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Low tech scams are still alive and well.

We are all very aware of high tech scams, phishing scams, email scams and ransomeware, but low tech scams are still alive and well.

And for the record, no, you do not have $20,000,000 sitting in a Nigerian bank waiting for you to transfer it and I am pretty sure there is no Prince somewhere with you email address.

Follow up:

Last week a family member received a call telling him his grandson was in jail, in another state and that he could post his bail, over the phone, with a credit card.

First off, NO! You can not post bail over the phone. Second, no police agency is ever going to call you like this.

This is a scam, low tech and very effective, scammers make a lot of money from people who are willing to accept the scammer’s words at face value.

As a matter of fact, no actual government agency is going to call you and demand a payment over the phone, with a credit card, right now. A collection agency might, but not an actual agency of the government. They just do not operate this way. So no, you did not just get a call from the IRS.

If you get a call like this, ask for the person’s name.
Get them to give you as much detail as possible, but do not give them any information, none! Never give them your full name, date of birth and any of the numbers to your credit card or bank account.
They will usually get frustrated with you and hang up.

If for some reason you may believe the call to be true, after you hang up, use the internet to find a valid phone number for the agency that supposedly just called you. Call them directly and ask if what you were told is true. The agency will more than likely be interested to know there is a scammer using their name.

You can also contact your local police or sheriffs office and tell them of the scammer.
If the number of the caller came up on your caller ID then you will also want to provide that information to authorities.

Also please be aware, caller ID spoofing has become a thing. Computers and other tech gadgets have made this type of spoofing a lot easier these days. Caller ID spoofing happens when your caller id shows a number or name and number, but it is not the number of the person who you are talking to. They use a computer or a hacked smart phone to send you a fake caller id so you do not have their phone number.
They may use the number of a legitimate business or agency.
If you get a call from a number and use the caller id information to return the call and they did not actually call you, you can report this to the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. Caller ID Spoofing is a crime.

Remember you should never give any information to anyone just because they call you and have a story.

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