A Scam Here, A Scam There

It’s the scam time of year again ….

If there is one eternal problem with the internet, it is that it makes it so much easier for creative criminals to operate. As we head into November and the time of year that should signify holidays, family and hope, please pay attention to emails you are receiving today.

Here are some guidelines:

  • If an email comes to you from an unknown source and has an attachment, NEVER NEVER NEVER open it! Delete it.

  • If you get an email saying your bank is asking you for a new password or to verify information or anything at all, DO NOT RESPOND. Use the 800 number on your ATM card, call the bank and ask if they know about it. I recently received a very official looking email from a source that claimed to be Bank of America but I was not expecting anything. I called, they told me to report it to their people, and it turned out to be a scam. IF I HAD RESPONDED TO THE EMAIL THE CROOKS WOULD HAVE HAD MY BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER AND WOULD HAVE CLEANED OUT MY ACCOUNT BEFORE I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING!

  • If you get an email from someone from a foreign country claiming to need a bank account to deposit his or her “inheritance, lotto winnings, estate” or anything else, it is a phishing scam to get your account numbers.

    Most of you will look at this message and wonder why it is necessary. But I had a call from someone a couple of days ago asking me if a message she had received was real. She had very genuine sounding message from a lady in Nigeria explaining a genuine need for quick action. The message was written in broken English and was very good.

    I GOT THE SAME MESSAGE THE SAME DAY. Those identical emails are sent out millions of times a day around the world. They must work or they wouldn’t keep sending them.

    They remind me of the street corner beggar asking for a dollar for food when you know that the cash is going straight to the liquor store.

    You work too hard for your money to let someone tug at your heartstrings with a phony message and take your cash from you.

    With a little awareness and common sense, you can protect yourself from internet scams.

    **Angie M. Tarighi is the CEO/Founder of Women's Self-Defense Institute and EasySafety4U.com providing self defense training, education awareness & personal protection products empowering women to fight back against crime.

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