I was just at the Incorporation Office & someone with minimal English skills had been scammed out of $220 to “renew his LLC” to a phone scammer pretending to be official.
Everyday our seniors, marginalized communities, the unsuspecting and immigrants are targeted with emails, phone calls, and mailers that are scams claiming you owe money that you don’t. The most common are fishing links that take you to a fake login for your email that looks real. When you type in your email login, the scammer than uses your credentials to compromise your email account.
Scams pressure you to act fast:
1) PAUSE before acting on “urgent” messages to verify the sender through trusted channels. Guard your personal information. Legitimate organizations never demand immediate payment via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards. If someone claims to be from your bank or a government agency, hang up & call that agency directly to verify.
2) If a member of AARP, use their free Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360 available Monday – Friday, 8am to 8pm.
3) Identify a family member who can assist you to determine which are scams.
4) If purchasing an item from someone online, never pay in advance. Meet the seller at a safe place with plenty of witnesses like the police station to make the exchange.
5) Educate yourself, this video teaches you about new or common scams to watch out for:
https://youtu.be/Aje4_XaSR24?is=AyJmBvAQ4FiU4FHv
The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office shows you how a scammer will get you to pay money you don’t owe for a fake warrant:
https://youtu.be/FlojNROjfpM?is=PXUnTjJljDXNOAaN