Saturday, November 25, 2023

Scams Pt. 1

It is evening. The phone rings. I reach for it and answer it: "You're on speaker." A female voice (a recording) informs me that my Amazon account has been hacked and someone has made a fifteen hundred dollar purchase. In order to cancel this purchase, I must call their Help line at once, and she gives me a phone number to call.

I hang up. This is clearly a scam. For one thing, I don't have an Amazon account. I've never bought anything from Amazon. For another thing, I wouldn't trust an unknown voice on the phone that tells me to call a phone number. If I think I may have been scammed, I will go to the company's website and look for their help number. That way I can be assured that I am getting a real company number and not simply calling a scammer chat room.

It is unfortunately the season for being extra careful, not extra gullible. Watch out for online scammers. Think before you make a call. Ask, does this make sense? Is there a better way to handle this possible issue? You might want to check out some websites that teach you how to identify scammers. There are a number of such sites. Just google "how to spot online scammers."

If someone tells you that an unknown person has made a purchase in your name, go online and check your credit cards. Check your checking account. Has a purchase been made? Has a credit card been charged? Take care, people. And have a nice holiday.

No comments: