Online Scam Catch Phrases

Scam artists use all kinds of tools to trick you. They use scare tactics, generous offers, requests for help, intentional wrong numbers, masquerades, attractive photos, and more. It seems like there’s something new every day. What isn’t new is that every attempt is designed to elicit a response. The best way to protect yourself is to not engage at all and simply delete, block, and report the attempt. Recently, I’ve heard some people say that they only answer phone calls if the caller has been entered in their phone address book. When they didn’t answer my call, I left a message and they called me back. Others configured their email program to only show messages from senders entered into their email address book while filtering out all other messages. These practices are very strong protections from scams but nothing can protect you from yourself. Remaining vigilant and thinking critically about every communication and notification you receive is the best protection against the next new way to try to trick you into a dangerous position online or on your phone.