Do You Know Who You’re Really Talking To? Avoiding Imposter Scams

(NAPSI)—Beware: The person on the other end of that digital communication might not be who they claim to be. 

Imposters work very hard to convince consumers they are a friend or relative, or that they are from a legitimate source, such as a bank or government agency. These fraudsters then take personally identifiable information (PII) and use it to steal victims’ money. 

“There are many types of imposter scams,” U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge (INC) Eric Shen of the Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group says. “But they all start with messages like, ‘I’m in trouble…,’ ‘I need…,’ ‘You’ve won!...,’ or ‘I have a great offer for you!’ These scammers lull consumers into a false sense of trust, gain access to privileged information, and then drain financial accounts. 

As part of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) March 2-8, United States postal inspectors offer these simple tips to help consumers protect themselves from imposter scams: 

• Take your time to make financial decisions. Whether it’s investments or unsolicited offers, such as the lottery or sweepstakes, don’t rush into sending your money to someone you don’t know.

• Is it really a representative from your bank sending that email or text? To be certain, call your bank at the number you were given when you opened your account. Don’t call a number that you haven’t verified, and never click on any links in an email or text from a person or business you don’t recognize.

• Grandparents: Before sending money to help your grandchildren in a desperate situation, call them or their parents at a number you recognize to confirm they sent you a message. 

• If you meet someone over the internet who professes their love for you right away, but needs financial assistance to meet you, exit the conversation as quickly as you can.

• The Postal Service will NEVER send you an unsolicited text. Any text or email claiming you have a USPS delivery problem is designed to steal your personal information. Delete these messages, but before you do, send the bogus text or email to spam@uspis.gov.

• Put your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 or at www.donotcall.gov .

• Scammers may ask for payments by gift card, prepaid debit card, crypto currency, gold bars, or by mailing cash. Anyone who tells you to pay with a gift card is probably a scammer. Federal agencies will never ask for instant payments or for personal information. Ignore the messages or hang up. 

• During tax season, scammers pretending to be IRS agents may call or email. The IRS offers these telltale signs of a scam: spelling errors or incorrect grammar; a link or attachment with a slightly misspelled URL or an unusual one such as irs.gov; a threatening or urgent request to pay now, to follow a link, or to open an attachment. If you get a suspicious request from the IRS, contact IRS customer service to authenticate it.

• If you are a victim of a scam or suspect fraud, report it: Submit an online report to the Postal Inspection Service or call us at 877-876-2455.

Remembering these simple tips can help you keep your information and your finances safe. 

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