They're Still Out There

I feel like it has been a while since I wrote a blog about scams, which must be a good sign. But let’s be sure to read this sign the right way – it is not saying that scams have been eradicated but that more people seem to be aware of them than there were when they started to become so ubiquitous. There are always new scammer tactics, though, so it is probably time to at least give some reminders here.

The first thing to mention must be how much text messages are now being used to work these scams. Is there anyone out there who hasn’t received a text (and likely multiple) telling you how much you owe for tolls?

That particular one may have become prevalent enough that most are aware of it and ignore it from the start (and coming from foreign numbers is also a good tipoff that it can ignored), but there are enough others out there that we can’t pretend bad actors won’t slip through. So, if you receive a text message that you aren’t sure if it’s real or not, remember some of the key tips that can be used to keep yourself from falling victim to a scam.

The biggest thing to remember here is to give yourself time to figure out if it’s real or not. For instance, if a text comes with a link to a website where you can pay an apparent bill, even one purporting to be from an account you know you do have, sign into your account from a new browser window instead of using the link.  Then you can be sure you are on the actual website and not one set up by the scammers to look like the real one but is an impostor set up to get your money.

Another thing I want to note here may not necessarily involve a scam but could still lead you into issues, and that is to be careful on social media. For you know what they say about if something sounds too good to be true …

And on social media you can hear some of those things from ads that could be actual scams or at least incredibly misleading. Possibly more dangerous, though, could be regular people promoting knowledge or expertise that they do not have. All of us don’t want to pay more in taxes than we have to, so if you hear about some way to decrease that bill, it’s possible to latch onto it without first ensuring that it’s legitimate.

But again, these are other things that can be held off from becoming bigger problems if you spend the time to ensure things are legitimate before fully jumping in.

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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