I read a very interesting article in AARP magazine today that I thought would be very fitting for this #FundMeFriday. And yes I read AARP Magazine LOL. The article was written by Doug Shadel but I am only going to use a few examples from it to make my point for today. If you want to read the entire article it is in the February/March 2020 issue. The actual title is, When Prison Calls, and it is very interesting. I wish I had a link for it but unfortunately I only had the actual magazine.
The article discusses a scam that went on at the Autry State Prison in Georgia. In short, it is a story about how inmates smuggled cell phones into the prison and proceeded to scam people for money using these phones as well as accessing the internet and various apps through the cell phones internet capabilities. Even from prison, these men were able to scam citizens for over one million dollars and they were able to do this because we as people are very lax in our security and would rather take what someone is telling us as the truth rather than risk hurting their feelings by questioning them. It is a great story and it brings to reality how easily it can be to scam people regardless of where the scammer lives.
The lessons that you need to take from this blog post today is the following, first and foremost, If somebody calls you on the telephone and they ask you for money, never ever pay them one single cent. I do not care if they tell you they are the police or that they are with the Internal Revenue Service or if they say they are calling from the Social Security Administration or even if they tell you they are calling from one of your favorite charities that you always donate to. I mention these particular four agencies because they are the top four choices of scammers. The scammers will even tell you to call a certain number so that you to verify the validity of the call. Under no circumstance should you call any telephone number that they give to you. The reason you should not call is because the scammers use call centers that will answer the phones however they have set it up and it will give a professional appearance as if you are calling a legitimate place.
One major scam is that these people will call you and they say they are the police or with a certain police department. If you receive a telephone call like this, you need to call your local police department to find out if the are in fact looking to speak with you. You need to locate the actual telephone number for the police department on your own and do not ever call a telephone number that they give to you. Once you call the police department, they will know if they had in fact placed a call to you and if they did not, at least they will be able to file a complaint on your behalf to help stop this activity.
If, you are amongst the millions who have received a telephone call and the caller says that they are calling from the Internal Revenue Service, the first thing you need to know is that the Internal Revenue Service will NEVER call you asking you for money. Locate the number yourself for the Internal Revenue Service, in most cases it is 800-829-1040 then follow the prompts. They will be more than happy to assist you with your file. If you have any issue with them, they will inform you right then and their of any missing tax returns or any payments due.
The latest scam is from scammers stating they are calling from the Social Security Administration and that if you do not call back, your social security benefits will come to an end. In most cases, they leave you a telephone number because they want you to hear a pre-recorded message that will sound as if you actually called the Social Security Administration. DO NOT CALL the telephone number they leave in your message box and if you happen to answer the telephone for one of these scammers, just hang up without engaging them in any conversation. When you engage them in conversation and they get a feel that you possibly believe them, you are setting yourself up for them calling you back in the near future to try again.
The next one that I want to touch on are scammers who call asking you to make charitable donations. In general, people have huge hearts and these people are professionals at tugging at those heart strings hoping that you release money to them. Never make any donations over the telephone phone even if you feel the call is legitimate. You need to be consistent because your consistent behavior in blocking these people will ensure you maintain your security as well as not giving up your money. With this particular scam, not only do you give the scammers access to charge your credit card once, they have you hooked to constantly contact you for future donations.
Finally, let us discuss mailings otherwise known as snail mail. scammers are now sending out letters that look almost identical to these agencies. The only way to safeguard yourself is to never pay a bill that comes to you in the mail, especially if you were not expecting it in the first place. It only takes a few minutes to locate the exact telephone number of the place that sent you the bill and simply ask them if they sent you a request for money. Again, never call the telephone number that is listed on the bill rather google the agency or whatever other means you may have in order to locate the real telephone number on your own.
So the takeaway for today on this #FundMeFriday is vigilance. You and only you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim of most if not all scams. Do not ever give anyone money without doing your due diligence and checking twice. Speaking of keeping your money safe and to yourself, on this #FundMeFriday, I need to ask, did you fund yourself today? You still have time so please deposit money into your savings and continue to watch that account grow.
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