Guyanese Organization against
Racism organized this rally to send a
message to the PPP/C administration
to bring to the attention of the United
States and the United Nations and all
of the peace-loving people of the world
the plight of people in Guyana,” Errol
J. Lewis, chairman of the North America
Region (NAR) of the main opposition
People’s National Congress/Reform
(PNC/R) in Guyana, told demonstrators
at the rally. “A country of six races, yet
not all races are experiencing, and can
experience, a just life in Guyana.”
He said that, on Aug. 2 last year, the
PPP/C Government, “with international
help, was installed as the government in
Guyana, despite a recount that showed
fraud was committed by the PPP/C.
“Since then, we have seen nothing but
discrimination based on race and political
affiliation,” Lewis charged. “Over
1,000 public servants were dismissed
from their jobs.
“There is discrimination in COVID 19
relief distribution; there is even discrimination
in which vaccine is provided to
communities,” he further charged. “We
have heard of the fiasco with the SPUTNIK
vaccine. Recently, we have seen
where people of a specific ethnic group
were locked out from their place of work,
including doctors and nurses, a profession
that we need now more than ever.
Even military and para-military personnel
were instructed to get a vaccine
before they could return to work.
“The PPP/C is showing their true
colors,” Lewis added. “They are showing
that they are dictators. But we are here
today to send a message to the PPP/C that
we, Guyanese, in the Diaspora will not sit
back and do nothing.
“We will not turn a blind eye to the
marginalization of our people, and we
will not allow the PPP/C to return Guyana
to the dark days of 1992-2015, where
over 400 young Black males disappeared
or were killed,” the NAR chairman continued.
“The PPP/C was bad for Guyana
then, and they are bad for Guyana now.
The PPP/C must go!
“We call on all Guyanese, regardless of
party affiliation, to remove the blinders
and face reality,” Lewis said.
Former Guyanese MP Simona
Brooms with Rickford Burke, cochair
of GOAR and president of the
Brooklyn-based Caribbean Guyana
Institute for Democracy (CGID). Photo
by Nelson A. King
James warns
about scams