People are targets of scams on a daily basis. There is no one group of people who are more likely to be the target of a scam, it can happen to anyone of any age, background or employment. Scams come across as looking like the “real deal” and catch people off guard when you’re least expecting it. Scammers are getting smarter these days and take advantage of technologies, products and services to create more believable stories to convince you.
They also create a sense of urgency to limit the time you get to think about it. Here are some common ways these scammers apply the pressure:
- Having Deadlines
- Fake Emergencies
- Threat of Legal Action
- Threat of Being Arrested
- Posing as Government Organisations, Finance companies, IT companies or other well-known organisations
Some common scams will involve:
- Winning or inheriting money
- Fake charities and competitions
- Dating
- Offering to buy or sell products/services
- Using threats
- Attempts to steal your personal details
- Fake money-making opportunities
Ways to spot a Scam:
- Documents or emails don’t have a personal greeting
- Company on the document or email doesn’t exist
- Poor grammar and layout/design
- Scammers won’t usually leave a message on your phone and if they do it can be a recorded message or in another language
- Demanding sensitive information about yourself (If it’s a company you usually deal with, they should have this information already)
Be on your guard as scammers can use websites or companies you have interacted with in the past so be weary of emails, documents or phone calls that you weren’t expecting. However, companies can sometimes call their customers out of the blue for a legitimate reason so always verify with the company directly to be on the safe side.
