Thursday, March 9, 2017

Scam


                Has it happened to you?  I’m almost ashamed to admit it but it happened to me a few years ago.  Got scammed and they emptied my bank account.  It was a hard few months to get things straightened out, but we did. Why do people do these things?  There always seems to be someone out there who is trying to get something for nothing.  And sadly they seem to prey on those who are the most vulnerable.  Maybe you should educate yourself on some of their tactics and you’ll be better equipped to avoid being one of their targets.  I’m not, by any means, an expert on scammers but here are a few of the terms used to describe their mode of operations!  Maybe you have heard of some of them or maybe you need to do a little more research and get some more details on what they mean.  Here are the terms: brute-force attack, catfish, drive-by download, ghosting, hash busters, keyloggers, malvertising, man-in-the-middle attack, pharming, phishing, ransomware, scareware, skimming, smishing, spear-phishing, spoofing, spyware, vishing, and whaling.  There may be more that could be added to the list, but it is unbelievable the lengths that people will go to sucker you out of your money.  Personally I think that the people who are smart enough to create and carry out some of these scams (especially those involving computers) should be able to get a legitimate job and make a lot of money because of the skills they have!  But, that’s just my opinion!

            The worst part is how they put their skills to work on people who can’t really afford to lose ANY of the money they have.  But don’t let yourself believe that you can’t fall for a scam just because you are well educated or you think you’re above being “fooled” by their hoaxes!  It happens somewhere every day to people of any type of status!

            Some scams fall into what might be classified as the “more common scams” that are being done today.  Consider the following:

(1)    Telephone Scams.  Every year, thousands of people lose their money and personal information to telephone scams.  Typically, phone scammers will try to sell you something you hadn’t planned to buy and will pressure you to give them personal information, like your credit card details or social security numbers.  Such scams may involve travel packages, credit or loan offers, fake business and investment opportunities, or perhaps some charitable causes because of some recent disaster relief efforts.  Avoid phone scams by registering your home and cell phone numbers with the national “Do Not Call Registry” either online (www.donotcall.gov) or by calling 1-888-382-1222.  It won’t stop all unsolicited calls, but it will stop most.

(2)   Banking Scams.  There are several ways that scammers can con you out of your money.  Consider the unsolicited check fraud.  This is where a scammer may send you a check that you didn’t have a legitimate reason to receive.  Unfortunately, if you cash it, you may be authorizing the purchase of items you didn’t ask for, signing up for a loan, or something else you didn’t ask for.  The Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) offers tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams, and recommends what to do if you have already been a victim.  Or the scammers may use phishing, sending you an email message that asks you to verify your bank account number or debit card PIN.  By clicking on the link or replying to the email with your account number, you are giving a scammer access to your financial accounts.  NEVER DO THIS!  If you question such a request, contact your bank by phone and verify before taking any action.

(3)   Pyramid Schemes.  A pyramid scheme, also known as a Ponzi scheme, is an illegal form of multilevel marketing.  In these programs, your ability to earn profits is based on the number of new participants you recruit, instead of the amount of products or services you sell.  Sometimes there actually aren’t any real products that are being sold.  These schemes rely on the income from new participants in order to pay fake “profits” to people that have been part of the scheme for longer amounts of time.  However, the scheme falls apart when there aren’t enough new recruits to pay into the system, so the earlier participants no longer receive earnings.

(4)   Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams.  Not all lotteries and sweepstakes are legitimate.  Before you participate, keep these tips in mind.  Scam artists often use the promise of a valuable prize or award to entice consumers to send money, buy overpriced products or services, or contribute to bogus charities.  REMEMBER: Legitimate sweepstakes DON’T REQUIRE you to pay to collect your winnings!  Scam operators use the telephone and direct mail to entice consumers to buy chances in foreign lotteries.  These lottery solicitations violate U.S. law, which prohibits the cross-border sale or purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail.

            I can’t possibly discus ALL the possible ways some may try to scam you out of your money.  However, a good place to look for more up-to-date details and current information is online at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts.

You could almost assume that for every legal way to process some activity there is going to be those who will try to “adjust” the system in their favor, even if this means using illegal measures.  We may feel “that would NEVER happen to me!”  But, speaking from experience, it can, and it did!  So educate yourself to the possibilities and always be on your guard.  Remember - - - we’re only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER


THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Don't let your education get in the way of practical wisdom."

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