Helping People Move Forward with Their Lives.
n Only cash payment is accepted
n “Too good to be true” offers
Common door-to-door sales pitches involve
home improvement work, magazine sales and
home security alarms. It’s important to research
companies first, before committing to a
contract, to verify the identity of a salesperson
and associated company.
Watch and listen for these industry red flags:
n Claims of leftover asphalt from a
neighboring job
n Immediate and cheap offers to make
home repairs
n The contractor is from out of state or in an
unmarked truck
n The home security representative is
offering to upgrade or update your
security system for free and without
appointment
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean the
scam calls will stop. Phone scams do work,
especially ones that use scare tactics, like the
“Family Emergency” scam and “Tech Support”
scam.
In the “Tech Support” scam, con artists will
attempt to scare residents into believing there
is a virus on their computer. The callers will
falsely represent themselves as being from tech
support, Microsoft or a geek squad and ask that
you provide remote access to your computer. If
you comply with the caller’s requests, they can
take control of your computer, steal any saved
information and could download a virus. The
caller will also ask for payment to resolve the
issue. This type of scam, if successful, will put
your personal and financial information at risk.
TIPS ON AVOIDING TECH-RELATED
SCAMS:
Keep A Clean Machine
Have a good anti-virus program. Free antivirus programs are generally more useful as ad
generators than they are at protecting your
computer.
Don’t Listen To Your Computer
If there is something wrong with your
computer, you will have to seek professional
help yourself. You should not comply
with any unsolicited calls, pop-ups with
notifications that a virus has been detected
or a web page that tells you your computer
is infected. Do NOT call the associated
numbers! Turn your computer off and seek
local professional help.
Back It Up!
Backup all files. Don’t wait until you
NEED it before you check that you can
GET it.
Niagara Network is a networking
group that consists of many
professionals who come together
once per month to meet and talk
about how we can assist people in
Millcreek and the Erie area with a
variety of needs. To learn more about
Niagara Network and how we may be
able to assist you with a need, please
call Katherine Reim at 814.860.1333 or
via e-mail at [email protected]
Contributors:
Tim “The Computer Geek” Prawdzik, President/CEO of
TechnoBiz, 814.806.3445
Pamela Marlowe, Better Business Bureau of Western PA,
Erie Office, 877.267.5222
Colleen Wallace, Community Affairs Specialist, Gateway
Health Plan, 412.518.7764
Katherine Reim Service Coordination Unlimited, Inc.,
814.860.1333
Maggie Herzog, M.A. CCC.SLP, Genesis Rehab Services,