Remain vigilant and continue to follow these tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission to recognize and
avoid scams:
• Spot imposters. Scammers may pose as a government official, family member, charity, or a company you do business with. Do not send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request- whether it comes as a text, phone call, or an email.
• Local numbers may be spoofed. Scammers use technology (‘spoofing’) to fake caller ID information to cause confusion to the end user. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. Conduct an online search utilizing legitimate websites or directly contact the institution.
• Do online searches. Search a company or product name with words like “review,” “complaint” or
“scam.” Or search a phrase describing your situation, like “Social Security telephone call.” You can even search for phone numbers to see if other people have reported them as scams.
• Do not pay upfront for a promise. Scammers may ask individuals to pay in advance for things like debt relief, credit and loan offers, mortgage assistance, or a job. They may even promise that someone has won a prize, but first request taxes or fees. When individuals provide money up front, the money usually disappears.
• Consider how you pay. Credit cards offer a significant fraud protection built in, but some payment methods do not. Wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram is risky…
Watch out for suspicious unknown numbers, text messages
