It's National Slam the Scam Day
and I am here for it.
Many many years ago, a relative who had five children told me that the problem paradox of child rearing is that parents have a lot of things to do, but babies and toddlers have one job: studying their parents. That’s why the little ones are so good at getting attention (and getting on their parents’ nerves.)
It is the same with professional scammers. While their targets have a million things on their to-do lists, the scammer’s job is to study these folks and figure out what makes them tick. That’s why even smart, savvy people get taken in on occasion. For example, a friend of mine no longer answers her phone while making dinner because a while back, someone called and spoofed the name of her bank on her caller ID. She answered it, and because she was distracted, the scammer got some money. It wasn’t as dramatic a case as the scam recorded in New York Magazine a few weeks ago, but it was still an expensie hassle.
The Social Security Administration has declared March 7 as National Slam the Scam Day, to make people more aware of common scams and ways to prevent them. Often, scammers have Social Security numbers (thanks to countless data hacks), and they pretend to be from a goverment agency.
A few basic tips:
Stay calm. Don’t panic. You can hang up and try calling back at a number you know you can trust (such as the customer service number printed on the back of your credit card), or tell the caller you need to talk to a lawyer.
Be wary if anyone asks for unusual forms of payment, such as crypto, gift cards, or cash.
Do not click on links or attachments.
If you do get scammed, it’s perfectly all right to be embarrassed and not want to tell your friends. Don’t let that stop you from telling people who may be able to help you, though. Contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network (you don’t have to be a member), then go read the Federal Trade Commission’s article “What to Do if You Were Scammed” to find out how to handle the situation based on how you paid and what information the scammer has.
Finally, because scammers change tactics as people learn of them, it’s worth while to keep track of new scams—which is one reason that Slam the Scam Day is an annual event.
It sucks that a small number of people cause so much chaos, but they do, so take watch out.