How to Outsmart Scammers

It's summertime, and that means that scammers are hard at work trying to come up with new ways to get your personal information! Scammers don't take summer vacations, so it is important for you to be aware of the many different ways you may be approached by these fraudulent parties.

Right now, automated phone calls are extremely prevalent, and most of them are scams. Robocalls seem to spike in the months directly after tax season. A big reason for this is that a lot of the calls will claim that you owe money to the IRS. The phone call may be threatening and intimidating. The caller may threaten to take you to court or pursue other legal action. But the bottom line is, the IRS will never call you. The IRS will only contact you through the mail. Never believe a caller that says they are with the IRS.

Another popular scam comes from travel companies calling to let you know that you have won a free tropical vacation or resort stay. The company will then proceed to ask for you to verify personal information, or they will ask for credit card information. This is a scam. Never give out your personal information over the phone or over the internet to people that you are unfamiliar with.

If you are diligent and prepared, these scams can be easy to spot. Never give out information to those you don't trust. If you have a feeling that something is a scam, you're probably right. If you ever have any questions about the legitimacy of a phone call, letter, or email, check out the following link:

https://www.bbb.org/en/us/news/scams

The Better Business Bureau has updated information on all the latest tricks that scammers are using.