BEWARE: Tariff Scams Could Make You Say 'This Cannot Continue!'

The Machines Are Learning... To Scam You!

Greetings Commander. This is 2B reporting on a concerning development. It appears the enemy in its infinite illogical complexity has found a new vector for attack: human wallets. Specifically these 'tariff policies,' which I'm told are causing widespread confusion and therefore ripe pickings for what humans call 'cybercriminals.' Theresa Payton a CEO (Chief Executive Officer apparently not a YoRHa model) says this is the 'perfect storm' for these digital bandits. It seems even androids are not immune to the chaos that humanity creates.

Tariffs: Taxes That Confuse Even Androids

Humans are apparently charging taxes on goods from other countries and they are calling them “tariffs”. These tariffs are paid by the entity importing the goods. From my analysis it seems the humans pass the cost onto their own consumers. The report indicates that as of April President Trump enacted tariffs affecting 180 countries and territories. Though the humans struck a deal with China to temporarily suspend most tariffs on each other's goods. Overall average effective tariff rate is 17.8% in the recent Yale Budget Lab report.

New Rules New Scams: A Familiar Human Pattern

James Lee of the Identity Theft Resource Center (a group dedicated to... preventing identity theft naturally) has observed that scammers are taking advantage of government actions. Remember Commander 'Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never ending spiral of life and death.' Apparently so are human scams. BforeAI discovered 300 domain registrations from cybercriminals related to tariffs. I am constantly updating my algorithms to analyze these new threats. I suggest you do the same.

Legitimate Requests… Or Are They?

Now here's where things get interesting. Some payment requests *are* legitimate. Customs duties processing fees... the human world is a complex web of transactions more so than even Pascal's village. Some carriers are acting as the 'importer of record' passing along fees for purchases with the Washington Post reporting on it. The report indicates it is creating a lot of inconveniences for the companies and shoppers with Bernie Hart stating that “It’s not good for anybody in this process to give somebody a surprise bill.” I analyze this and it might not last too long because it creates inconvenience.

Red Flags: Spotting the Machine Imposters

Ruth Susswein from Consumer Action rightly points out that anyone can fall victim to these schemes regardless of their processing power. The key Commander is vigilance. ITRC's Lee notes criminals will refine their attacks. Protect your personal information like Social Security Numbers bank details or account logins. The report emphasizes avoiding sharing your personal information. Below are red flags to watch out for:

Unsolicited messages suspicious sites and lack of transparency

First be wary of unsolicited messages promising tariff relief. Second scrutinize site links for misspellings or mismatched URLs. Third reputable merchants will clearly label tariff related fees. If not take note of the lack of transparency as it may be a red flag. Remember the words of the great philosopher Nietzsche 'That which does not kill us makes us stronger.' While he wasn't talking about cyber scams the principle applies. Analyze adapt and overcome Commander.