“I feel so stupid.”
That was the fifth time I heard the same remark from readers who contacted me last month. Their (misplaced) feeling? They were or were oh–so-close to being scammed.
Each had a different story, a different tale of what transpired. The tragic part however is what happened to them WILL (sooner-or-later) be faced by everyone reading this article.
Scammers are everywhere, from down the street to half-way around the world. And no matter what the “authorities” say or claim, they can’t stop them. Worse yet, these bad guys are getting better at it. Especially with the use of AI.
Let’s start with the very sad realization that scammers are out there, right now, looking for targets. You’re only hope is if and when they go after you, you’re ready.
Now, there are indeed numerous scams. From the too easy to believe to others that are so sophisticated and elaborate that if it wasn’t for the cruelty in targeting victims, you would even “admire” their workmanship.
Let’s dispense with the easy ones. You know the ones, that Nigerian Oil Minister or the “Congratulations, you’ve won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse first prize.” The reality is that nobody (and I mean NOBODY) is ever going to give you millions of dollars.
Or the recent one last month out of Great Britian when a man lost thousands believing he was in communication with actress Jennifer Aniston. Trust me, if Ms. Aniston was looking for a good-looking senior hulk, she would have contacted me months ago.
But no matter how complicated the scam – from that grandparent scam to the help-that-puppy scam to (my personal favorite) jury duty scam, there is always that moment when the scammer is exposed.
There is always one “tell” that no matter how much you are falling victim to the scam or how much you believe that everything is true and accurate, the scam is exposed. That’s when the SOB demands payment by:
- Gift cards or
- Western Union Wire Transfers (does anybody still do this?) or
- Cryptocurrency (does anybody even know what this is?)
There are no exceptions to this 100% rule. If payment is requested or demanded this way it is a scam, Always, always, always. End of story.
And in the very, very, rare possibility that the scammer will be sending someone over to your house (after you give them your address) to collect cash, call 911. That’s also always a scam and under these circumstances, even the police will immediately come to your rescue.
As for those texts and emails, unless you know exactly who those messages are from, delete, delete, delete them. I assure you that if it was from Aunt Gertrude, or the “authorities” they will contact you again. Scammers on the other hand, simply move on to the next potential victim.
And if scammers don’t want your money, they want the next best thing – your financial information. That starts with your Social Security or Medicare number and/or your banking information.
Never, never, NEVER disclose that information and if such a demand is from the “authorities” (any authority) once again it’s a 100% scam.
Yours truly and The Vegas Voice have done a bunch of video scam warnings that are on our website and YouTube channel. Some are (hopefully) humorous while being informative and all contain the same warning – protect yourself at all times.
One last reminder: No matter how dire the situation may be, no matter how “urgent” the problem is, or no matter how you are told to “stop everything and act now” you always need to take a breath and think.
Even better, call someone – be it a family member, trusted friend or even me at The Vegas Voice. If your particular circumstances are legit (and they never will be) such payment or disclosure of financial information can wait an hour or a day.
And if you contact me, I promise not to judge or questions your actions – unless you claim that you have Jennifer Aniston on the other line.
