Confidence Schemes
There are literally thousands of confidence schemes, also known as scams, going around by mail, e-mail, and telephone. And many of them are occurring right here in Corvallis. Scams do differ in their details, but they tend to have a number of similar features.
If you are contacted by someone you do not know who asks you for personal or financial information or the person asks you to front money so that the deal can pay off, chances are very good that you are being conned. Look for the following sure signs that a scam is being perpetrated against you.
1) Scammers often pose as bank or credit card company employees, as government officials such as IRS or FBI agents, voter registration agents, jury duty officials, or as officials of a lottery or government grant office. Often, letters and e-mails have realistic, but forged, logos.
2) You are asked to provide personal information such as your social security number, date of birth, or your mother’s maiden name to verify who you are.
3) You are asked to provide financial information such as your account number(s), PIN, or password to update or to validate your account(s). A statement that your account has been compromised or that it will be closed if you do not respond immediately often accompanies these requests.
4) You are notified that you have won a lottery or have been awarded a government grant and are asked to send money for some kind of processing or registration fee. These notices often are accompanied by a check (it is counterfeit). You are told the check is an advance on your winnings or grant. You are asked to deposit the check and told that you can pay the processing fee by using money from your advance. You are then asked to send a personal check to pay the fee or to return any “overage” that might have been accidentally included.
5) You are asked to be an intermediary and deposit a large sum of money (several million dollars) in your account because the rightful owner is being persecuted politically (or some variation) and needs to get his or her wealth out of the country. For your kindness in helping you are promised a third of the amount. All you need to do is deposit the money in your account and then forward funds to another account.
What to do if you receive such a request.
Ask the questions presented in the FBI’s Fraud Alert posted below.
Never respond to a letter, e-mail, or telephone call asking for you to provide ANY personal or financial information. Never deposit a check from, or send a check to, someone you don’t know. Never front money to make a deal proceed if you do not know the person with whom you are dealing.
Legitimate businesses and government agencies do not ever request this kind of information by letter, e-mail, or phone. If you are in doubt and think the request is real, verify with the company or government office by calling its number as listed in a phone book or by calling the number on your credit card or in your records. DO NOT call the number in the letter or e-mail or the one given to you over the phone to verify whether the request is valid.
So, shred letters, delete e-mails, and hang up on phone callers. Contact your bank and the police if you have lost money.
