Consumer Alert
It’s financial literacy month: protect yourself from scammers
April kicks off Financial Literacy Month, which is often about managing your money and building savings. But this month, we want to talk about protecting what you have, and what you’re building, from scammers.
Scammers are good at what they do. They target people of all backgrounds, ages, and income levels with sophisticated ways to steal your money and personal information.
Follow along with us this month as we cover how to spot and avoid scammers: how scammers ask you to pay them, the signs of a job or money-making scam, and how to check your credit.
Here are a few things to know:
- If you’re asked to pay for something with a gift card, that’s a scam. Period. Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments.
- Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a call, e-mail, or text that you didn’t expect.
- If you’re looking for a job, never pay to get one.
- Resist pressure to act immediately. Scammers want you to pay or give them your personal information before you have time to think.
- Stop and talk with someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell a friend, a family member, or a neighbor what happened.
For more information on spotting and avoiding scams, visit ftc.gov/scams. And don’t forgot to share what you learn with others during #FinancialLiteracyMonth.
If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Want information on the latest frauds and scams we’re seeing? Sign up for consumer alerts.
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It is so true, they work on your emotions, when they are out of wack, so is your decision making. The worst time I was hacked was fear. Somehow they could control the volume, which high volume in the sound added to the fear. Guess the best advice could share, Never believe your not going to be fooled.
Now a day scams look and feel legitimate. Seniors and at risk adults seem to be hit the hardest. Its almost akin to a pushy car salesman trying to sell you a lemon. Stay frosty and keep up your defenses.
Need help having problems trying to retrieve money from ebay and getting ran around
I'm amazed at the sophistication of scammers nowadays!