Don’t Get Ripped Off: 10 Gimmicks & Red Flags Everyone Needs To Know

Criminals are becoming increasingly tech-savvy in the name of trying to get their hands on your money or personal information. Scam emails, phone calls, and text messages are now a daily reality for many, with senders using a variety of tricks to get what they want.

Scammers want to distract you from your usual good sense, and unfortunately, they’re getting better and better at what they do. But the tips in this post can help you stay one step ahead of scammers and avoid getting ripped off!

We’ll start by identifying red flags to watch for in text messages, calls, and emails that can help you avoid getting taken advantage of. Then we’ll finish with an overview of some common scams to give you a better idea of what you’re up against.

So let’s dive in!

10 Red Flags That Scammers Hope You’ll Miss

1. Spelling And Grammar Errors

If an email or text message is riddled with typos and grammatical errors, that should put you on guard. We all make mistakes, so it’s not a guarantee that the message is from a scammer, but it can indicate the message may not be from a legitimate source.

Other errors can also be red flags, like logos that aren’t quite right, strange sender addresses, and other inconsistencies.

2. Requests For Remote Access

If someone asks you to grant them remote access to your computer, that’s a major red flag. With remote access, scammers can access anything on your computer, upload malware, or even show you “evidence” to support their lies.

(It’s one thing for tech support to request remote access if you contacted them for help with a complex computer issue, but there’s really no valid reason for someone contacting you out of the blue to need to access your computer remotely.)

3. Unusual Payment Methods

Scammers prefer to get paid through gift cards, money orders, and cryptocurrency because they’re difficult to trace and undo. If someone asks for payment in one of these forms, it’s almost assuredly a scam.

4. Being Told To Lie (Outright Or By Omission)

Some scammers coach their victims on what to say if they’re questioned by store or bank employees. A scammer may tell you to say the gift cards they want you to purchase for them are “Christmas gifts” or that a withdrawal is for a “home repair.”

If someone tells you to lie or withhold information, it should instantly raise your guard.

5. Requests For Private Information

Banks, government agencies, and any other legitimate company or organization will never ask for your personal, private, or financial information in a text or email. If someone asks for private information from you and claims to be with a company or organization, call the entity’s customer service line to confirm before you give out any information.

6. “Accidental” Overpayments

Claiming to have accidentally sent or refunded too much money is a classic scam tactic. If you’re asked to “return” money, don’t — they’re almost certainly trying to trick you into giving them money that is rightfully yours.

7. Unbelievable Claims

If someone tells you their diet shake can help you lose 20 pounds in a month, or that they can improve your credit score from 425 to 750, it’s safe to assume it’s all a bunch of baloney. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

8. Scare Tactics

Scammers use fear and urgency to manipulate victims into acting before they’ve had the chance to think things through. They’ll say anything to get your information or money — they might threaten you with jail time or legal action, claim your account will be closed or you won’t be able to get a refund, or anything else that scares you into action.

Don’t act rashly out of panic — instead, slow down, talk things over with someone you trust, and decide with a cool head.

9. Suspicious Links

Scam texts and emails often contain links to unsafe websites that allow scammers to harvest their victims’ passwords, credit card numbers, and so on. Other times, links in a scam emails trigger malware downloads that give them access to the device.

If you have any suspicions about a link in a text or email, don’t click! Contact the company, agency, or individual directly to ask whether the link is legitimate.

10. Scant Information

If an online retailer or organization doesn’t provide information about their privacy policy, terms and conditions, and other basic policies, that’s rarely a good sign. If there isn’t enough basic information about the company or organization to convince you it’s real, don’t engage with them further.

5 Common Types Of Scams

1. Phishing

Phishing describes any email or text sent by someone pretending to be affiliated with a source you trust, like your bank or a close friend. Many phishing messages contain sketchy links you shouldn’t click on (see above).

2. Diet Scams

Diet scams generate more fraud complaints to the Federal Trade Commission than any other health-related scam. Diet scams often center around products that either don’t work as advertised, or that have dangerous side effects.

Any diet or weight loss product that claims to be “revolutionary,” “miraculous,” or a “scientific breakthrough” is likely a scam. Generally speaking, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

3. Credit Repair Scams

Credit repair scams prey on people who are struggling with poor credit scores or credit card debt. A scammer who offers to help repair your credit may charge you for services you could perform yourself for free, or for illegal services like a “new” (phony) Social Security number or filing (false) claims of identity theft.

4. Online Shopping Scams

If you’ve ever bought a product online and received something that was clearly counterfeit or didn’t fit the product description (or you never received the item), you’ve probably been the victim of an online shopping scam. You can report scams like these to the Better Business Bureau via their Scam Tracker website.

5. Bereavement Scams

Scammers are remarkably good at collecting the personal information of recently deceased people and using it to open accounts or make purchases under their name. For this reason, it’s important to report the death of a parent, child, or spouse to the following organizations without delay:

• Social Security Administration
• Internal Revenue Service
• The deceased’s bank and other financial institutions
• One of the major credit bureaus (death notices registered with any bureau are automatically shared with the others)

The Takeaway

I’m sure most of us have fallen victim to a scam at one point or another. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and it’s never the victim’s fault. Blaming fraud victims is unfair and perpetuates feelings of shame that prevent other victims from reporting fraud to the authorities.

If your phone is constantly buzzing with spam texts and calls, be proactive and block the senders. Learn how to filter messages on an iPhone here, and how to block a number on an Android here.

Have you ever received a suspicious email or text message?