How to avoid falling for a scam
1. Be skeptical: Whenever a random stranger contacts you to warn you that you have been selected to receive free money or win a prize, it is better to doubt the legitimacy of the call. Although it would be nice to trust everyone who is trying to offer you money, the reality is that there are terrible people out there trying to take advantage of the trust of individuals for their personal gain. That's why if you ever receive news like this, you should be sure to ask the potential scammer many questions. Try to get as much detail as you can and when they start to give you obviously false information or does not answer your questions, it will be obvious that it is a scam.
2. Keep Calm and rational: When you receive unexpected news, as someone claiming that you have won money, it is important that you control your emotions so you can look at the situation rationally. Scammers tell you things deliberately to play on your emotions because they know it will make you less likely to look at the situation rationally, allowing them to get more information from you.
An example of a scam designed to target the emotions of the victim is a recent IRS scam phone that has an impact on people across the country. The scam involves victims receive a call asking them to contact the IRS immediately regarding a past due balance or they would face legal consequences. Some victims have even received threats claiming they will be arrested by US marshals if they do not pay the money ASAP. Although this seems like a nightmare, it is essential that potential victims take a minute to not react and look for any red flags. With this some scam, there are two red flags: the IRS only sends alerts money through traditional mail and caller claims there is no grace period or specific time for the victim to pay the money before drastic measures are taken - which is pretty unlikely. By suppressing your emotions from the situation, you are able to see these red flags and take appropriate measures, such as reports of the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
3. Always check the source: Whenever you are contacted by someone claiming to work for a company or government, you must ensure that you take steps to verify source. Do not click any link in an email or call the phone numbers provided by potential fraudsters, and instead, you must make sure it is the person who claims to be. The best way to do this is to contact the company or organization the person claims to represent, and inquire about the matter. Be sure to get contact information from a trusted source, such as a website or business of the company's board. Tell them you have received a call or email from someone claiming to work for their company and want to verify the authenticity of the call or email. They will be able to verify the legitimacy of the call or email you received.
4. Do not reveal personal information: Whenever someone contacts you and require your personal information, you must ensure that you do not give them anything - even if it is just your full name. Instead, it is best if you simply hang up the phone and make the call as described above.
5. Never send money to receive money: This is one of the oldest scams in the book. Someone will contact you via email or phone and tells you to send them a sum of money in order to receive a larger sum of money. Then, once you have sent the money, you will never hear back from that person again and you find hundreds or thousands of dollars. To protect against this type of scam, remember that no company or a reputable organization requires you to send any dollar amount to receive a larger amount, so if you are asked to do so, chances are you are probably being scammed.
While all of these steps can help you avoid being scammed, the most important thing to remember is that if something seems too good to be true it probably is. Visit our identity protection against theft blog to learn more ways to protect your personal information every day.