Tips to Avoid Internet and Email Scams
Over the years, internet and email scams have grown in popularity and have become more sophisticated. Scammers are constantly hard at work to make their stories more believable to get your information to somehow cause you financial harm.
Being skeptical of suspicious emails or phone calls that ask for personal information is perfectly ok. With a little diligence and tips about online scams from our Phoenix experts, you can ensure that becoming a victim of a scam is a much lower probability.
Spelling and Grammar
One of the first signs that an internet/email scam is poor spelling and grammatical errors. If you see a poorly written dialogue within the message, it is most likely a scam. To go along with that, the scammers will include a link that appears to be valid, however it will be a link to install phishing software to capture your personal information. NEVER click on a suspicious link that you do not know where it is from!!! Our private investigators and fraud experts in Phoenix can help if you have been the victim of a scheme.
Good Deals and Immediate Action
Many scammers will try to lure you in to a “great deal” or some type of message the requires “immediate action.” The old saying of “if it’s too good to be true” is very valid when it comes to scams.
One of the longest and most common scams that is out there goes along the lines of “I am a millionaire and I am stuck in (insert random country) and need help getting my funds released to me. I will pay you (insert a very big dollar amount) if you send over five thousand dollars to release my funds.” Don’t fall for this!! If a person with millions of dollars is stuck somewhere, they are not going to randomly send out emails hoping someone will help them.
If you get an email or an alert that says, “Immediate action needed or (insert service provider) will shut off your services.” Do not click on any link associated with that message. Know your service providers. If you have any question about your services, contact them by phone from the phone number you would normally contact them from, not one that was provided by the suspicious email. Our private investigators and fraud specialists in Phoenix can help you if you have had issues of this type.
And if someone calls you claiming they are from the IRS, they are absolutely a scammer. The IRS NEVER makes phone calls.
Stay Diligent
Know your service providers and how they typically contact you. If anything looks suspicious, just remember, don’t click on it and don’t respond to it. There is nothing wrong with calling your service providers and asking them about the status of your accounts.
If you feel that you have been a victim of a scam, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our private investigators and fraud specialists in Phoenix for help!