Emergency Preparedness & Public Safety By Jim Teague
How to recognize and avoid online scams Scams are a huge problem, and the scammers are getting better at it and coming up with new angles every day. The Pew Research Center estimates that around 73 % of U. S. adults have faced online scams or attacks. Below I have listed what you should recognize as universal red flags, and what to do about them, but first, let me emphasize that scammers need your cooperation by scaring you into providing them with information about yourself. You are almost certainly not going to be scammed or infected with a virus unless you engage with them by speaking with them on the phone, allowing them access to
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your computer, giving them a credit card, typing your password or clicking a provided link in an email.
Here are the most common types of scams, with more information on each below:
■“ Cold calls” out of the blue, with the caller identifying themselves as tech support, often saying they are from Microsoft
■ Suspicious emails warning of unusual activity on one of your accounts
■ Pop-up warning screens on your PC, warning you of some serious issue and directing you to call a phone number or click a web link, often claiming to be Microsoft support
■ Emails from a friend(?) asking for a favor, such as a purchasing a gift certificate
■ Unauthorized charges for Bitcoin, Norton AntiVirus, Geek Squad, etc.
Scam red flags
These scams have a few things in common, so always be skeptical when:
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■ There is URGENCY! You must take action within a day or two or risk dire consequences.
■ You receive an email asking you to“ verify your account” by providing your username and password.
■ An email warns of“ suspicious activity” on an account.
Specific examples
Here are some actual examples of the things I have experienced or heard about: Phone call scams The first one I’ ll mention is the most alarming: a phone call that sounds exactly like a loved one who is in serious trouble. Typically, the story is that your loved one was a witness to a drug transaction, then taken by the criminals in order to extort money from you for their release. With AI, it is possible to imitate a person’ s voice based on samples taken from voicemail greetings. What to do: You’ re warned not to hang up, but if you can signal to someone else nearby to call this person and check on them, do that: You will find that nothing out of the ordinary
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Scams can come from different sources but use common tactics.( STOCK PHOTO: 123RF)
is going on. Alternatively, though it requires advance preparation, develop a family“ safe word” or“ safe phrase” that you would ask for during the phone call. The loved one’ s voice is a recording, so the caller will not know the answer, and then you can safely hang up. Even if you haven’ t established a safe word, it’ s likely that just asking the question will be enough
See EPPS / 11
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