Phone scams & how to avoid them

With modern technology, people do not need to see or know you to scam you. You may be thinking the internet is a great place for scammers, but did you know there are still lots of scams via phone still? Yep. Scammers are still using phone as a method of scamming. From Princesses that want to store money in your bank account or people want to offer you loans for under 19.9 interest. You may be thinking “Why not just report the phone number to police?” well scammers have already figured a way around that by disguising their phone number with the internet. We have came across 10 methods of way peolpe can scam you via phone. Dave O’Brien, a writer for record-courier.com has written a great article about this exact topic. We have quote it here for your convenience.

The top 10 phone scams and how to avoid them

Ever since people have had money, other people have tried to part them from it.

Using modern computer technology — to disguise, or “spoof,” incoming phone numbers on caller ID — along with threats or some convincing acting, scam artists are constantly working to scare people into handing over their hard-earned money.

The best across-the-board way to fight these threats: If you receive calls from anyone wanting to pay you when you aren’t owed anything, or demanding money in lieu of your immediate arrest, hang up and call your local law enforcement agency.

Suspected scams should be reported by calling 911 or local law enforcement . Attempted scams also may be reported to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office by calling 800-282-0515. For scams online, the FBI operates the Internet Crime Complaint Center, where a report can be made by visiting www.ic3.gov.

Still not sure what to look for? These are 10 common scams that local, state and federal authorities say the public still falls for:

1. “Pay or be arrested.”

Scammers call a victim and claim to be a local officer or federal agent and tell the person they have an active warrant. The scammer then says the person must send money using a credit card, gift card or prepaid debit card to clear up the warrants.

Police will never call you on the phone to demand money to clear up active warrants. Brimfield police recently took reports of a fictional “Detective Walker” from “the Brimfield Sheriff’s Department” calling residents and threatening arrest, the department reported on Facebook.

Also, check with local police to make sure that any officer who calls soliciting charitable donations is actually an officer, or with local officers to make sure that a company claiming to represent the police department is truly collecting for charity.

2. The Grandparent Scam

Taking advantage of the elderly, scammers will call at odd hours pretending to be a grandchild or relative, and claim they are in jail and need bail money. An easy way to defeat this scam is to ask specific questions or call the relative in question and check on them, Ravenna Police Capt. David Rarrick said.

“You need to verify” that the person is who they say they are, he said, noting that a similar scam recently was reported in the city. “You need ask questions about the whole event, and if there really is trouble, you can handle that effectively.”

He urged the public to use their best judgment, and call local law enforcement and ask them to check if the relative truly is behind bars or in trouble either locally or out of state.

3. The Computer Fix-it Scam

A caller pretending to be a computer or software expert from an agency such as the fictional “U.S. Cyber Security” will tell the victim their computer has a virus and that they need to hand over passwords or other personal information so the “expert” can fix it remotely from another location.

This scam can result in your computer being hacked and personal information stolen. Mogadore police reported in December that a similar scam had targeted village residents.

4. The Lottery Scam

A caller tells the intended victim they have won money in a contest or state lottery. However, to receive their money, the victim must first send money by debit card, credit card or gift card to complete the process.

These scams increase in frequency as national lottery jackpots rise, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. In every case, the victim will not receive any money, but will lose whatever they send.

5. The Utility Scam

A caller will say they are from one of your utility companies, that you that you are behind on payments and will then threaten to shut off your utilities unless you pay over the phone, either with a credit card, gift card or prepaid debit cards.

Utility companies do not do business in this manner, and Ohio Edison states clearly on its website that it will first send customers a written notice. The company recommends you use only “established payment options” like those on Ohio Edison’s website to clear a balance.

6. The IRS Scam

A person claiming to be an IRS agent or representative will call and demand payment of back taxes, threatening arrest over nonpayment. Or, the caller will say the victim is owed a refund and request bank account information so the money can be directly deposited.

“The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information,” according to its website. A bill on IRS letterhead with legitimate contact information will be sent first informing you of back taxes owed, the agency said.

7. The Work From Home Scam

Rarrick said another popular scam is contacting people with offers to work from home as an online shopper or “secret shopper.”

The scammer says “they’ll contact you for work, and send you a check. You then deposit the money, and send some back in fees with your work product. So you get a $5,000 check, deposit it, and send back the $500 or $1,000 fee, but it’s all bogus. And the check is bad,” Rarrick said.

8. The Storm-Chaser Scam

Following severe weather, so-called home repair firms will contact homeowners personally offering to fix storm damage if the resident turns over their insurance checks. In most cases, no work will be done and the money will be lost.

The attorney general’s office suggests residents get multiple estimates from legitimate, Better Business Bureau-rated repair firms and contact them rather than work with solicitors. Also, when dealing with repair companies, don’t make large payments in advance, get a detailed written contract and understand your cancellation rights.

9. Student Scams

College students are vulnerable to scams that may offer student loan relief/debt consolidation, part-time jobs, apartment rentals or grants.

Never pay anyone money up front if someone offers you a job or money for nothing. Never make a security deposit an apartment without first seeing the property. And remember that most grants require an application and are paid to organizations — not directly to individuals.

10. Online Shopping Scams

A seller will ask you to send money for an item you buy online, after which you will likely not receive the item you paid for. Or, a buyer will offer you a personal check but ask that you not cash it immediately. In most of these instances, you will be left without the money or the item you bought.

Instead, offer to meet potential sellers early in the week, in person and in a safe place such as a police department parking lot where there are security cameras. Deal in cash instead of personal checks, or buy items from reputable online shopping sites such as eBay or Amazon.

thumbnail courtesy of record-courier.com

A lot more scams that you thought right? It is scary how people can create over 10 ways to scam you out of your hard earned money. From online shopping to student debt scams, it is almost hard to know when someone might be trying to scam you. Here is rule of thumb if you want to avoid being scammed. If it seems to be too good to be true, it is. This saying is very cliche, but it works. Understand that you are very unlikely to win a cruise and if you did, you would have rememeber you signed up for one. Another tip would be to research everything. The phone number, the person’s name that has called you, and the direct phone number you can contact them back at. Searching the phone they called you from might not work because the scammers use hundreds of spoof phone numbers. If the person has an accent, that could be its a scam. If the person on the phone claims to be from a repuatbale company, call the company and ask them questions. If none of that works. research the direct phone number or email they have provided. Have you recieved a phone call from a scammer? If so, let us know how you delt with the situation.

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