It Might Be a Scam if -------

Discussion in 'Sun City Sheriff's Posse - Arizona' started by SCPossecmdr, Sep 19, 2013.

  1. SCPossecmdr

    SCPossecmdr New Member

    It Might Be A Scam If …..

    There is a famous comedian who has made a very successful career out of describing certain situations or actions which might cause you to realize that you “might be a redneck”

    Members of the Sheriff's Posse of Sun City are contacted almost every day by residents of Sun City who tell us about a phone call, an email, a personal contact or some correspondence they have received. They ask us if they might have been exposed to or been victims of a scam. Our experience in dealing with these questions has given us an idea of what constitutes a probable scam.

    • If someone tells you that you have won a prize in a contest or lottery that you never entered – it might be a scam
    • If you are told that you have won a prize, but that you must pay money in advance to receive it – It might be a scam
    • You receive an email from a bank or credit card company telling you that your account has been suspended and you need to resend all your personal information to reactivate it – scam alert !
    • A person claiming to be your grandchild calls you, says they are in jail in a foreign country, and asks you to send them bail money and “don't tell Mom and Dad” – a definite scam
    • A voice on the phone says that you have failed to report for scheduled jury duty and are subject to arrest. You are asked to give them your Social Security number so they can clear up the mistake – don't believe it
    • Someone appears at your front door claiming to be from the TV cable company and that they have to come in and adjust your cable box to improve your service – another scam attempt
    These are just a few examples of the types of scams that have victimized residents of the Sun Cities. How can we protect ourselves from these predators?

    First, we must all learn to be a bit more skeptical. These crooks are using our trusting nature as a tool against us. Most of us are too polite to close the door in the face of an overly persistent sales person, or hang up the phone on an unsolicited caller. Remember, it's your home. You decide who gets to come into it, or who you talk to on the phone.
    If someone claims to represent the bank, cable company or some other utility, don't take their word for it. Call the phone number that appears on your cable or electric bill and verify that the person is legitimate.

    Always remember that if something sounds too good to be true – it is probably a scam.

    One of our functions as Posse members is to be on the lookout for anything which might pose a threat to our Sun City neighbors. Every week we hear of some new form of scam. It is part of our responsibility to make ourselves aware of these threats, and to share that information with everyone with whom we might come in contact.
     
  2. Fiona

    Fiona New Member

    Great information and we seem to be slammed with potential scam calls lately. I hate turning away legitimate charity calls, but today it is getting hard to tell the difference.

    I love the "you might be a redneck if" "your home is mobile but your cars are not".
     
  3. pegmih

    pegmih Well-Known Member

    I recently received an email saying I had won a lot of money.
    Needless to say, they wanted a bit of personal information.
    I put it into "spam".
     
  4. Riley

    Riley New Member

    Recently had my Golf Car for sale on Craig's List. Received an email to purchase sight unseen except for pictures provided on Craig's List. Corresponded with the person how wanted to by. Said he could not be contacted by phone as he was out of the country until such and such a date, but that he would pay me the full price through PayPal then have the cart picked up and transported to Maine for his Father's Birthday.

    Next email I receive requires me to go to Western Union with $500 to start the transaction. Go figure, scams all over the place. Naturally I forwarded all the emails regarding this transaction to PayPal at their request.
     
  5. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    I got a call from a charity asking for donations to a cancer fund. I asked them how much actually went to the charity and she said 15%!! I told her I would donate directly to the charity.

    I also have gotten a couple calls from someone claiming to be from "Windows" Technical Team saying they have reports of computer difficulties and wanted password information. They barely spoke English but understood when I told them I was recording the conversation. Both times they quickly hung up.
     

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