Scams, Scams and More Scams

by Debra Meyer-Myrum

I don’t know about you, but just about every day my cell phone gets a message from a scammer. The latest one was trying to get me to pay a toll fee. Of course, they didn’t call just once, but multiple times with different phone numbers. How did I know it was a scam? I wasn’t anywhere near a toll road and I hadn’t traveled out of the area. All I could do was report it as junk, delete, and expect another one.

The evolution of cell phones and the internet have provided consumers with access to learning most anything, communicating through different social medias, and staying connected with family and friends. It also has opened us up to being scammed and taken advantage of by others.

We think it will never happen to us, but we all may be in the right circumstance to fall for the bait at sometime.

I thought I was being very careful, but ended up getting scammed when I bought concert tickets from someone advertising them for sale on the venue’s website. The venue took down the site, but it was a little too late for me. Lesson learned, make sure it is a reliable source.

Another time I was selling an item on Facebook Marketplace that was for a larger sum of money. The scammers were interested in buying the item. They were going to send me the money, but needed me to send them some money, which made no sense at all. Of course, I didn’t fall for that one.

What other scams are out there to be aware of?

• A family member is in trouble with law enforcement and needs bail money.

Always call a family member to confirm if something is true.

• The IRS calls stating you owe money or back taxes. If you don’t pay, law enforcement will come and arrest you.

Typically, the IRS will send a letter and will not call....

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