Beware of scams

Adult protection, grandparent, post office, unclaimed property, secret shopper, census, mail order, sweepstakes, internet, banking, credit card, online dating, charity, employment, lottery, medical, social media, direct debit, telemarketing and genealogy. What do all of these things have in common? Seemingly nothing at first glance. Simply add the word scam after each and you have barely touched the surface of the hundreds of different types of fraudulent schemes designed to trick you into giving away your money or your personal information.

Scammers are constantly coming up with new ways to scam people. The countless ways they have to draw a victim in range from playing on your emotions to threatening you with consequences if you do not take action.

The good news is, there are ways to protect your self from falling victim to the constant barrage from these scammers. Being alert, aware and informed can mean the difference between keeping your money and information safe or handing it over to a scammer.

Phone scammers try to sell you something you had not intended to buy and will pressure you about giving up personal information, like your credit card or social security number. Some may call, but others use mail, email, text or social media to convince you to contact them for more information. They often use exaggerated or fake prizes, products and services as bait.

Lottery and sweepstakes scammers use the promise of a valuable prize or award to entice consumers to send money, buy overpriced products or services, or contribute to bogus charities. Legitimate sweepstakes do not require you to pay to collet winnings.

Any legitimate service will provide you with their contact information so you can research the offer or debt before providing any information. Regardless of how you are contacted, if they make it sound urgent, asking you to make an on the spot rush decision, be leery of the validity of the request.

Registering your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry can help stop some of the unsolicited calls.

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, you can file a report with the Federal Trade Commission.