I have a dream for our readers: that none of you ever fall for scams. I don’t know why I’ve taken such an interest in studying the various ways slimy con-people scam people out of money, but I’ve spent countless hours online reading about scams and watching videos about people who are trying to raise awareness and bring the scammers to justice. 

I’ve written about this topic before, but every now and then I still hear reports at local city and township meetings about some poor resident, usually elderly, being conned out of money they can’t afford to lose, and it makes me both sad and pissed. So, I would like to once again write about some common scams and how they can be avoided. I hope you will read carefully and share these tips with your friends and family, especially those who are financially vulnerable or lonely, as these are prime victims for shady scammers. 

You Owe Us!

First of all, be suspicious of any person who makes contact with you saying you owe money to them. Anyone! It could be a legitimate collections call, sure, but I would much rather you put up your guard than fall for a trap. If anyone calls to tell you that you owe their organization money, hang up and call that organization right away. 

For example, I heard a report given by Sgt. Luke McLean of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s office, maybe about a month ago, where a resident had been called by a person claiming to be from Xcel Energy. The scammer told the resident that they owed Xcel money, and that if they did not pay in full immediately their power would be shut off. I’m certain that the scammer got the victim whipped into a panic, and told them they should not hang up the phone or seek help. This is how the scammers operate. They terrify their victims, and they can be very convincing. Listen to your gut: you know when something doesn’t feel right. 

If the victim had only hung up the phone and called Xcel Energy directly, they could have saved themselves some money. After calling an official customer service representative, using a number found on the Xcel Energy website, they would have discovered they did not owe that money and their power was not in danger of being turned off. 

If you are faced with a call like this, where you are told you owe someone money, take down the caller’s name, if you can, and go online to find the number for the customer service desk at their organization. You should be able to find fairly quickly whether the original call was valid or not. If it was a scammer, give all the information you have to the police and the organization they claimed to be part of. The scammer might not ever be brought to justice, especially if they are operating from overseas, but, hopefully, law enforcement and company officials can put out notices to help prevent others from falling for their tricks. 

Too Good to be True?

Another approach scammers might take is to tell you that you have won some money. Be dubious of this. Think back to whether you actually entered a giveaway. It’s not likely some good Sumaritan decided to call you out of the blue and give you free money. 

Just the other day I got a call, and while I never pick up for numbers I don’t recognize (another good tip, by the way!) this scammer left a message for me. A woman left a message letting me know I was eligible to save lots of money on my student loans. Awesome! Only problem is, I don’t have any student loans. Scam!

If you’re unsure about a call, and you don’t want to hang up (which I strongly recommend that you DO hang up), tell the caller that you are going to talk to a relative for advice on this, and if they will please hold. A legitimate caller will likely not take issue with this, but a scammer will double down on the fear mongering and try to keep you isolated from the people who would help you. BIG red flag. Even if you have no one to ask for advice, tell the caller you do and gauge their reaction. 

We’ll Refund You!

Another popular scam is called the refund scam. You will be given a message saying that someone has used your information to purchase some expensive items (i.e. a TV, cellphones, etc.). Often, the caller will pose as someone from Amazon or another large company, verifying that you made the purchase. When you tell them you did not make the purchase, they tell you they will refund you the money, only to make it appear that they have refunded you way too much money. They then persuade victims to send the excess amount of refund money back via cash or gift cards.

This one is very easy to spot. If someone says a person has used your credit card or Amazon account to purchase an item, call your bank or credit card company immediately and verify the charge has actually occurred. If it has, the bank or credit card company will help you to fix the problem. If there is no charge, then you’re all clear: you didn’t fall for the scam!

You should never give one of these scammers access to your computer. They will ask you to do so in order to guide you through their refund process. What they really do is show false images on the screen to make it look as if you have more or less money in your bank account than you really do. While they show you false images, they collect your personal information and use it to rob you again later.

I hope this was helpful for all of you. Again, please share these tips with friends and family. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at Reporter.Katie@PatriotNewsMN.com. If you are being scammed, or suspect you are, contact your local police department or sheriff’s office for immediate assistance. Please stay safe!