Life Tools: Scams by Emails or Text Messages by Susan Hanniford Crowley

The Only Life Tool today is about how to avoid being taken in by these scams.

I don’t have all the answers, so at the end of this, I will give you some handy websites with more information.

The hardest part of avoiding scams that will come through emails or scams is recognizing them.

Email Scams are called Phishing! That means they are fishing for your personal information. Here are some common phishing attempts. Never click inside an email. If you are doing business with a website, go directly to that website only. They always make it urgent and suggest if you don’t you will lose out.

An example of a phish that keeps coming lately tells me that I bought something for $359 and they need me to click the link to verify and sign the attached document – Don’t Do That! (I didn’t buy anything for that price. If I had, I would be calling the company or visiting their website to correspond with them directly.)

Some imitate your bank or even people who know you. (People do get hacked. People do get their identities stolen.) Some want you to send money to a relative to get them out of trouble. Some say you have to verify your information for a package delivery with an incomplete address. Don’t do it!

Text Message Scams are called Smishing! They usually imitate a company you know and do business with, and want you to verify your information by clicking a link! Don’t Do That!

A text message I received said that I owed Ezee Pass $57 in tolls. (I haven’t been traveling and going through tolls for months now.) Never click inside the text message and give them a credit card number and security code! Don’t Do That! The State Police announced on TV a while back that this is a scam.

Another text message promised a gift if I paid for the postage. SCAM! Don’t Do That!

There are so many scams out there now. Here are some real sites that can be helpful.

Experian https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/the-latest-scams-you-need-to-aware-of/

Federal Trade Commission https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams

University of Chicago https://security.uchicago.edu/phishing/latest/

I liked the additional pages that talk about two-factor authentication and strong passwords.

Where can you report phishing and smishing?

You can report phishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov, or forward the phishing email to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) at reportphishing@apwg.org

What do they want? They want your money and your identity. They use identities to open loans and buy big-ticket items.

Scamming by phone: They ask, ‘Is this (your name)?” “You say, “‘Yes.” Never say Yes. They are recording you, so your “yes” can be used to show you agreed to purchases or services you never said yes to. Don’t Do It!

I say, “Who are you?” Most tell me and I hang up, or they hang up. The last one really was my bank. But most are fishing for your information, which they will use for bad purposes and/or sell to others.. Don’t give your information away.

I know so many of us were taught to be polite on the phone as we grew up. Scammers were fewer then. Today you have to protect yourself. This is the age of hanging up on the Scammer. Just hang up!

What do you do if you get scammed online?

Start with your local police on their local number (not 911) and save all documentation before contacting the FTC and IC3 (as mentioned above). This also goes for when you are scammed on a phone call and have given them your information and/or credit card.

Please, be safe and keep those you love close.

All the best always,
Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley
susanhannifordcrowley.com

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Now we wait
for the return of the princess.