Scam-fighting strategy: Save this one

4 steps to battle any scam artist

For scam artists, it's all about money!

They'll come up with any story to scare you or tempt you into sending them your heard-earned cash. In some cases, they may go after your personal information. Either way, you need to be on guard as the criminals are always looking for new schemes and new stories that might work on you.

As the criminals have started using phones, emails, and texts to conduct business they have also become more and more difficult to catch. They're also using methods of payments that are more and more difficult to track.

"The criminals are getting more and more sophisticated. they create so many layers of deceit." said Detective Scott Salisbury, a fraud investigator at the Warren Police Department.

"With the money transfers, it goes to another state. Then, the immediately take the money of that that bank account and switch to another one," he said.

You are your own best defense

That sophistication means you are your own best defense against scam artists. Your best bet to protect your money is to avoid giving them any money in the first place. Working with the Better Business Bureau of Southfield, Ruth to the Rescue has come up with a four step strategy that can beat any scammer.

1) IGNORE!

It's really important that you get caller ID and train yourself to ignore any call if you don't recognize the number. Just don't answer! If it's someone you know, they will leave a message and you can call them right back. Every time you pick up a call from a scam artist, you are telling that scammer you are a live target. The same goes for strange emails, delete them! And, never click on links in emails from someone you're not 100 percent is a friend or legitimate business.

2) RESIST

If you answer a call and someone is demanding money or personal information, resist their offers or their threats. It should become obvious that something's not right, depending on which buttons their trying to push.

"If they're really just trying to prey on my emotions or my fear, that's when you should just immediately hang up!" advises Melanie Duquesnel, CEO for the local Better Business Bureau in Southfield.

She says you never want to share personal information or make a payment, during that first point of contact, especially when that call comes out of the blue. You can listen (without sharing any of your information) but always remember to hang up and do more research!

You can also come up with a "refusal script" in your head that you can use on any scammer or aggressive sales person to reject their offers. Come up with a way to tell them you always do more research on any offer and it's just a standard procedure that you don't do business without 24 hours to consider the offer.

"You can come off politely, but at the same time firmly," said Duquesnel.

3) VERIFY!

If the caller says something that catches your attention, makes you nervous, or seems worth checking out, do further research to see if what they're saying is true. Remember, never call the numbers they give you for that extra research. Find a legitimate number to call. If you keep calling them back, you could be hearing more lies.

Another good idea, google some of the key facts of the story you've been told. There is a lot of information online about scams that are making the rounds. Victims often post their stories, including the names of the scammers, the phone numbers they've used, and other details that can help you spot a scam.
Be sure to go sources beyond that first call before you spend any money.

"The initial call is never homework. If someone calls you and says 'Hey, you've won a million dollars!' and you consider that your homework, I'm going to say absolutely not! You have flunked out of the how to avoid a scammer class," said Melanie Duquesnel, CEO for the local Better Business Bureau in Southfield.

4) NOTIFY!

Finally, if somebody tries to scam you, tell other people so they can be on the lookout. Share you story with friends, family, and even social media so others know what kind of scams are currently making the rounds and how to spot them.

If you lose money, do not be embarrassed to tell someone. They might be able to help you stop further losses, and again, they will be on the lookout for these fast-talking criminals. It's also important to notify local police when appropriate, the IRS, the Federal Trade Commission, or whatever agency might be able to offer you assistance.

Anyone can fall victim to a scam artist, if the scammer finds the right button to push to pressure them into surrendering their money.

"You must inform. You must share and in doing so you save somebody else," said Melanie Duquesnel, CEO for the local Better Business Bureau in Southfield.


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