BEWARE OF PHISHING SCAMS!
A co-worker of my wife fell victim to a phishing scam. Her co-worker received an e-mail stating that her credit card was compromised. She was then directed to click on a link embedded in the e-mail and was asked to provide all her personal info like social security number, address, date of birth, etc. She then noticed after giving all these info that someone had been impersonating her and opening credit card accounts under her name.
There are many scams that come in various forms through e-mail, phone calls, FB messengers, or text messages purportedly coming from "IRS," your bank, credit card company, or someone you know. Elderly people are usually the biggest targets but everyone can be victimized. I am compelled in today's briefing to warn everyone that phishing scams and identity thefts are on the rise especially during this pandemic. Here are a few things to keep in mind to prevent you from becoming a victim to scammers:
DO NOT GIVE YOUR PERSONAL INFO to anyone you do not know or have not verified and authenticated with a legitimate company. A simple call to your bank or credit card company will sometimes suffice to verify.
NEVER EVER GIVE USERNAMES or PASSWORDS to any person or entity over the phone or e-mail.
DO NOT SEND MONEY to anyone you do not know or impersonating someone you know asking for urgent medical or relief help. Nor to anyone who promises big sums of money in return for an initial contribution. They will keep asking again and again once you give money.
The IRS WILL NOT MAKE A PHONE CALL TO YOU. They will send an official written notice and give you ample time to respond even allowing you to seek legal advice. Do not answer or entertain phone calls supposedly coming from the "IRS."
DO NOT ACCEPT an unknown person's or a known friend's request on FB that you already have on your friends' list. Call your friend first and speak to them.
There are definitely more preventive measures we can do but this briefing is long enough. If you would like to share any helpful knowledge to everyone, please feel free to comment to this post. Please let us all educate our elders so that they won't fall victim to these kinds of scams. They need to be protected from being duped out of their hard-earned lifetime savings or retirement income. Feel free to share today's briefing.
Here's a good verse from the Bible:
"Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves." Matthew 10:16