Once upon a time, I was minding my own business. I was working, fulfilling my daily tasks, and living my quiet Midwest life…when my phone rang. The number was local, so I answered with my cheery “Hello!”
“Congratulations!” the heavily accented voice proclaimed. “You have won Publisher’s Clearinghouse!”
I have entered the sweepstakes before, but that was several years ago. Feeling confident that I was speaking to a scammer, I decided to play along because…who knows…maybe they are just running five years behind. Besides, grandpapa needs a new pair of shoes! (No authority has advised this approach. Don’t do as I did.)
“Yay!” I responded enthusiastically, “What did I win?”
“You won Publisher’s Clearinghouse!” he said with a slight edge. “What is your name, sir.”
“Since you called me from my sweepstakes entry, you should have my name there. By the way, what prize did I win?”
“Publisher’s Clearinghouse! I said this already!” I don’t think he was happy with my response.
Curious how this would play out, I gave him my most excited tone, “You mean I didn’t just win a prize, I won the entire clearinghouse?”
He was on to me. Before he even had a chance to ask for my bank information, his temper tore through the phone as he scolded me, “You are wasting my time!” Then he hung up.
You know? I didn’t feel bad at all about wasting his time.
Even though this interaction was comical, falling victim to a scam is not funny. A close family member lost thousands in fraud as they tried to buy a used car for their struggling family. I have even had my credit card information swiped on a couple of occasions by unscrupulous restaurant employees. They got my credit card info, plus I left them a tip! That hurts.
Scammers are getting so good at their jobs that I’m a little surprised they don’t have award shows for them. (…and the winner of the Scammy is…) As technology advances and new ways to detect scammers are created, they become more complex to expose.
The adage “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is” still holds. One of the best avenues of defense is to trust your gut. If it feels off, we should do everything possible to protect ourselves. Never give out your personal information. If it’s a text message from a loved one that doesn’t feel right, call them on a phone number you trust. Contact the company directly to verify if an email offers you a great deal. If it’s a phone message from a familiar voice but the number isn’t familiar, call them on a trusted number.
As hard as we try to protect ourselves, we can still fall victim to scammers’ sophisticated schemes. If that happens, don’t hide it. Contact your family and the authorities. Get help. Visit https://www.ncoa.org/older-adults/money to learn valuable information on avoiding scams and what to do if you fall victim.
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