Warning Signs
Wording with Urgency / Incorrect Spelling
Scammers often use specific wording in their messages to potential victims. They often have spelling or grammatical errors, or overuse certain words (such as “kindly”). An experienced scammer will attempt to create a false sense of urgency, using language, such as “respond now”, or “account will be locked”, or suggesting that some form of consequences will come from a lack of action.
Watch out for panic-inducing language, threats and sudden deadlines!
Impersonation
Scammers will impersonate many people, such as law enforcement, potential romantic lovers, or even family members. Scammers can forge emails and phone numbers from legitimate businesses, but they are not. Always call back with the phone number you have on file to verify you are speaking with the expected business or family member.
This could come in the form of a fake limited-time offer on a product or service, an impersonation of a government official stating fear-inducing falsehoods, or even a customer support agent claiming there is an issue with an account. Scammers sometimes impersonate family members using AI, stating that they are in trouble, kidnapped, or are in an emergency situation. They will encourage the victim not to hang up the phone, and to transfer money.
Remember, Government Employees will never contact you via phone call unexpectedly. If the government needs to reach you, they will do so by way of paper mail. Do not trust random callers claiming to be government officials without verifying.
Watch out for unexpected contact, as well as slight misspellings in an email address or website name.
Offers and Prizes
Emails or calls saying that you have won an amount of money may sound enticing, but scammers will ask for a fee to withdrawal your prize and earnings. If it sounds too good to be true, keep your eye out for a scam. This also applies to cryptocurrency investing.
Watch out for anyone asking for your personal information to retrieve a prize, or upfront fees.
Cash Exchange
Nobody with an official agency will ask you for any cryptocurrency, gift cards, or mailed cash. These are all methods to receive funds in an untraceable way.
Common Scam Situations
Work from Home Scams
Beware of remote job offering promising high weekly pay for roles, for example, “personal assistant” or “secratary”. If you’re only interviewed over text, and never meet a real person (even via video), or are asked to buy equipment using a mailed check, it’s likely a scam. That check will soon bounce, and you’ll be stuck with the charges. Legitimate employers don’t use WhatsApp to conduct interviews and will never ask you to pay for supplies upfront. Always research or call the company and verify job offers before sharing any personal info.
Watch out for text only interviews, companies that ask you to deposit a check, or minimal work with too good to be true pay.
Romance Scams
Scammers often steal photos of real people and create accounts with their pictures. After building trust over time, they will eventually ask for money, often in gift cards or asking you to invest in cryptocurrency. Scammers will fabricate situations, like being stuck overseas, having a relative in the hospital, or having a very large sum of money that they just need your cash in order to access. They may also say they have methods to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, but this is never reality. Scammers often use their profile to lure victims to investment platforms, where they make it look like you’re earning money. However, when you try to withdraw your funds, you’ll be told you need to deposit even more money to access your account. In reality, the money never existed or was stolen from the start. Never send money to someone who you have not met in person.
Watch out for profiles with model-like photos, excuses to avoid meeting (video chat or in person), stories of hardship or emergencies, claims of being overseas or in the military, and any requests for money.
Tips to Protect Yourself
Always use unique passwords, and enable two-factor authentication when you can. In person, if a technician asks you to create two-factor authentication, you should do so. Never share codes sent to your phone with anyone, even if they claim to be a family member, corporation, or government employee.
Remember, scammers can reach out with what appears to be family members’ numbers or emails. Avoid giving out personal details on the phone, such as the name of your first pet, maiden names and account information.
Always pause, verify, and research!
Ensure that the person who called you is who they say they are. Look online for verification and when you can, call a second number to verify.
If you’ve fallen for a scam before, it is very likely that scammers will continue contacting you. Your information is now out there, to be used by the same scammer hiding under a different name, as well as other scammers. Some of these additional scams may be “recovery scams”, where someone will say they can help recover losses. This is never the case.
Take your safety seriously!
Sadly, money that is stolen in these scams is almost never retrieved.
Do you think you may be involved in a scam? Do you want help securing your passwords or accounts further?
You don’t have to take it on alone.
Call Tech Guy Near Me at 224-814-2409.