Q. Hot weather has arrived. What advice do I give my family to stay alert and avoid scam activity during the summer months?
A. Great question, there are thousands of new scams every year, and you can’t keep up with all of them (we know, we try!). But if you can just remember these TEN THINGS, you can avoid most scams and help protect yourself and your family.
1. Never send money to someone you have never met face-to-face. Seriously, just don’t ever do it. And really, really don’t do it if they ask you to use wire transfer, a prepaid debit card, or a gift card (those cannot be traced and are as good as cash). The transfer of money is a RED flag in all scam activity.
2. Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited email. Links can download malware onto your computer and/or steal your identity. Be cautious even with email that looks familiar; it could be fake.
3. Don’t believe everything you see. Scammers are great at mimicking official seals, fonts, and other details. Just because a website or email looks official does not mean that it is. Even Caller ID can be faked. The latest trend is to use the local area code to increase the chance of you answering.