BEWARE OF SCAMS
Hello Fernley, this is your Mayor, Roy Edgington. I wanted to take a moment today to discuss the importance of being aware of scams. Scams can be done in various methods, through email, through social media, through your phone.
Unfortunately, scammers are getting more and more sophisticated, particularly when it comes to targeting you online and through mobile devices. Emails have been sent that look very professional and legitimate, leading you to believe in fact it’s valid.
Here are few ways for you to recognize a scam and to help protect yourself and your family:
• Unsolicited or unexpected contact. If you have received any kind of contact, but particularly a phone call, out of the blue, it is best to avoid it.
• Email address. If you get an email, expand the pane at the top of the message and see exactly who it has come from. If it is a scam, the email address the message has come from will be filled in with random numbers, or be misspelled.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. This is something you normally find with pension or investment scams, where the fraudster guarantees you huge returns, but tells you it is low risk.
• Personal details, PIN codes and passwords. These are things no legitimate company will ask you for.
• Quick decisions. If you are pushed into making a decision on the spot, be suspicious. Scammers don’t want you to have time to think about it.
• Random competitions, particularly if you don’t remember entering them, should ring alarm bells.
So how do you protect yourself?
• Avoid any unexpected contact. Any phone calls, letters, emails or people knocking on your door should be ignored.
• Never give out personal information. This can be used to steal your identity and access accounts.
• Make sure all accounts have a strong password. Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts and change them regularly.
• Don’t make any advanced payments until you are sure the company you’re dealing with is legitimate.
• Make sure any websites you are using are secure. Check to see if the web address starts with HTTPS, not just HTTP.
Start by reporting the scam to your state consumer protection office. If you lost money or other possessions in a scam, report it to your local police too. You can report scams to the federal government. Your report may keep others from being a victim of a scam. Government agencies use reports of scams to track scam patterns. They may even take legal action against a company or industry based on the reports. However, agencies usually don’t follow up after you report, and can’t recover lost money.
Report coronavirus scams and other scams about disasters and emergencies. Contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721 or disaster@leo.gov. Find more information on identifying and reporting coronavirus scams, click here: https://www.usa.gov/common-scams-frauds#item-214623
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the main agency that collects scam reports. Report your scam online with the FTC complaint assistant, or by phone at 1-877-382-4357 (9:00 AM - 8:00 PM, ET).
Thank you for your time, stay safe and stay healthy.