March 7, is National Slam the Scam Day. Slam the Scam Day was created by the Social Security Administration to help raise awareness about scams, specifically social security scams. The thing about these online scams is, no matter what the end goal of the scammer is, or the medium used to contact you, the signs to spot the scams are the same. It is important to remember that scammers target everyone. You and I are as likely as anyone else to be a target. That’s why it is important to know how to spot a scam, and to know what to do if you are a victim of a scam.  

Recognize scammers. They may:

• Pretend to be from an agency or organization you know or are some way affiliated with.
• Say there is a problem or promise a prize or some other financial incentive.
• Create a sense of urgency and pressure you to act immediately.
• Tell you to pay in a specific way.

How to avoid a scam:

• Remain calm. Don’t ignore the red flags and attempt to verify the identity through another means.
• Hang up or ignore the message. Do not click on links or attachments.
• Protect your money. Criminals will insist that you pay in a hard-to-trace manner, such as with a gift car, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, money transfer, or by mailing cash.
• Protect your personal information. Be skeptical of a contact you did not initiate.
• Spread the word. Share your knowledge of the scam with friends, family, and colleagues. The more people that are aware of it, the less victims there will be.

I was scammed. Now what do I do?

• Stop contact with the scammer immediately. Do not respond to their messages.
• Notify the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to add a fraud alert to your credit report.
• Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s “What To Do if You Were Scammed” page for additional information if you paid a scammer, or gave them personal information or access to your device.