Chief’s Column: How to stop a scam
March 6th through March 12th, 2022 has been designated as National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), a campaign to help people understand their consumer rights and make well-informed decisions about money. To help protect local citizens from becoming the victims of scams and con artists, the Grafton Police Department would again like to provide the following information from this campaign offered by the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.
Scam artists in the U.S. and around the world defraud millions of people each year. They use the phone, email, postal mail and the internet to trick you into sending money or giving out personal information. Here are 10 things you can do, or not do, to stop a scam:
What to Do
1. Know who you’re dealing with: Try to find a seller’s physical address (not a P.O. Box) and phone number. With internet phone services and other web-based technologies, it’s tough to tell where someone is calling from. Do an online search for the company name and website, and look for reviews. If people report negative experiences, you’ll have to decide if the offer is worth the risk. After all, a deal is good only if you get a product that actually works as promised.
2. Know that wiring money is like sending cash: Con artists often insist that people wire money, especially overseas, because it’s nearly impossible to reverse the transaction or trace the money. Don’t wire money to strangers, to sellers who insist on wire transfers for payment, or to anyone who claims to be a relative or friend in an emergency and wants to keep the request a secret. (Gift cards are also a popular way for scammers to get your money.)
3. Read your monthly statements: Scammers steal account information and then run up charges or commit crimes in your name. Dishonest merchants bill you for monthly “membership fees” and other goods or services without your authorization. If you see charges you don’t recognize or didn’t okay, contact your bank, card issuer, or other creditor immediately.
4. After a disaster, give only to established charities: In the aftermath of a disaster, give to an established charity rather than one that has sprung up overnight.
5. Talk to your doctor before you buy health products or treatments: Ask about research that supports a product’s claims and possible risks or side effects. In addition, buy prescription drugs only from licensed U.S. pharmacies.
6. Remember there’s no sure thing in investing: If someone contacts you with low-risk, high-return investment opportunities, stay away. When you hear pitches that insist you act now, that guarantee big profits, that promise little or no financial risk, or that demand that you send cash immediately, it’s a SCAM!
What Not to Do
7. Don’t send money to someone you don’t know: Not to an online seller you’ve never heard of or an online love interest who asks for money. It’s best to do business with sites, and people you know and trust.
8. Don’t agree to deposit a check and wire money back: By law, banks have to make funds from deposited checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check can take weeks. You’re responsible for the checks you deposit: If a check turns out to be a fake, you’re responsible for paying back the bank. No matter how convincing the story, someone who overpays with a check is almost certainly a scam artist.
9. Don’t reply to messages asking for personal or financial information: It doesn’t matter whether the message comes as an email, a phone call, a text message, or an ad. Don’t click on links or call phone numbers included in the message, either. It’s called phishing.
10. Don’t play a foreign lottery: It’s illegal to play a foreign lottery. If you do play and “win,” you’ll be asked to pay taxes or fees up front which go right to scammers and you’ll never collect a prize.
If you think may be the victim of a scam, identity theft or fraud, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.
Chief of Police
