Keep cautious with suspected scams

Though you might not hear about them on a regular basis, scams are still a large part of every day life and it’s important when you pick up the phone or receive an email, the person on the other end might not be trustworthy.

Scams can be easy to spot, such as a message from a Nigerian prince offering a partnership in a lucrative business venture or a notice you’ve got some unclaimed money from a lottery or long-lost relative who recently passed. All that’s requested is your Social Security number or other pertinent information.

Others play on people’s fears and can be harder to spot. Scammers often pose as relatives — close and distant — who ran into some hard luck and need money. Others falsely represent themselves as working with government agencies such as the IRS or law enforcement. Again, the overall goal is to try and scam people out of their money.

And the methods used to get access to bank accounts have changed as well. While asking for a Social Security number or bank information is still used, sending a payment to those you think is trustworthy gives them a line to follow to get to your money.

Another methods used include sending a money order in return for a payment, however the order ultimately turns out to be bad and the sent payment is already out of your account. Scammers also have gone to asking for gift cards for payment, then requesting the card numbers be read to them over the phone, allowing for any money put on the card to be easily taken.

When faced with a call, email or text that promises a large reward for doing something simple, keep in mind that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Also, reputable companies and government agencies will never ask for payment via gift card.

If you receive a message or call that you think might be someone taking advantage of you, contact law enforcement at 864-3114 or 864-2622.