“Wow, I didn’t see that coming” is the last thing you want to hear yourself say. Here are some tips to avert these common attempts at fraud.
The Target is your Social Security Number (SSN): By now, we all know it’s critical to guard this information. You receive a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration, requesting you to verify your SSN, just to be sure you’re really the person who owns the account. And that’s how they get your number.
The Social Security Administration states that it never places such calls. The same is true for the IRS. Don’t be fooled by caller ID, which can be part of the scam. Thieves can mimic actual phone numbers, even for government agencies.
How thieves use stolen SSNs
Fund wiring request. A scammer may call you, pretending to be with an organization that you’d expect to already have your SSN. As noted before, this could include the Social Security Administration, the IRS or an official from your bank or credit card company. After the caller convinces you that the call is legitimate, he or she may recite to you your own SSN to further establish credibility. Then the caller may ask you to authorize a funds transfer for a specific purpose, such as to prevent having your account frozen. Don’t fall for it.
Tax identity theft. This seasonal scam involves intercepting a tax refund that should go to you. The early tip-off could be a letter from the IRS stating that the tax return you have just submitted is the second one it has received using your SSN. If you e-file your return, you may get a notice that your filing was rejected because your refund has already been paid.
Or the IRS might say it isn’t giving you a refund because you still owe taxes that you didn’t know you had to pay. This could indicate that someone was fraudulently using your SSN to work under but not paying the related taxes.
The fake charity. Many Americans are charitably inclined. If you’re one of them, thieves may seek to use your generosity against you. Bogus charities pop up rainstorm following disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.
Before you donate, do some research using charity-rating groups such as Charity Navigator and the Wise Giving Alliance. You can also run an Internet search on your own by pairing the charity’s name with words like “complaint” or “scam.”
Bogus ads: You’ll be intrigued by an offer for heavily discounted “name brand” goods and make an online purchase but the site is just a collection point for credit card information that will be used by scammers to test the credit limit on your card.
Steer clear of ad scams by using a secure Internet connection and checking the website’s URL to make sure that it begins with https:// as opposed to http://. The “s” stands for “secure” and indicates that information transferred on that site is encrypted and, therefore, less vulnerable to theft.
The romance scam: The scammer creates a fake identity, then tricks you into building up a friendship with this phantom. To explain why you can’t simply call the individual or meet in person, the scammer may claim to be in the military, living overseas or is always too busy.
Next thing you know, you have surrendered enough personal information to be fleeced. In many cases, to elicit sympathy, the scammer claims to be a single parent with a young child. Once you’re hooked, your “sweetheart” will most likely begin asking for money. It’s “just a loan,” but probably the first of many for which you’ll never be paid back.
Healthy Skepticism
It would take millions of words to catalog all the scams that are out there. Don’t assume that you’ll be targeted only if you spend a lot of time online. Some scams and schemes are low-tech and arrive at your home with a simple knock on your door or a ring of the phone. That said, don’t let fear and paranoia run your life! Be wary of threats, but don’t assume everyone is out to get you. Keep your skepticism healthy.
