This statement shouldn’t be a shock to you: Scammers are everywhere. And, as time goes on, people who devote their lives to taking advantage of innocent people figure out increasingly clever ways to trick people into handing over personal information or their hard-earned money.
New scams are being created every single day and, unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. However, there are signs you can watch for to make sure you don’t fall victim to a scam. Here are three signs that a convincing-sounding person on the other end is actually a scammer:
- They contacted you out of nowhere
How many calls from unknown numbers have you received with someone on the end claiming your car’s warranty is out of date or that the IRS may soon issue a warrant for your arrest? These are almost always scams but, if you have any reason to believe it’s a legitimate claim, directly reach out to the company or entity the scammer is claiming to represent.
- They claim it is an emergency
In building off of our previous point, oftentimes these scammers will claim that they have been trying to contact you for several weeks or several months and that this is your final notice. It’s not.
Alternatively, we’ve seen scams where people will call the elderly, claiming to be a grandchild that has gotten in serious trouble in a foreign country and needs help immediately. This can be alarming, but verify their story with other family members first before sending any money or information to the person on the other end of the line.
- They need you to wire money first
Another common scam is when someone claims to have a large settlement check for you but they need you to wire them a certain amount of money first in order for them to process the larger transaction for you. They may also ask you to purchase a prepaid debit card for them, which makes it easier for them to cash out and disappear, preventing you from recovering the money that was stolen.
Unfortunately, scams like this happen every single day. Most of the time, people catch on quickly and move on. However, it only takes one slip-up for a scammer to hobble your financial life. If you or a loved one has fallen victim to a scam of any sort, contact us today to see if we can be of assistance in any way.
