This week is National Consumer Protection Week and the Federal Trade Commission is encouraging consumers to learn to avoid, report, and recover from scams. See below for tips. 

AVOID Scams: Four Signs That It’s a Scam 

1. Scammers PRETEND to be from an organization you know, such as the federal government, utility company, or charity. They use technology to change the phone number that appears on your caller ID. Protect yourself by blocking unwanted calls and text messages. 

2. Scammers say there’s a PROBLEM or a PRIZE. They might say you’re in trouble with the government, you owe money, or a family member had an emergency. Or that there’s a virus on your computer or a problem with one of your accounts, or that you won money…but have to pay a fee to get it. Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect.  

3. Scammers PRESSURE you to act immediately. Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you’re on the phone, they might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story. They may threaten you. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer. 

4. Scammers tell you to PAY in a specific way. They often insist that you can only pay by using cryptocurrency, wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union, or putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card. 

Think it may be a scam? Stop and talk to someone you trust.  Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam. 

REPORT Fraud: Protect your community by reporting fraud, scams, and bad business practices to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.  Reporting fraud will give you next steps to protect yourself and is shared with law enforcement partners. 

RECOVER from scams: If you are a victim of scam, reach out to the FTC for steps to take to protect yourself if you’ve fallen for a scam. Click here for steps to take if you think you may have fallen for a scam.