Protect Yourself from Scams

By Jon Morton
SMALL TOWN TURNAROUND
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a list of 31

common fraud schemes on its “Scams and Safety” web page,

including credit card theft. The thief makes small purchases

with your stolen credit card number and sees if they go

through, if they do, then they hit your account for bigger

purchases. You should have an email, text message, or phone

alert set up with your credit card company, so that the bank

will contact you if there are any unusual spending items, if

there are illegitimate charges, you must report to the bank as

soon as possible so you won’t be charged for those items, but…

the bank will lock your account. This can be frustrating when

you have set up monthly withdrawals to be charged against

your card. You’ll have to go to those companies’ websites and

change the card numbers you use for those charges.

How to protect yourself from Internet scams and

fraudulent schemes.

The FBI says protect your computer by keeping the firewall

turned on and by installing and updating your antivirus and

antispyware software. Be careful what you download and only

download from trusted and secure websites. Also, keep your

operating system up to date, and turn your computer off when

it’s not in use. You will pay a yearly fee for antivirus,

antispyware, and firewall software services, but the safety they

provide makes it well worth the cost. If you’ve been the victim

of a scam, file a complaint with your local/state police

department’s cybercrime unit and file a complaint with the

FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Forewarned is forearmed.

The more you know about e-scams and fraudulent schemes,

the safer you will feel. Another way to protect yourself is by

going to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) website. Its

function is to protect America’s consumers by educating and

taking consumer complaints on everything from identity theft

to unwanted telemarketing solicitations by phone or by email.

It runs the National Do Not Call Registry, which you should sign

up for. Once you are on the do-not-call list for at least 31 days,

the calls/emails should stop, and if they don’t then you can file

a complaint with the FTC. You can register each phone number

that you have, and your registration won’t expire. You can

check the FTC’s website if your phone number is still

registered. Remember, it’s not OK for companies to leave

recorded voicemails on your phone, so you can file a complaint

if you receive unwanted telemarketing robocalls. Once you are

registered on the do-not-call list, it’s illegal for those

telemarketers to continue to call you. Use your common sense.

If you don’t recognize the area code or the phone number on

your caller ID, chances are it’s a telemarketing call. Don’t

answer it, or if you do, insist that they take you off their call

list.

At the Small Town Turnaround, we are providing this weekly

column as a free service for the local community. Financial

literacy, health and wellness, and other solutions for a better

life will be shared here.