A few days ago, a friend posted a Facebook message.
It essentially said that Facebook only shows you posts from 25 people in your friends list. There's then an instruction to Copy and Paste and re-post that message which triggers the Facebook algorithm into showing you content from more people.'
Immediately, I knew that was untrue. It's a hoax that
has been read by tons of folks on social media and shared far and wide. My friend didn't know she was sharing something that was completely untrue and she deleted it once I private-messaged her and let her know.
Scams are everywhere these days. Unfortunately, they're becoming more sophisticated and
prevalent, and it can be challenging to spot them. The unscrupulous people who originate scams prey on people's emotions and fears to trick them into giving up personal information and hard-earned money.
Here are five common scams to watch out for and how you can protect
yourself.
1. Grandchild in distress: Grandma Jenny received a call from her grandson in jail who need bail money. She thought to herself, "Oh no, what kind of trouble did Eric get himself into now?" Problem is, that person was not Jenny's grandson, but an
imposter.
She was about to send the money but thought it best to call her son, Sean, first. Luckily, Sean knew about this common scam and assured his mom that Eric was safe and sound.
Problem averted before any harm was done, but Jenny's bank account could have been thousands of dollars lighter!
2. Social Security needs verification: Bill, a retiree, received a call from a woman claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. She told him his benefits
would be canceled if he didn't provide information to verify his account. She then proceeded to ask him for his address and social security number.
Fortunately, Bill was skeptical. He
immediately hung up and called the Social Security Administration directly and confirmed that it was, indeed, a scam designed for the purpose of identity theft.
3. You've won a big prize: Jackie received an email saying she won a free vacation. She was so excited as she had been
dreaming of a vacation for a long time but didn't have the money to go. She always filled out sweepstakes at the mall, so she assumed it was one of those. All she needed to do was pay a processing fee and she'd be on her way in a month.
She paid the fee and sadly never received the vacation. She was swindled.
4. I'm falling in love with you: Ava's husband passed away three years ago and she was lonely. She spent a lot of time online seeking
friendships. Out of the blue, a man online "friended" her on Facebook, claiming to be a soldier stationed overseas. In time, he began sending her private Facebook messages.
After a month of
them both sharing personal details in many messages, he asked Ava for money so he could visit her and told her he would pay her back.
She was very excited about finally meeting him in person, but of course, she never heard from him again after sending the money.
5. A tug on your heartstrings: Anthony received a call asking for a donation to a charity helping children. He listened to the sad story of kids who lost their parents, were sick, and had no money to get treatment. When the caller requested Anthony's money for this very worthy cause, he pulled out his credit
card.
It's a good thing he was on speakerphone because Anthony's 19-year old granddaughter overheard this going on and said, "Grandpa, something doesn't sound right about this charity." At
that point, Anthony decided to tell the caller he'd have to think about it...and hung up. He later found out that his granddaughter was right; the charity was fake.
These are just a few of
the many scams happening these days. To protect yourself:
a) Always remain vigilant and cautious when receiving unsolicited phone calls, emails, text messages, or when
reading social media posts or messages that pop up when you click on something you're searching for on the internet.
b) Stop and think. Always be suspicious. If it sounds too good or sensational to be true, it likely is.
c) Never give out personal information to people you don't know.
d) Always research before investing or donating money.
e) Refrain from sharing things you can't confirm are true, on social media or otherwise. Do your research first. (Snopes.com is one good fact-checking source.)
f) Reach out to family members and/or the appropriate authorities (as applicable) to verify the legitimacy of a request.
By being
careful and aware, you can protect yourself from falling into these traps.
