Here’s how to be safe and secure in 2007
Remember Carnac on the Tonight Show? Johnny Carson would hold an envelope to his turbaned head and answer the question the envelope contained. (Of course, these were hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall’s porch…..)
So, picture Carson with that envelope to his forehead, and the answer is, “They live in a cave.”
Figure that the question was, “Why would someone fall for a scam that everyone knows is a scam? The media has discussed this one nearly as much as the weather and sounded too good to be true from the moment the pitch began. So, what don’t folks get?”
When I gather with others who fight fraud and other breeches of marketplace ethics, we all begin to sound like cynics.
While we have the perception that everyone should know all this stuff, not everyone lives and breathes it like the BBB, our outside agency and law enforcement partners.
As we move into 2007, here are some simple concepts to know and share in order to be safe and smart in 2007:
Contests and lotteries
Sorry, nope, you have not won the lottery, the sweepstakes or other contest that you did not enter. If they want a small amount of money to be submitted along with your confirmation, then they are not for real. Hang onto that $14.99 or $20 and throw the offer in the trash, please!
These insidious little amounts drain resources from unsuspecting individuals every day. If you have truly won a prize it will be totally free, no strings attached. Problem here, once you start entering these contests, you end up on a sucker list and will begin to receive more junk mail and also strange cold calls! Watch out! Your mailbox and voicemail will be full of “winning” offers!
ID theft
The easiest way for the scammers to get your info is from items you leave in your car, for that is where meth addicts break in on behalf of their organized ID theft rings. If you don’t want it stolen, do not leave it in your car.
Keep shredding your trash, and, business folks, watch what you are throwing away unthreaded and unsecured.
And speaking of employers, if your staff uses laptops, make sure that they understand security so that you are not leaving your company open to database breaches.
Checks and credit cards
Read those credit card statements and balance your bank account. It is not uncommon to hear from a consumer who has “just noticed” a charge or deduction that has been on there for months, yet they have no idea who or what it is. Your best protection in this category is to set up an online banking service for yourself. Yes, really!
If you monitor your account every couple of days, you can catch such problems much quicker. Think about the safety of electronic payments over putting a check in the mail.
The mail
If you pay your bills using checks (business owners, listen up!), do not put them in an unsecured mailbox! It is an all too easy way for scammers to grab that pile of mail and run off with your checks, and in some unfortunate cases, all sorts of additional personal information!
Helping move money out of foreign countries
This scam used to be just about Nigeria, but now we see all sorts of twist and turns on this scam. Nobody in some far-off land really wants your help getting money out, nor is there a U.S. soldier out there asking the same sort of questions. I can guarantee you did not lose an unknown relative in some country who now wants to make you rich. Just is not going to happen. Hold on to your money!
Phishing scams
If your bank, Microsoft, credit union, credit card company, eBay or anyone else wants to verify information, they are not going to send you an email.
No matter how real that Web site looks, it is not real. Do not fall for it. Pick up the phone and call your real merchant or go to your web browser and directly type the web address there yourself.
If you click on the embedded link in that “phishing” email, you will be redirected to an insecure page where it will attempt to get you to compromise your personal info. Watch out! Just trash these kinds of e-mails, don’t respond, and don’t play games. They often contain spyware or viruses.
And my very best advice? Check before you do business!
I recently had breakfast with a business associate and friend who told me the story of his “drawn-out and unsatisfactory” kitchen remodel.
I patiently listened, having heard this kind of story many times before. When he finished, I asked, “You did check this company out with thelocalbbb.com before you selected them, right?”
Nope. Despite the fact that he knows better (or should), he did not. If he had, I’d bet the company that had created his two-month “ordeal” would not have been selected. Funny, even those close to what we do all day forget these simple points.
Resolve to remember to check before you do business to make 2007 less of an ordeal!