Beware of Scams
Don't get tricked into giving out your personal information! Learn about some of the current scams are and how to report them.
“Please note: the following listed are only some scams, as there are many others that are circulating.”
Auto Warranty and Insurance Scams
Calls for auto warranty or insurance renewal continue. Here is information from the Federal Communications Commission about the scam.
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/beware-auto-warranty-scams
IRS Scams
Various IRS and Social Security Scams continue. Here is a link to the IRS website which outlines the different scams and reminds you that the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text, social media or phone calls.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts
Tech Support Scams
Callers want you to believe there is a serious problem with your computer or that you have items ordered for delivery. They ask for payments in ways that are hard to reverse. Here is information from FTC about these types of scams.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-tech-support-scam
Prize and Lottery Scams
In a typical prize scam, the caller will say you’ve won a prize, but then say you need to pay taxes, registration fees, or shipping charges to get it.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fake-prize-sweepstakes-lottery-scams
Debt Relief and Credit Card Scams
Scammers will offer to lower your credit card interest rates or even fix your credit, but that will cost you and ruin your credit.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-scams-lower-your-credit-card-interest-rate
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fixing-your-credit-faqs#Credit%20Repair
Money Transfer Scams
There has been an increase in cases of fraud and scams with money transfer companies, like Zelle, with or without authorization given.
https://www.zellepay.com/financial-education/pay-it-safe/understanding-fraud-scams
Robo Call Scams
If you receive a robo call, here are a few tips to follow for some of the different types of call:
Don't answer calls from unknown numbers - let them go to voicemail.
If the caller claims to be from a company that you are familiar with, hang up and call them back using a valid number found on their website or on a bill/invoice if you do business with them.
If you answer and the caller (most often a recording) asks you to say "yes" in response to a question, just hang up. Scammers often use your "yes" to apply unauthorized charges on your bill.
Caller ID showing a "local" number no longer means it is a local caller.
If you answer and the caller asks for payment using a gift card, it's likely a scam. Legitimate organizations will not ask for payment with a gift card.
Want to know even more scams to watch out for? You can read What are some common types of scams? on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website.
How to report
Here are some actions to take if you come across any case of fraud or scam:
Robo Call Scams
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us
Identity Theft
https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/
Spam Text Messages
https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
Text Messages or Email from scammers claiming to be from the IRS
Send an email to: phishing@irs.gov
For text messages: Take a screenshot of the message and include the date/time/time zone they received the text message and the phone number that received the text message and attach it to the email.
For emails: do not forward the email, but attach a copy of the email that you received instead.
Total Business Care Can Help
For more information, please contact TBC or email the office at info@totalbizcare.com with any questions that you may have.
