What the Scam? Protect Yourself from Fraudsters
This month’s Legal Brief we’re focusing on scam calls, texts, and emails. How can you protect yourself from fraud? We list some common things to be wary of and what to do when you’re not sure.
Seems there’s always someone out there trying to swindle us out of something. Lately this feels significantly more predatory. Especially toward seniors and other vulnerable people.
Here are a few scams to be aware of so you can protect yourself from fraud.
Have you heard of someone getting a call from their grandchild who is in a bad place and needs money? So called Grandparent Scams have been around for years. Unfortunately, this type of scam is getting more and more difficult to recognize as perpetrators use new technologies to deceive unsuspecting grandparents.
TIP: If someone is pressuring you to send money quickly take a deep breath and hang up the phone. If it’s a text or email don’t respond immediately. Reach out to your family via text or phone, check in with them to make sure they are okay.
Another potential scam comes via mail when you buy property or re-title your home in the name of your trust. We are often warning clients to pay attention to anything that seems off, especially if the letter asks for money.
TIP: When something comes that you just aren’t sure about reach out to us and we’ll let you know if it needs attention or recycling.
Anyone else out there get those constant spam texts that have multiplied exponentially over the last few years? Delete and Report as Spam if you can. Avoid engaging with them as that can just create more problems.
Here are a few spam texts we’ve gotten though there are many common text scams out there.
“This is [name], I got a new phone just reaching out.” “We met at a party last week, want to meet for coffee later?” Or some other version of “I’m your friend/acquaintance, let’s connect.”
If the person is not in your contacts delete and report spam, even if you might recognize the name. More than likely it’s not anyone you know.
“Your package is undeliverable [click on this link to fix it]”
Sometimes the text implies they have the address wrong, yet somehow, they have your phone number to text you? Maybe the text implies that you need to pay more because of insufficient postage. Most of the time you can spot these as a scam because 1) shipping companies just don’t handle things this way and 2) the link given doesn’t include USPS, FedEx, UPS, or any other shipping company.
“Hello, I’m Shirley. We noticed that your background and resume have been recommended by many online recruitment agencies … [flexible at home hours, etc] If you want to join us, please send a text to …”
Funny, you don’t recall applying or putting your resume up anywhere? Even if you have or are looking for work, be extra wary of a solicitous text offering some ideal scenario.
Is your email inbox overflowing? So many companies send regular emails and our inboxes can get out of control fast. Banks and even larger companies like Amazon or Facebook are often sending out email reminders to pay attention for scammers. Like with the grandparent scam if you get a call, text, or email from a company you have an account with be on the alert for something that might be off. Pause and call your bank or the number on the back of your credit card directly, not via whatever link or number you were sent.
TIP: Banks and online stores where you have to enter a password or code will NEVER ask you for that password or code in an email. Even emails that look like they are from the bank or a store might be craftily put together using images pulled from the Internet of the bank’s logo and other pieces that can be quite deceptive when paired with false information about your account being overdrawn or a payment being late.
Ultimately, you can never be too cautious. Here are some additional tips to protect yourself from fraud:
If an email comes through that seems wrong, check the address it was sent from. Sometimes they are obviously spam but other times they are a familiar email address that is only different by one letter or the addition of a number. Additionally, does the grammar seem off? Wording strange? Trust your instincts if something doesn’t seem right.
Generally, avoid clicking on links in emails or texts from unknown senders. If you inadvertently click on a link, and realize you ended up somewhere that seems off (the website address might not be quite right, the wording on the site might be full of grammatical errors, some of the pictures or layout might be similar but not quite what you know from the company), close your browser and change your any potentially compromised passwords.
Reach out to a trusted source to get a second opinion. Take a screenshot or simply call someone you trust to see what they think before responding to an email, text, or phone call that seems phishy. Know that you can head to the source. If the email is from Facebook (or Amazon or any other social media or store) and says there is an issue with your account go directly to your Facebook (or store or bank account) and see if there’s anything that seems off. Further, if available, reach out to the company or search their FAQs for current scams and consider seeing if there is a way to report spam/fraud.
