Don't Be Caught Off Guard, Financially or Otherwise. I Was!
True Confessions
In my desire to inform you of the multitude of ways you may be solicited criminally, I am sharing some current scams that have come across my computer screen. Yes, like you, I have been approached before by fraudulent operators. Here is how:
Motor Vehicle Violations:
Typically send to a cell phone number and occasionally an email address. I knew I had not been stopped recently for speeding. And I know my cell phone number is not used as my number with the Vermont DMV, so I felt smug in deleting it and seeing through the scam.
Other scam texts are for toll infringement or reupping your toll transformer, like EZ Pass. They always provide a link for ease of taking your money. Do not do it. Wait for the snail mail that probably will never come.
Social Security or Fraud:
Attention CHRISTINE MORIARTY,
This notice is to inform you that your Social Security benefits have been suspended.
To resolve this matter and restore your status, please contact the SSA using one of the phone numbers listed in the attached PDF.
Sincerely,
SSA Support Team
Social Security Administration
They have my personal email address and home address so one may find this convincing. However, the email address is bogus. Definitely not a Social Security Administration email address.
Had I been in doubt, I would have called a verified phone number from the Social Security website, SSA.gov. If Social Security was my only source of income, I may have panicked and clicked quickly.
Random Mindless Email and Social Media Scrolling Is Dangerous:
Late night scanning email and social media used to be an effective way to disconnect from reality and recover after a long day. No more. You are relaxed, perhaps move quickly and are too tired to recognize the delinquent email. My local email provider sent me an email on the Saturday afternoon of a long weekend last year. They are always responsive and proactive which is why I stick with them. On first glance, this seemed reasonable. The email requested I change my password as they believed that my information had been compromised. A few clicks and keystrokes later and I was done.
Then, I walked away from my phone to get ready for bed. But before I finished brushing my teeth, I was questioning myself. I went to check the return email. A fraud. I was caught. I checked the legitimate website in a panic. Called their 800# and seemed only to get “Call during working hours.” Finally, I tried a third time and clicked through different options and got a live human. The lovely man helped me change my password and notified the company this email was going around.
The next workday morning I got a call from my internet provider asking if everything got settled. I thanked them. No such fraudulent emails from them since, but there have been others.
The First Google Number May Be A Fraud:
Whether you search Google, Safari or through another searching tool, you can find almost any number you want. The ease of finding the right number…unless it is not. The first number that pops up may not be legitimate. I know.
In the midst of a timely technology issue, I searched for my computer providers number. And dialed right away. I was under stress and needed help. They offered me help right away for annual service package which I paid for immediately. They helped me. And only later did I realize that the company had nothing to do with the legitimate maker of my computer. An expensive lesson.
The other big phone search scam area is travel. Stranded? Or under travel stress? That is just when the first number may provide answers and cost money. But may not be the legitimate company you are trying to reach. This has not happened to me but I have heard it from others.
The Famous Authors That Weren’t:
My writing gene is strong and I love to create. I dream of having a book published by a large publishing company. I take writing workshops, participate in two writing groups, and create connections in the writing world.
In February, I did not find it strange that a well-known writer had written to me as we had met twice. Surprising? Yes. Crazy? No. He promised to send me a gift to mark his milestone birthday. And then began an email correspondence, offering to help with publication. He wanted to share my work with his literary agent. I was pumped and we kept in touch for a few months.
Then, three weeks ago I got contacted by another author who wanted to lead a financial workshop with me. Hmm, I thought. I do not know this gentleman at all. I had participated in a virtual workshop and sent an email but never met him. However, I knew a professional friend who always worked with him. When I shared it with her, she thought it was legitimate, though probably written by his marketing team.
After an email or two back and forth, he mentioned Visa gift cards and Xbox cards. I knew it was a scam and forwarded it to my friend. I wanted her to tell the author and his team directly.
Meanwhile, back to the first author. He was sharing some personal information I could not verify online. He sent an edited piece of mine that seemed to have a flavor of AI. I never got his promised “birthday gift.” The pieces clicked in place. To finalize what I already knew, I asked for his snail mail address and video call. That response ended my belief. But three months of writing emails to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot feels a bit foolish.
The upside of this author fiasco? I have two polished book proposals going out to agents. I figure I got motivated to fine tune what I already had.
Yes, there are other companies that make disconnecting your information from them difficult. When you want to cancel a subscription where they have your credit card information, there are so many hoops to jump in and around. I do not like those at all. But the company themselves are not a true scam. Their product may even be good. They are trying to save their income to the detriment of time, energy, and focus.
Today’s world is full of frauds, financial and otherwise. The danger does lie in phone calls but increasingly with the internet. Artificial intelligence is fueling the scamming options and makes them very convincing. There is a lot on the internet about you. With AI being used for good and bad purposes, you need to stay on your toes.
Here is my new motto: Read carefully, access when awake and thinking clearly, when in doubt ask someone, and most of all, be cautious. Verify. Verify. Verify.
Take care of yourself out there. Money and personal risks come in all forms.
And if you are like me, you have also gotten caught off guard. Please feel free to share, with me and with others. The more we all talk about what is going on out there, the better prepared we will all be.