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These are my top 7 tips for avoiding phone and other similar digital scams.
Just don’t
Don’t answer the phone when you see a number you don’t recognize.
Don’t assume it’s local and important because the call matches your area code.
Don’t hand over money because no real official or law enforcement will ever ask for it.
None of it is true but it sounds plausible and you are along for the ride.
But you’re not.
You won’t see any unusual activity, trust me.
That means as little contact with the outside world as possible.
They will often provide you with a phone number to call and verify their claims.
Hang up and call the official customer service for your bank or shopping site.
In truth, they’re simply performing the mentalist trick.
Most of us have at least a decade’s worth of personal information out on social media.
There’s nothing we don’t share.
A partial social security number?
The scammer will read that out to you and you will happily fill in the rest.
Still, if you move, maybe don’t ever share your new address on social media.
If the scammer can’t get that word or phrase from their hostage, they don’t have them.
Trust me, they never had them.
You see, they only have the power you give them.
