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Scam Red Flags

In March, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) presented a workshop on Spotting Scams and Staying Safe.  I found it very informative and have summarized some of the key points to help you be better informed and prepared... it can (and does) happen to anyone.

Red Flags – The Big Three

These three things are common to scams and will help you spot one…

1.    Unexpected Communication 

The communication can be by phone, text, or email. You aren’t expecting a text. Social Security doesn’t call you. You have already paid the bill. You don’t have a Netflix account.

2.    Emotional Reaction

The message is designed to make you feel a bit frantic. Your social security account will be frozen. You’ll get a bad credit rating because you didn’t pay a bill. Someone is in trouble.  

3.    Immediate action 

The solution is to do something immediately... use the link right there. Share your information, especially payment type information. Let your computer be taken over to “help” you stop a bad thing from happening. If you cooperate with “them” the bad guys will get caught.  

Scams change and evolve over time, but these elements remain the same. 

Common Types of Scams

Imposter – The scammer poses as a person, business or organization.  

• The phone rings. It’s an organization asking for a donation. The name may sound legitimate. Many times it is related to veterans or police. When you check you don’t find the group listed – or they don’t make phone solicitations.
  • A common variation is the Grandparent Scam – The phone rings, you pick up, you hear a voice: "Grandpa,..." and then a garbled partial explanation of a big problem (arrest, in Canada, injury, drunk driving, etc.). The phone is transferred, or you call a number and talk to someone who can help – a policeman, an attorney. What is needed is money – for fees, fines, hospital, bail, etc.  And the money is needed quickly.  Usually the payment is unconventional... gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, pay apps such as Zelle or Venmo.

Fake Social Media Profile – The scammer imitates a known person or a celebrity. They may pretend to be someone you know and need help/money or they hope to engage with you and begin a relationship. It usually evolves until money is needed.

Debt Collection – The scammer is trying to get you to believe they are legitimately trying to collect a debt that you may or may not owe. And they will gladly list the bad consequences of not paying off this debt immediately. Hurry and pay. 

Romance – You try out a dating site or meet someone new on Facebook. The person seems very interesting and interested in you. They suggest switching to a different platform for communication. You begin to build a romantic online relationship.  Phone calls.  Meeting their family members online.  Eventually this ”volunteer doctor in a foreign country” needs some temporary money for a good reason. You send it. The relationship continues to grow along with money transfers. 

How to Protect Yourself:

On the telephone:

1. Do not trust caller ID – scammers can have known numbers appear.
2. If you are not sure of a conversation, HANG UP!  
3. If someone is “in trouble and needs money”... hang up and check with family members. 
4. Credit/Debit/Bank card calls – Call the phone number on the back of your card to verify. 
5. You can create a password for family and friends to use in case of emergency. 

With your computer/tablet/phone:

1. Keep software up to date; you can turn on automatic updates.
2. If an emergency type message pops up, it is most likely fake and is trying to panic you and get you to give up information. Try exiting the browser, restart your device, unplug the computer.  Big companies do not send pop-ups. You can contact them directly to check. Call a trusted friend.  
3. Set your privacy settings on social media accounts so that only known folks can access them. 
4. Do not click links in unexpected emails or text messages.
5. Look at the web addresses. Many times they are close to the real address but there are tiny differences.
6. Fake profiles on Facebook – Check to see if this person is already your friend. Check the number of followers or friends, look at posts, see if it was recently created, check the quality of the posting. You can also do a reverse image search where you copy the photo’s address and search it out on the internet. You may find that photo fake or used for multiple identities. 

Identity Fraud - scammers aim to steal someone’s personal information and use this new identity.

1. Freezing your credit is a good method.  See previous article in the Voice of the Village.
2. Make sure your passwords are unique.
3. Establish an electronic presence that is yours.  Example: if your bank has online access it would be good to establish that for yourself, so that someone else couldn’t pretend to be you and start it up. 

So, what if you get scammed?

The most important action is to report it. Call your bank. Call the police. Call the AARP Fraud Network (877-908-3360) and speak to one of their trained volunteers. If someone you know gets scammed, urge them to do the same.  Be careful not to blame the victim of the scam.  It is the scammers who should be blamed for their criminal activities. 

In summary from the AARP:  “Three Red Flags:  If a communication is unexpected, yields an emotional reaction, and urges immediate action, then it’s most likely a scam.”