The following post is by MPFJ staff writer Travis, who blogs at Enemy of Debt where he candidly shares his family’s financial struggles, failures and successes. As a father and husband, he provides a unique perspective on balancing debt, finances, and family.
We all work extremely hard for our money. By the fact that you’re reading this blog I’d be comfortable in guessing that you also put an effort into managing your money as well. You may create a spending plan, be on a constant lookout for ways to get the most for your money, and save for retirement. But there’s something else we all need to pay attention to.
I’m talking about money scams. There are people out there that want to take your hard earned money instead of putting in an honest day’s work. Here are three scams that I’ve personally experienced .
Free/Cheap Vacation Scam
College kids are notoriously broke. Scam artists know that and try to take advantage of it. In January of my second year of college I got a call from someone that offered me a 3 day 4 night cruise for the promotional rate of $149 a person. All I had to do was get myself to Florida. I instantly envisioned using this trip for Spring Break for my girlfriend at the time and myself. I thought I was being careful, I asked several times if there were any additional fees, taxes or costs that he wasn’t telling me about. He emphatically denied it, until I gave him my credit card number. Then he said that there were a few things that I should know about, and started rattling off a long list of things that I would be responsible for paying. My heart sank.
I listened to the rest of his pitch, and hung up. I immediately called my credit card company, told them what had happened, and asked to stop the charge, which they happily did. The company offering me the cruise tried to call back a few times, but I simply didn’t answer the call.
Lesson Learned: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The question you have to ask yourself is, “Why is this company calling me unsolicited wanting to give me a ridiculous price on a cruise?”
Computer Virus Scam
This one is going around right now; I’ve personally received this phone call several times. The caller claims to be from Windows support, and states that your computer is likely infected with a virus. They go on to tell you that they’ve been receiving error messages from your computer and want to verify that they are indeed calling the right person. They have you run a few commands that supposedly give you an identification number that is unique to your computer. What they’re really having you display is a simple version number of a piece of the Windows Operating System. It’s the same on every computer running the most recent version of Windows. But it sounds legit, and people continue on convinced that they are indeed infected with a computer virus.
My dad was one of these people. He followed their instructions to allow them access to his computer, at which time they actually infected my dad’s computer. Then they offer to help him by selling him their software for $100. My dad eventually caught on and hung on them. I’m glad he didn’t waste $100 on their product, but it took my brother and I a few hours to reverse the damage that these scammers did to his computer.
Lesson Learned: The thing that should instantly raise a red flag is that the caller used the term “Windows customer support.” They never used the company’s name, Microsoft. I’ve gotten this call several times, and asked them flat out if they were from Microsoft as I know they would be liable for a lawsuit if they said they were. They danced around the issue, continuing to repeat they were from Windows support. Never give someone access to your computer that you cannot verify their credentials.
Automobile Extended Warranty Scam
I recently received a postcard in the mail stating that a Technical Service Bulletin had been issued for my mini-van. TSBs are a real thing that auto manufacturers use to communicate to consumers defects or recalls to their vehicles, so I called the number on the postcard.
The man who answered the phone had me repeat the TSB number printed on the mailing and then asked me if I had purchased an extended warranty on my van. When I indicated that I had, he apologized for the inconvenience, said that he would update their database, and they would not be calling again. There wasn’t anything wrong with my van; they were simply using the term TSB to get me to call them in an attempt to sell me an extended warranty.
Lesson Learned: Look over any mailing that prompts you to call a number very carefully. If you get a mailing regarding an automobile you own, ensure it was sent from the manufacturer. Looking at the postcard again, there was no indication that it came from the manufacturer, nor was the number for my local dealership which is what has happened in the past when I was alerted to a TSB. Also, on the bottom of the post card was some print stating I received the postcard because I had requested to be put on the national do not call list. That in itself indicates that it is simply a solicitation.
There are people out there that are looking to prey on people’s lack of knowledge, or failure to pay attention to details. Guard your money closely!
How about you all? Have you come across any of these or any other scams? What other scams are out there that people should be aware of?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy Stuart Miles from freedigitalphotos.net
