Millions of Americans are taken advantage of each year because they fail to recognize the common signs of scams—which hijack personal information and steal money. For the second tip of National Consumer Protection Week—or NCPW—Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington reminds consumers to heed scam warning signs.
Watch for red flags. Different scams show similar irregularities; knowledge is the best defense.
Red Flag: Asked to wire money out of the country? BBB says never transfer funds internationally to unknown recipients; senders struggle to retrieve lost funds and recipients are nearly impossible to trace.
Red Flag: Does correspondence contain poor grammar? Fraudulent mail, fake websites and phishing emails often mimic legitimate banks, government entities and retailers. Statistically, most scams that target Americans originate overseas; look for telltale signs, such as obvious spelling, punctuation and syntax mistakes.
Red Flag: Seem too-good-to-be-true? Foreign lotteries, online deals on underpriced vehicles and “free” government grants are all common scam attempts. Don’t take the bait.
Learn more about scams and stay up-to-date on nationwide news at bbb.org/scam-source and ftc.gov.