If you receive a call from someone that you have won a big prize and should claim it by doing so-and-so, just hang up or delete the text message knowing you have avoided one of the most popular scams used by fraudsters, especially as approaching year-end festivities make people ever more desperate!
The scams can take many forms, like the person claiming to be representing a big, well-known company; they may even go as far as sending out fraudulent mails and messages under the name of the CEO asking people to send money to an account.
Signs and Signals To Look For
- Somebody contacting you out of nowhere, unexpectedly asking for money or for personal information they should already have if they were really genuine.
- Another sign of a scam is the fraudster requesting to be paid in recharge cards. Only a scammer would ask to be paid that way!
- People tend to not take the time to think through what’s wrong with a scam pitch because there’s often a sense of urgency to it. Whether using fear tactics or the “it’s your lucky day, you won the lottery” line, victims are often told they have to act quickly. So watch out!
- Anything that seems unusual should raise a warning flag. If the person is legitimate, there should be no issue with you asking for a way to get back to them and then contacting the company or agency they claim to be with.
- Scammers don’t have to take in that many people for it to be profitable. Making calls and emails are not so expensive today, so even if 999 out of 1,000 people don’t fall for a scam, the one who does makes the payoff worth it!
How To Prevent the Activities of Scam Artists
- Keep in mind that once a scammer has your money, it’s probably gone for good. But be of good cheer still. You can help in solving the problem by reporting them to SERVICOM – a government agency tasked with ensuring customers get satisfaction from their transactions, or law enforcement agencies like the police and EFCC.
- The company or agency the scammer claimed to represent should also be contacted. They are eager to get the word out to consumers about scams that involve them, and providing information on their mode of operation will be priceless.
- And lastly, if a consumer encounters the scam, they should share it with people they know. You can make such information have a wider reach by sharing it on various online forums, because the only real and effective way to stop people from falling for a scam is to educate and empower them to just say No!
This was adapted from deseretnews.com
