“Help Me Mum” Texts, iTunes Tax Scams & More Cons Targeting the Less Tech-Savvy
And for all of us who are at our most aware and trained even today in this world might understand there is a little room for someone who is going to get scammed who has some technology background to even understand how they have been scammed. However, there is really no way to avoid them for many of us that have managed to live in a civilized society. The criminals always find ways and means to make us divulge our personal details or give them our hard earned money and most times these con men profit handsomely from their victims.
Although many have mastered the art and skill of identifying the disguises that many-suede scammers wear, some methods are very successful when used against disadvantaged people. More precisely those who aren’t well versed with risks associated with the digital space, or aged people who are possibly-insensitive to modern cyber-issues. Below are other schemes especially concerning advance fees that will focus more on siphoning parents than their children.
“Mum, I Need Some Money”
One very troublesome con involves sending texts or texts via WhatsApp to children’s parents posing as children in need of funds-an action geared at defrauding parents. S/he may say they’ve lost their telephone and handbag and use their friendships phone to request funds. The idea here is to stress out the mother and coax her to send money without asking too many questions.
For instance, one such example would be a scammer telling the parent that they have to arrange for some funds because there is an emergency concerning the safety of their child. My in-laws were easy targets of the scam because they received messages that were supposedly from my brother-in-law. It is only when they have sent the money that the uneasiness surfaced, and it dawns on them that they are indeed conned.
These scams generally depend on the creation of urgency such that the target seems to act on impulse instead of rationality. In case you have received such messages panicking that one of your family members is in distress, don’t give in to the fright. Only ask questions that your family member would be able to answer. Ask how old they are or what their full name is. Be adamant that no money will be sent until those questions are addressed. Even calling the actual cell number helps to expose the fraud as one’s loved one is bound to answer the call confirming that they are well.
Grooming the elderly
Another shocking tactic that scammers will use, is targeting mostly older individuals and preparing them in advance to take advantage of them later. Taking advantage of this, scammers typically prefer to deceive these individuals over the phone as opposed to face to face even with a manager. The aim of this scam scheme is to foster confidence and trust in this novel relationship in the long run.
The fraudster could be calling back and forth, saying they are calling from the bank and that they have halted any suspicious payments from your account. After several of these calls, the fraudster establishes trust in you, without you knowing, as though they are on your side. Some time later, they’ll play the victim and tell you that a thief is impersonating a bank employee and that you were the only one who could help. You just need to approve a payment according to their proposals.
While foolishly thinking that you are helping out a ‘guardian angel’, you unwittingly approve the payments that a con artist is performing on your account by making use of your name. In place of capturing a criminal that including a robber, you have merely given a crook your cash to spend.
We covered such a tactic in the relevant section of our article on targeting older people, but let us reiterate that it would be best to be careful about communicating with anyone purporting to be from your bank. No matter how convincing the person is, ask yourself: Is the bank expecting me to assist them in arresting their thief?
Paying Your Tax via iTunes Vouchers
A lot of people dread getting on the wrong side of the IRS. This is the reason why scammers pretend to be calling from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and demanding payment for back taxes from unsuspecting targets. They even level threats of having the police storm your house should you refuse to pay the debt that is supposedly owed to them.
Such a scam, however, becomes apparent almost at once since they instruct you that you can offset your tax obligations on vouchers or cards, and i-tunes voucher cards in particular, which can be purchased from the nearest grocery store. After you purchase the gift cards, they request that you read the card numbers out to them over the phone.
The promoted fraud has gotten to such levels that HM Revenue & Customs have also issued warnings to the general public. This particular scam falls apart when you stop to consider it logically: would an actual tax agency need you to make a payment in the form of gift cards? But when under pressure, particularly with the threat of police action, a huge number of people become victims before they comprehend just how ridiculous the situation is.
The best way to survive this is to remain calm in order to try and come to a resolution that includes considering all the factors involved quite and quickly. Take a moment to realize that making payments by such an unusual method by a government agency is an oddity.
Doorstep Scams
Another scam targeting those who are in a weak position is through conmen coming to your house. All these people are after your money, and they have many clever ways of achieving this. They can be from energy company willing to temporarily sign you up for a cheaper deal but never comes back. Or they may attempt to sell you fake or extremely overpriced goods. Some even go as far as impersonation of police officers.
This type of scam usually involves individuals requiring the victims’ presence at home and because of such pressure, it can be thought to respond quickly. It’s helpful to refrain from speaking until you have asked for some proof of identification, and these grudging steps should also not be taken if you are somehow feeling hurried towards saying yes.
In all of these scams, the key to protecting yourself, and your loved ones too, is to keep your head, be challenging, and ascertain whether the context is true or not before acting out.
