Nobody likes to be tricked. Sometimes maybe an April Fool’s joke might bring some laughter once you realize it was all in fun. However, most of the time we feel taken advantage of or violated in extreme cases. Most of us have heard stories of people who intentionally set out to cause harm to others by lining their own pockets with money sucked out of yours in lies or scams. Sometimes what is presented to us seems so real that we do things we would never do under normal circumstances.
A friend shared some recent scams with our Project group of ladies. I would like to share the solutions with you. In other words, things you should never do, even though it seems like what someone is asking makes sense at the time. Sometimes we may think, “ Oh, I am not that dumb. I wouldn’t fall for those schemes or plans presented to me over the phone, email, or internet.” The problem might be that they present you with something that just seems so real at the moment. They may even use a name that you recognize. That can be scary and cause us to lose momentary common sense. Remember, instead of giving out any private information, call the police to report what just happened.
**Don’t give personal details like credit card numbers or Social Security numbers over the phone. If in doubt, contact the business or agency being represented directly.
** Don’t use *72 or any other forwarding code to forward calls to a number you don’t know or recognize.
**Call the police immediately if you are told your life or someone else’s is threatened and you must send money.
**Don’t let people pressure you into making purchases with high pressure sales tactics. Real companies have official vehicles, photo IDs, and other documents to prove who they are. If in doubt, again call the company.
**Be very careful following a link from an email or the internet, even if you have to key it in yourself, if you don’t know for sure what it is. Don’t provide confidential information unless you know the site is secure, with an “s” in the “https” part of the address line and/or a padlock icon in the message area of your browser.
**If you sell something, never accept a check for more than the asking price and then give a refund. The original check many times bounces, and you will end up with nothing.
**Never accept people’s claims about items they’re selling without proof. Especially beware of scammers in tourist locations. They are good at what they do, and unfortunately will leave us victimized.
**Never buy shares or stocks over the phone (or promoted in emails) from someone you don’t know. In case you already have, don’t believe anyone who says they can get your money back. (Unless you are truly working with the police) Beware of “hot” stock tips.
**Look out for those claiming they need details for a new Medicare card.
**Do not send money for an item to be shipped from a company that could be bogus.
**Beware of offers to set you up for stardom or prizes, but you have to put up a large amount of your own money to get it started.
**Do not send money to anyone who calls and says you owe a fine from being photographed breaking the speed limit….or any other violation.
**Refuse to send money for free vacations or prizes.
**Never get on your computer for someone on the phone who says it has been hacked and they want to “help” you.
** Phone call offers about auto loans, student loans, small business loans or payday loans need to be checked out carefully. They are usually scams.
**Debt collectors that want your name, number and company information can be phony. End the call and phone your creditor yourself to check it out.
**Do not promise to send money to charities that you don’t know anything about. OR to organizations that are trying to collect money for tragedies or victims of a natural catastrophe.
**Do not have conversations with anyone who may have some of your personal information. Ask them to send you a written notice and then hang up.
The list is endless of the things people have thought up and tried to either get your money or steal your identity. We must stay alert and be careful. For those who are caregivers, be sure to monitor mail and phone calls so that unsuspecting elderly people are not taken advantage of. If you are interested in learning more about this problem, you can Google “ Recent Cell Phone Scams”…but make sure the website has “https” not just “http”.
lbeerman68@gmail.com
