Crooks all around the world use old methods combined with
new technology to con millions of people every year. The percentage of people
being scammed has been seen to increase drastically over the past few years.
Also, this year has been reported to be a pretty good year for scammers.
The question here is what you can do to save yourself from
being scammed? What precautions you must take to avoid scams? To find out, keep
reading!
Identify imposters
In order to gain personal information from you, the scammer
pretends to be someone you trust. That is, your family, friends, some charity
group you are a member of or a government representative. Be careful and do not
reply to any call, text or email you aren’t familiar with.
In fact, you should check for the number on online
directories such as https://check-caller.net/.
Don’t pay any sort of
upfront
The scammer will try to convince you to make a deposit for
multiple reasons. It can be winning a lottery, some new job, credit card
payments or anything of this type. Do not make any payments on call. Be 100%
sure before you make any move.
Talk to someone
If you are at the other end of receiving any such call, talk
to someone from your family or friends. Take a second opinion and along with
their suggestion come up with a solution.
Don’t fall for
robocalls
On answering the call if you hear any recorded sales pitch,
do not follow any instructions given and immediately report it to FTC. The
products being sold on such calls are fake and it is just another way to have
your money.
To learn more about robocalls click here.
Think twice about
free trials
Many scammers make use of this technique. They offer you a
free trial of their product but also make you put in all your payment
information for future. However, they keep charging you on monthly basis for
the free trial until you finally decide to cancel. So, if there is any such type
of free trial where payment info is also required, that is surely a scam!
Tally your bank
statements
Just in case you have signed up for any such promotion, keep
an eye on your monthly bank statements. If you see any unusual payment being
made, contact your bank right away and ask for their assistance.
To con people has become very easy because of latest
technology and various new methods as already mentioned. But our busy lifestyle
has also contributed a lot to it. How is that so? Well, we are too busy to
counter check any unusual activity or whatsoever.
It is highly advisable to stay cautious about such things as
your slight carelessness can cost you a lot.