Have you ever been conned or dread the idea of being swindled at any point? Well, worry no longer because we will be helping you out with ten ways in which you can have the edge over the frauds trying to leave you high and dry.
Identify the imposters.
Scammers tend to impersonate the disposition of somebody who you would trust without even blinking the eye like one of your friends, family, government official, a charity, or someone you are partners within your business. If you ever come across a suspicious request through email, text, or a phone call in that matter, do not let out any personal information or money as an act of generosity.
Research online.
Whenever there’s something fishy, type the name of the product/service or the company and use words like “review” and “scam” to check their authenticity. Other than that, you can also look for phone numbers to find out whether or not they are scams.
Your caller ID might not always be true.
Even though caller IDs guarantee that they would furnish you with every little detail of the unknown numbers that are trying to reach you, they aren’t always true to their words. If someone calls you and asks for your bank details or money, block him immediately. But, if the voice sounds genuine, call back to find out if he is telling the truth.
Avoid paying in advance.
Some people ask others to pay in advance for certain services such as mortgage assistance, credit card offers, loans, debt relief, or an assured job prospect. Additionally, frauds might also affirm that you have won a prize worth a humungous amount but, you will have to pay some taxes before that to claim your reward. Do not believe them because such procedures are carried out officially face-to-face with legit documents and not over the phone.
Check the method of payment before approving them.
While some credit cards have built-in fraud protectors to track the legitimacy of the destination of the payment, wiring money through MoneyGram and Western Union is inexorably risky, and once the payment is remitted, getting it back involves a lot of hassle. Honest companies and government offices will firstly have a wide array of payment options and, secondly, won’t use unconventional methods.
Talk to someone you trust.
Before shelling out the money, take time with your decision and talk to someone you trust. People with the aim of conning you will be in a rush and prompt you to make a choice at the earliest and even might go to the extent of threatening you.
Don’t answer robocalls.
When you pick up the phone and hear a recorded voice putting up the sales pitch, hang up right then and report it to the FTC. Besides being illegal, their products will be completely useless.
Free trial offers are indeed dubious.
Some companies, out of uncalled-for generosity, offer free trials to sign you up for their products and send you a bill for them until you press the cancel button. Before agreeing to the free trials, get to know the company well on the internet, and diligently browse through the cancellation policy. Also, reassess your monthly systems to make sure that you are not charged for services to which you didn’t agree.
Don’t pay fake checks.
Lawfully, a bank must scoop out funds from the deposited checks within a few days; nonetheless, if the check is addressed to a fake receiver, it can take weeks. If the check turns out to be fraudulent, you will be held responsible for paying the bank back.
Sign up for free scam alerts.
Sign up for free scam alerts at ftc.gov/scams to get useful tips and latest updates about fraudulent activities.
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