It happened again on Saturday. I was talking to someone at a meeting and mentioned that I’m trying to help educate people about how to avoid scams and cons. I handed her a card with my “Seven Tips to Stay Ahead of the Con” and she started telling me her mother. Recently, she walked into her mother’s house and found her mother giving out personal information over the phone to a complete stranger.
The stranger represented himself as working for a bank or some other financial institution. But the reality is, you never know who really is making that call. Sure, it could be your bank. Or, it could be a complete stranger who’s trolling for innocent victims. Your bank makes you identify yourself when you call them. Why shouldn’t you do the same? Even better, tell them you’ll call them back. That way, you can look up the number that you know to be legitimate and know exactly who you’re talking to. More trouble? Maybe. Or maybe a lot less than you’d face if you gave the right information to the wrong person and they stole your identity.
