We all get them: the unsolicited phone calls, the emails from our grandson asking for money due to an emergency, our bank alerting us to an emergency situation and then for “security” purposes asking for our confidential information for our “protection.” These are just a few modern day examples of fraud.
The Federal Trade Commission says “Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.”
Scammers constantly are updating their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but there are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages.
Phishing emails and text messages like this try to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. The following are some of the latest tactics used to scam seniors;
- The message claims that suspicious activity or log-in attempts have been discovered on your account
- The sender alerts you that there’s a problem with your account or your payment information
- The message requests you to confirm some personal or financial information
- There may be a fake invoice included
- Fake payment links may be included that actually download malware to your computer or phone
- A claim is offered that you are due a refund, rebate, or some type of financial settlement
- A coupon for free products or services may be included
All of these types of messages or emails are fraudulent. They may look official or even reference an account or subscription that seems familiar to you. This is a technique being deployed across the country to defraud seniors out of billions of dollars per year.
Unfortunately, all too many people fall for these techniques. If there is ever any concern, look up the company's contact information (telephone number, mailing address, or website address) yourself and contact them without using the information contained in the message. Scammers rely on the laziness and complacency of the people they target. Do the work to ensure that you are, in fact, talking to the company you should be and don't take their word for anything.
Here can be many or few tale tell signs that an email is a scam even though it looks legitimate;
- Not personally addressed to you or uses a nickname instead of your legal name or the name on your account
- No identifying account numbers
- Poor grammar and/or spelling errors (Even a single spelling or grammatical error is enough to raise suspicion)
- Urgent action demand - Scammers want you to react before you've had a chance to doubt the request
- Requests for login credentials, payment information and/or sensitive data
- Offers that are too good to be true
It's also worth noting that many scams begin with a message or phone call claiming that you are already a victim of a scam. This tactic is designed to scare you and to give you the impression that the caller or sender is there to help you. These scams, especially, can be easily thwarted if you hang up the phone ignore any messages and contact the company on your own with information that you look up. Most scams cannot survive if you simply make the effort to contact the company in question independently of the scam message.