How Can I recognize a Scam?
It sounds too good to be true
- You've won a big
prize in a contest that you don't recall entering. You're
offered a once-in-a-lifetime investment that offers a huge
return.
You're told that you can buy into a lottery ticket pool that
cannot lose.
You must pay or you can't play
- “You’re a winner!” but you must agree
to send money to the caller in order to pay for delivery,
processing,
taxes, duties or some other fee in order to receive your
prize. Sometimes the caller will even send a courier to pick
up your
money.
You must give them your private financial information
- The caller asks for all your confidential banking and/or credit
card information. Honest businesses do not require these
details unless you are using that specific method of payment.
Will that be cash... or cash?
- Often
criminal telemarketers ask you to send cash or a money order,
rather than a cheque or credit card. Cash is untraceable
and can't be cancelled. And, crooks also have difficulty in
establishing
themselves as merchants with legitimate credit card companies.
The caller is more excited than you are
- The crooks want to get you excited about this “opportunity” so
that you won't be able to think clearly.
It's the manager calling
- The person calling claims to be a government official,
tax officer, banking official, lawyer or some other person
in authority.
The person calls you by your first name and asks you a
lot of personal or lifestyle questions (like how often do
your
grown children visit you).
The stranger calling wants to become your best friend
- Criminals love finding out if you're lonely and willing
to talk. Once they know that, they'll try to convince you
that they are your friend – after all, we don't normally
suspect our friends of being crooks.
It's a limited opportunity and you're going to miss out
- If you are pressured to make a big purchase decision immediately,
it's probably not a legitimate deal. Real businesses or charities
will give you a chance to check them out or think about it.
What can I do to protect myself?
Remember, legitimate telemarketers have nothing to hide
- However,
criminals will say anything to part you from your hard-earned
money.
- Be cautious.
You have the right to check out any caller by requesting
written information, a call back number, references
and time to think
over the offer.
Legitimate business people will be happy to provide you with
that information. After all, they want the "bad guys" out
of business too. Always be careful about providing confidential
personal information, especially banking or credit card details,
unless you are certain the company is legitimate. And, if you
have
doubts about a caller, your best defence is to simply hang
up. It's not rude – it's smart.
If you're in doubt, it's wise to ask the advice of a close
friend or relative, or even your banker. Rely on people you
can trust.
Remember, you can Stop Phone Fraud - Just Hang Up!
I suspect that a relative or friend is being targeted by unscrupulous
telemarketers. What can I do?
Watch for any of these warning signs
- a marked increase in the amount of mail with too-good-to-be-true
offers
- frequent calls offering get-rich-quick schemes or valuable
awards, or numerous calls for donations to unfamiliar
charities
- a sudden inability to pay normal bills
- requests for loans or cash
- banking records that show cheques or withdrawals made
to unfamiliar companies
- secretive behaviour regarding phone calls.
If you suspect that someone you know has fallen prey to a
deceptive telemarketer, don't criticize them for being naïve.
Encourage that person to share their concerns with you about
unsolicited
calls or any new business or charitable dealings. Assure them
that it is not rude to hang up on suspicious calls. Keep in
mind that criminal telemarketers are relentless in hounding
people – some victims report receiving 5 or more calls
a day, wearing down their resistance. And, once a person has
succumbed to this ruthless fraud, their name and number will
likely go on a "sucker list", which is sold from
one crook to another. |
List
of Scams
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