I Almost Got Scammed: How to Avoid Falling Into the Trap

It sounded too good to be true…but. The site looked legit…the business logo was spot-on, the photography professional, and the item descriptions well-written. The discounts were crazy good, so my daughter and I filled our virtual shopping cart and clicked the “checkout” button. Then there it was: scam written all over the payment screen. They nearly had us. I Almost Got Scammed: How to Avoid Falling Into the Trap.

So close, yet so far…

I had a weird feeling about the site when my daughter told me about it. One of our favorite athletic clothing brands was discontinuing a style that fits my daughter well, and she looked high and low for her beloved item. Suddenly, it showed up on their (apparent) website, along with other deeply discounted quality items.

It sure looked like the real deal, even the web address seemed right. So we were set to enjoy some great clothes and even better prices until the site would only accept one particular type of credit card. One we did not have, fortunately.

I then Googled the website word-for-word and dot-for-dot and learned it was a scammy site. Suspicion confirmed. But I still felt like an idiot for nearly falling for the scam, as the web address was off by only a few characters from the legitimate one. The silver lining? My daughter was right alongside me learning a valuable lesson. Actually, three important lessons:

1. What a well-executed scam looks like.
2. Even adults who think they know better can fall victim.
3. And what to do if she suspects a scam.

What Good Scammers Know

Good scammers know technology. Good scammers know how to build a legitimate-looking website and imitate upstanding businesses. I was fooled, even after comparing the logo on the scam site to that on an item I already owned. Also, these unsavory characters know how to change the phone number visible on caller id, making their shift business difficult to trace. In other words, good scammers are great impersonators which makes it much easier to dupe their prey.

But it came from my friend’s email, surely it’s legit? Hold up. Click on the “reply-to” in the email’s heading…if the email address in the drop-down window is different…block it. It’s a scam; your friend has been hacked.

Good scammers know what makes people tick. People are more vulnerable to falling for a scam when our needs, interests and life routines are triggered. Whether it’s great deals on a favorite brand (raising my hand here), or a threat to our safety and security, we are primed to be tricked out of our money, identity or both.

Some important “do’s” to avoid being scammed

1. Do have a high index of suspicion. If an email, website, phone message or salesperson is footing something that sounds too good to be true…it probably is. Avoid it like the plague.
2. Do your research. Google: “Is (blank) legit?” Google phone numbers, the business or item, etc., and customer reviews for it. Personal experience: I received a text from an unknown international phone number. Not only did this not jibe with what they were offering, but the phone number was associated with a known scam.
3. Do maintain the virus software on your computer.
4. Do trust your gut if any communication seems out of the ordinart l for someone you know or for a familiar place of business. (Think of those emails that come from a long-lost high school friend who wants to share photos with you…)
5. Do resist the impulse to act immediately, even if you get an SOS from a family member needing money ASAP. Remember, good scammers are pros at preying upon emotions.
6. Do block unwanted phone numbers and email addresses.

(Source: consumerprotection.govt.nz)

And some very important “don’ts”

1. Don’t reveal personal info–name, mailing address, account numbers or IRD (New Zealanders) or Social Security numbers to an unexpected request.
2. Don’t click on a link with an obscure context or no context at all.
3. Don’t “friend” anyone on social media with whom you are already connected.***
4. Don’t use the same password for every account; mix it up.
5. Don’t waffle. Resist the pressure and stay firm in saying “no.” And you reserve the right to just hang up on a scammer.

***A friend of mine recently shared this advice on her Facebook feed:

If you get a friend request from someone you are already Facebook friends with:

~First check that it’s not in fact your friend. (Message the friend to the profile you are already connected with.)

~If it’s not your friend, you can report that someone has created a profile pretending to be your friend. After you reject the friend request, a button with three dots (…) will show up, and if you click on that, it will allow you to report the profile and specify which person’s profile they are pretending to be.

So, is it a scam?

Again, if it sounds too good to be true (as in, you’ve WON!)…it’s probably a scam. Also, if the instigator pressures you for money, threatens arrest, or to send an IRS auditor to your door, it’s also a scam. Any contact that is unexpected and applies pressure on you to act immediately is scamming you.

Also, a request for a specific form of payment, like by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or with a specific credit card…you guessed it: SCAM.

When your hackles are raised, go into sleuth mode. Google the website or phone number to check its legitimacy. Check customer reviews. And if the call/text/email involves one of your financial accounts, go to a website you know you can trust and make contact with a service representative to verify everything is in order.

It can happen to anyone

The advice above seems like common sense…but even the most wary can succumb to a scam. I thought I was one of those people. But I was set to give away my credit card info until the site requested a specific form of payment. The page really fooled me:

• It looked legitimate and professional.

• The site described the items for sale exactly as they would be described on the real website without typos, spelling or grammatical errors (also clues to a scam).

• Prices were out-of-line with in-store cost.

I convinced myself it was a huge blowout sale, which was wishful, emotion-fueled thinking on my part. Thankfully I couldn’t pay. Or someone, with my credit card info in hand, could have gone to the actual website and gone on a bender of a spree.

My daughter witnessed this near-miss. That is the silver lining: she learned from this experience, too. And I encourage you to talk with your kids about how to identify scams, because they are everywhere, on every communication platform, and appeal to everyone in one way or another.

Well, I’ve been scammed…what do I do now?

• Block the sender.
• Create new passwords.
• Report identity theft to every important financial institution you use.
• Stop payments ASAP, request new credit card numbers.
• Freeze your credit reports. Take it from my experience, this is a real pain when you need to unfreeze those reports, but very, very worth it in case of identity theft.
• Update security settings on your devices if you think the scammer has them.
• In the U.S.: report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and if your identity has been stolen go to IdentityTheft.gov for further guidance.
• In New Zealand: report the incident to Cert NZ, the local police, the Department of Internal Affairs and/or the involved telecom agency.

Sources used in this post:

consumer.ftc.gov: How to Avoid a Scam; What to Do if You Were Scammed

consumerprotection.govt.nz: Avoiding scams; Identify a scam; Scammed? Take action

moneysmart.gov.au: What to do if you’ve been scammed