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Scammers come in a variety of guises, and they adapt to innovative technology incredibly fast designing new approaches at lightning speed. So fast it's almost impossible to catch up, especially if you aren't okay with technology.
The most common media used by scammers are:
- Phones, both landline and mobile
- Email messages
- Social media
- Direct-to-door approaches
Of these, the phone callers and direct-to-door approaches are easier to identify and get rid of. You can say no or simply hang up. One way to protect your mobile phone from unwanted calls is to set up the "silenced calls" feature (on iPhone, but not sure about other brands). When someone calls you and they aren't in your contacts list, the caller has an option of leaving a message.
With most scam calls that are carried out with random number generating software, you won't receive a message. Anyone who really wants your attention can leave a message.
You also have the option of placing your phone and mobile phone number(s) on the Do Not Call Register. Unfortunately, only ethical, legitimate organisations and individuals bother to access the DNC register and it doesn't apply to overseas scammers, so it's far from foolproof.
Don't forget that you also have the option to block numbers on a mobile phone.
Social media can be tricky when people advertise products that don't arrive and capture your credit card or other EFT details, your name and address etc. They also ask people to subscribe to different activities and just want your personal details.
The best thing is to ask yourself, "why do they need this information?" and if it seems dubious, don't provide it. For example, if you sign up for a newsletter, is it realistic for someone to want your date of birth or gender? Or to know your physical address to send an online newsletter?
The key indicators of dodgy email messages are sub-standard language, URL addresses that aren't clearly those of an organization, requests to transfer money to your account and other nonsense. One that has caught hundreds of people in Australia is the "Mum, I've lost my phone and need money" scam. Read the image above and you'll see what I mean.
The rule to follow is: If it looks like a scam it probably is. If in doubt, don't click anything and don't provide any details.
The Australian Government's Scamwatch site provides helpful information about scams that is worth reading occasionally to keep ahead of the pack.
We hope you've found this useful as our age group seems more susceptible to losing money and identity fraud than younger generations.
