The first step is to double check the number or email to see if it’s possible it’s from a legitimate person or institution.
Here are a couple examples:
You receive a random email at 3:40AM saying you just won a Mercedes and they require shipping costs to be covered, it’s likely not true. If you’re ever unsure in a situation, do not respond to the message or hang up the call. Contact your financial institution, and confirm if it was actually them contacting you. These emails usually don’t look like those of businesses, they usually contain a random grouping of letters or numbers.
After you gauge the situation, you have to look out for keywords or certain requests the message asks you to do. Here are some keywords/phrases to look out for that are indicators of fraud:
- “This is urgent.”
- “Offer expires soon, we need your card information to reserve your spot.”
- “We need money fast, and you will be rewarded.”
- “Don’t worry, it is perfectly safe to send money.”
- “You need to keep this a secret.”