You probably didn’t actually win a “FREE luxury vacation for two”

The Better Business Bureau said that in March alone, central Ohio consumers reported losing over $53,000 to scammers. Wow.

We’ve all been there; a pop-up on our desktop with confetti falling, indicating we’ve won a FREE cruise to the Caribbean or a call from a tech company telling us there’s a breach in our insurance and the only way to resolve it is to divulge our credit card information. Most of the time, we’re wise enough to close our browser or hang up the phone right away. But just as innocent civilians are getting smarter, so are scammers.

I know what you’re thinking, They can’t pull the wool over my eyes, I’m too keen to be fooled by these hoodwinks. But what if you got a call and upon answering, there was a pause followed by, “Can you hear me?” Instinctually, you’d answer, “Yes,” right? Well, that’s exactly what they want you to do. Scammers will record your confirmation and use it to authorize fraudulent payments. Pretty sneaky, huh? This is just one of the ploys people in central Ohio have reported.

There are also scammers out there impersonating the beloved Publishers Clearing House (the guardian angels who show up to peoples’ houses with giant checks and balloons). The caller tells the victim they’ve won but ask them to pay various fake fees. One Columbus woman was swindled out of $50,000 this way.

The BBB offers many suggestions to help protect yourself from scams:

Don’t answer unknown numbers; if it’s legitimate they’ll leave a voicemail
If someone is asking for your bank account information on the phone, HANG UP IMMEDIATELY
If you receive a letter that you believe may be a scam, call the company it’s allegedly from to make sure it’s legitimate
Don’t click on any pop-ups on your computer
Don’t open any emails from unfamiliar sources

Above all, it’s best to error on the side of being a skeptical introvert (like always).

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