Oh, the joys of summer: beautiful weather, vacationing, backyard barbeques, and scams. Wait, what? Yes, scams are in full force during the summer months, as unsuspecting people find themselves with extra time and money. In order to stay safe and secure through 2015, it’s important to understand which scams are currently circulating and how to avoid them.
Travel Scams
Travel scams are particularly widespread from May through August. Common travel scams include fraudulent ticket scalpers, taxi drivers who either charge too much or run off with luggage, and the dropped wallet trick.
The latter scam is common in many foreign countries and works like this: the scammer places an empty wallet on the ground to make it look like someone has lost one. When you walk by and see the wallet on the ground, you naturally check your pockets to see if it’s yours. The scammer, who is nearby, takes note of where you touch and can then pickpocket you more easily. The best way to prevent this is to place your wallet in a secure place, such as your front pocket.
Ransomware
On the internet, ransomware scams are very popular at the moment. In this scam, cyber-criminals coerce people into clicking links that appear to be trusted and then release a virus or program that renders the user’s computer useless until the victim satisfies the criminal’s demands.
The cyber-criminal usually requests some form of payment to an untraceable system and claims that you’re being locked out for some legal reason – such as viewing child pornography or accessing secure government information.
While it’s hard to avoid these scams, the best thing you can do is make a habit of only clicking on links with which you’re familiar. Furthermore, while they won’t always work in these instances, make sure your firewalls and anti-virus programs are up to date and active. For an in-depth look at these troubling scams, check out this comprehensive report.
Fake Debt Collectors
A prevalent scam this year involves fake debt collectors. It goes something like this: you get a phone call from a number you don’t know, the caller is angry, and he claims he’s with a debt collection service and is getting ready to garnish your wages. He sounds extremely convincing and gets you to pay a hefty sum of money. In the end, you realize you didn’t owe them anything, but it’s too late.
While it can be challenging to do in the moment, you need to be careful if you get one of these calls. Start by asking for the name of the company, the address, telephone number, and other information. Furthermore, tell the caller that you won’t make any payments until a written “validation notice” is sent. Whatever you do, don’t give any private information, and contact your creditor to find out if it’s legitimate.
Keep Your Eyes Open
While these are some of the current trends, scammers are always coming up with new ideas to stay ahead of law enforcement and savvy individuals like yourself. In order to stay on top of new scams in the coming weeks and months, it’s a good idea to check out theFederal Trade Commission’s Scam Alerts page every few weeks for new information and warnings.