scam

Who Do I Believe?

Posted on by Kelly aka LadyOTrout

scratchingheadWith  actual “person to person” communication becoming a rarity these days, everything seems to be done by robots or people in foreign countries that cannot speak the language of the majority of the customer base of the companies they “represent.”  Calling the cable company?  I did once, was on the phone for over an hour, I even had to charge my cell phone in the process.  Only to speak to “Ricky” who spoke little or no English and in the end, did not help me.  It is no wonder we have no idea what or who to believe anymore!

When “They” Call You or Email You

The IRS continues to warn people about a telephone and email “phishing” scam that has been going on for a few years and ramps up around tax time.  Below are some links to help in being able to SPOT such a scheme. First and foremost –  the IRS won’t initiate a phone call to you or email you out of the clear blue sky. Here are some links below to some evidence:

You Have the Power

YOU know this information now and don’t have to become a victim.  Tell your friends, share this post and follow us on Facebook.  Technology is not to be feared.  We just want to help you in understanding and to use it to your advantage! Don’t be fooled and remember, breathe.

More Identity Theft

Posted on by Kelly aka LadyOTrout

This is a scam that originated in August of 2005, settled down for a while and now seems to be ignited again.

You are to do your civic responsibility and report for Jury Duty. Most people don’t like having rearrange their whole lives around sitting in a room awaiting for their to be name called. And more and more people are deciding to skip out on this responsibility. But arrest warrants can be issued for people that fail to appear for jury duty, so deciding not to or thinking you didn’t report when called on, can create an intimidating situation.

Of course then enter the “opportunists.” The phone rings at your house and the caller claims to be a jury coordinator.

If you tell them you never received a summons for jury duty, the caller asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so it can be verified.

Once they “verify your PERSONAL information” they tell you they can cancel the arrest warrant. What you don’t know is they aren’t verifying anything, they aren’t canceling any warrant, they ARE stealing your identity, but in reality, you just gave it to them.

This all may sound silly to you, but do check in with your parents or other seniors in your life. They are particularly at risk for these schemes and the callers tend to be bullies.

The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Here is a link to the page on the FBI site, so you can read it for yourself. And like a previous post on this blog, snopes has it too.