Taking a Stand Against Fraudulent Schemes
As we enter the holiday season, unfortunately we must be aware of scammers who want to separate us from our names, money and credit. As technology grows, so do the ways fraudsters create schemes to victimize individuals. While there are many, many scams being perpetrated, two of the most prevalent are listed below.
The first thing to understand is that the gift card scam can be part of any fraudulent activity. Often, gift cards are used in impostor scams where someone is claiming to be the IRS or Social Security, Tech Support, Your Pastor, Grandchild or Online Soulmate. The scammer works to get the targets into a heightened emotional state.
Another highly used ruse are online scams. The ne'er do well ill set up a bogus website that may like a similar legitimate site. The scammers might place ads, or you could receive emails, texts about items with extremely low prices for highly sought-after products.
The goal of scammers is to get your money or get your personal confidential information and payment info. Ultimately, items ordered either never arrive at all, or are shoddy knockoffs. You've worked too hard for your money to receive substandard products. Remember: caveat emptor or buyer beware. If your "Spidey Sense" is going off, chances are good that you should do a thorough check before giving someone your personal and confidential information.
To learn more about how to avoid being the victim of a scam, please visit www.aarp.org/fraud or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360.
