Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter. [Updated, Aug. 2, 2024]

By Harlan Levy

I’ve got two relatively new scams for you that the Federal Trade Commission, the BBB (formerly the Better Business Bureau), and other sources are warning us about.

Shimming: A new insidious credit card scam, an innovative variety of  “skimming.” Unlike skimming, which doesn’t work for cards with the newer chip technology, shimming involves scammers inserting a “shim” – a wafer-thin card-sized device featuring an embedded microchip and flash storage – into an ATM’s or other card-reading payment machine’s slot for your credit or debit card at a retail store, a gas station, etc. The shim copies and saves your card information. The thieves then insert a special card that retrieves your data and use it to buy stuff on your dime.

Anti-shimming advice:

1. Check bank and credit card accounts regularly. Report suspicious charges immediately.
2. Cancel your transaction if the card reader has a tight grip on your card, a shim clue.
3. Use the contactless “tap” option for paying, foiling shimming by not swiping or inserting the card.
4. Go to a bank teller to withdraw cash.

Obvious advice:

If some unknown party sends you a check and asks you to send some money back, don’t.

Portrait painting your dog

As described in detail by the Federal Trade Commission, there are scams like the following: An “artist” sends an unsolicited email or text seeking to pay you to paint your portrait or your dog’s portrait and use it commercially. The scam message says the “artist” likes your photo and will pay big bucks to use it. Why not agree? What can you lose? The crooks then send you a check for deposit, asking you to send some money back for art supplies. Sounds reasonable, except the checks end up as fakes, and you’re out the cash.

Personal experience:

To be clear, this is not the same as the pet portrait scam noted above.

When we were in Japan in April, my wife got an email saying she won a contest she had found online from a company that creates photo portraits of dogs or dogs with their families, Rebecca Rose Fine Portraits. The contest was to select older dogs to shoot for free, part of a supposed marketing effort to build up the outfit’s portfolio. My wife had sent several photos of our photogenic Portuguese Water Dog, Latke, and an “artist” emailed back asking if we wanted her to photograph our dog.

“To reserve a spot we needed to put down about $250,” my wife said, “but I felt uncomfortable about having to put down money. That just seemed skeevy to me.”

I agreed. Was it a scam? I researched the company. First I called the state Department of Consumer Protection to see if the company, listed at 255 Norwich Ave., Colchester, had any complaints and if it was licensed in Connecticut. DCP said there were no complaints and that Connecticut doesn’t license that type of business.

Then I searched for online reviews and read 25 extremely positive reviews on Google Reviews and one uncertain review on the Reddit site filed in March. The review, from “Kfrow,” described winning the same contest that my wife won one day after he or she spotted the contest on Instagram. “I figured something was off,” Kfrow wrote. “Maybe this isn’t a downright scam, but it’s slimy at least,” he or she wrote, referring to the almost instantaneous win. But, Kfrow continued, “The studio is actually legitimate with a real address in the area, an active Facebook page, and more than 100 four- and five-star Google reviews. … This portrait was a $3,000 value. … Our wedding photographer wasn’t even that much. … We scheduled a date, and I was asked for a $200 deposit, to be refunded. I politely declined. … Something was off, right? What was the angle here?”

I think the slight taint of an instant win – essentially, automatically winning by applying – means it’s no real contest. In my opinion, it’s a bit deceptive and a marketing ploy, although I don’t see damages. So this business appears to be totally legitimate.

I called Rebecca Rose for a comment. She didn’t respond before deadline on July 30, however, she offered the following comments and explanation on Aug. 2:

“We are writing to share with your readers the unique and heartfelt business practices of Rebecca Rose Fine Portraits. For over a decade, we have had the honor of serving our community by offering the gift of portraiture to families and individuals. At Rebecca Rose Fine Portraits, we believe in the power of art to capture and preserve cherished memories for generations.

“One of our core practices is providing these portraits without any obligation to purchase. Rather than spend our marketing budget on TV or print ads, we would rather gift the experience and artwork to our community. While this investment is considerable to my company, we are honored to have this opportunity.  As a company, every single team member and artist is committed to each client and because this is a gift, we need to ensure it is truly valued and each client is committed to coming to their scheduled session. This is why we request the REFUNDABLE retainer without any commitment to purchase anything. However, if a client loves their portrait(s), we do provide options to purchase additional artwork, and are honored to do so. We truly desire that every client who visits our studio receives a five-star, celebrity-level experience, regardless of their decision to make a purchase. Our team of skilled artists is committed to delivering the very best service, treating every client with the utmost care and respect.

“We are honored to be part of our clients’ lives, even if only for a short time, and to create lasting memories through our portraits that can be cherished by generations forever.”

As for our deal, the offer was valid for three months, and we had to choose an appointment time “within the next 5 days [from April 15] or another applicant will be selected with your gift.”

Oh well. We didn’t really want to spend the time and probably a couple hundred bucks for artist supplies on a portrait of Latke, since we have scores of photos that we can always blow up.

And now someone else has the portrait of a beloved dog on some wall.

NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.

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