DETROIT – If you follow Ruth to the Rescue, you know scammers are always looking for an angle to grab your attention and get you to share personal information.
With the Summer Olympics in London just weeks away, be on the lookout for emails pretending to have some link to the games.
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The Better Business Bureau shared a long list of scams, hoping to prey on your excitement about the games, to get you to do something that could lead to trouble.
It recommends you pay attention to these red flags:
· They ask you to call a 070 telephone number - that might look like a UK number, but 070 numbers can be redirected anywhere, and can cost several dollars per minute.
· They mention that you won a lottery and reference your actual winning numbers for a lottery you did not enter
· They ask for any personal information - such as your full name, address, social security number, bank account, etc.
· Any email address is not connected to an official Olympic website
The BBB also gave these tips:
· If you didn't enter a lottery, you haven't won one - do not fall for fake contests and lotteries
· When you receive a suspicious email, always take your cursor and hover over links in the email to see where the link is actually going to send you.
· If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from London 2012 make sure they are legitimate - if you are in doubt, use the contact London 2012 http://www.london2012.com/contact-us form to authenticate the contact
· Tickets for the London 2012 Games are only available for purchase through the London 2012 website and appointed ticketing partners. Offers from anyone else are likely scams. The London 2012 website has an online website checker to check on Authorized Ticket Resellers
· Never reveal information such as bank details or give an up-front payment in order to release a prize. London 2012 will only ever use a secure website to collect personal or bank card details.
· If you receive an email that looks fishy, make sure to delete the email and run a virus scan immediately.
Visit this site for known Olympic scams if in doubt: Olympic Know Scams