Practice these 13 Scam Drills so you know what to say and do when a scammer calls.

Scammers are up to no good. Daily, we hear about new scams and variations on scams. Here at Consumers, we have a team dedicated to protecting our members from fraud 24/7. Today, we’re sharing ways you can fight fraud when you get a scam call. It’s time for Scam Drills!

What’s a Scam Drill? They’re quick exercises that show you what to say or do when confronted with a scammer.

Even the savviest folks get taken in by scammers, including this personal finance columnist who inspired our Scam Drills. Charlotte Cowle’s account of how scammers tricked her out of $50,000 shows how sneaky and persuasive scammers are.

Fraudsters want one thing: your money. They may ask for it as cash, a bank transfer, a gift card or bitcoin. The 13 Scam Drills below show how you can avoid a scammer’s snare and hold on to your money. We encourage you to practice the drills and share them with your loved ones.

Drill #1

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“I’m from [trusted retailer/financial institution] calling to check on unusual activity on your account.”	Spoofing the phone number and posing as a trusted vendor/financial institution so you let your guard down	·      Remain calm and stay skeptical of interactions you did not initiate   ·      Check your account online   ·      Push the caller for info. Ask: “Why are you reaching out? I don’t see a transaction for that.”   ·      Hang up

Drill #2

Scammer says	Their ploy			Prepare to say/do
“I’m working with a liaison from the Federal Trade Commission  and referring defrauded customers to him.”   They may also mention agencies like the CIA or FBI.		Build a false sense of security through association with a legitimate law enforcement agency.   They often “transfer” the call to the outside agency. They’re actually connecting you with an accomplice.	·   Say: “At this point I’m going to reach out to a phone number I know  from [name of retailer/financial institution].”

Drill #3

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
Asks you to verify the spelling of your name, reads out your address, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number.	Using pieces of personal information that are often available publicly to appear legitimate.   Know this: Unfortunately, the last 4 digits of Social Security numbers are commonly used for identification and much personal information is available for purchase on the dark web.   Social media is often used to glean information like the names of kids or pets and birthdays.	·      Protect your personal info at all costs; do not offer or confirm any personal information.   ·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.   ·      Share the experience with someone you trust and ask, “Does that sound suspicious to you?”

Drill #4

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“There are warrants out for your arrest. You are being charged with crimes.”	Instilling fear and relying on your desire to clear your record to get you to cooperate.   Know this: Police will never call to inform you of a warrant. Warrants are almost always served in person, with a paper document, by a uniformed officer.	·       Don’t be frightened by a false claim that there is a warrant out for your arrest.   ·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.

Drill #5

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“You must not tell anyone what is going on. By keeping your spouse out of this, you’re protecting them.”	Isolate you so no one convinces you it’s a scam. They’re also preying on your desire to protect a loved one.   Emotionally you’re on the hook when a scammer says this and they’re about to take it to the next step where they request money or gift cards.	·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.

Drill #6

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“How much do you have in your bank account?	The scammer is gauging how valuable you are as a mark. The figure you state is how much they’ll tell you to withdraw.	·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.

Drill #7

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“Hang up the phone, Google the number, and I’ll call you back from that number.”	Playing on your trust of a known organization by spoofing the number   Know this: Scammers pay to have fake listings show up first in online searches. Also, any phone number, including those for government agencies, can be spoofed.	·       Remember, you didn’t initiate the call and the caller’s statement is a red flag.   ·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.

Drill #8

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“If you talk to an attorney, I can’t help anymore.”   They may also threaten that your home will be raided, your assets frozen and you will be arrested.	Keep you isolated and under the scammer’s influence–and away from people who will raise questions.	·       Remain skeptical. What agency would issue a warning before a raid, arrest or freezing assets? None.   ·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.

Drill #9

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“Your loved one is in trouble.”	Preying on your desire to protect your loved one.	·       Hang up.   ·       Check in with your loved one.   ·       Set up a plan in advance to have a secret word, question or emoji that only you and family members know indicates one of you is in trouble.

Drill #10

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“We’ll deactivate your Social Security number and get you a new one.”	Framing a complicated process as something simple. Promising a “prize”  for something done in return for money or gift cards.   Know this: While it is possible to get a new Social Security number, the process is lengthy and requires extensive documentation including police reports. No one can quickly get a new Social Security number.	·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.

Drill #11

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“You must follow my directions carefully—we don’t have much time.”	Creating a false sense of urgency. In rushing you they want you to make a mistake.	·      Say: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” Or just hang up.   ·       Share the experience with someone you trust and ask, “Does that sound suspicious to you?”

Drill #12

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
“You need to go to the bank and get that cash out now. You can’t tell them what it is for. Keep me on the line so we stay in contact.”	Coach you to get past any guardrail policies that are in place at the financial institution.	·       Hang up   ·       Do not continue the call by using earbuds, speaker or a digital watch. End the call.   ·       Go to your financial institution and tell them what happened.

Drill #13

Scammer says	Their ploy	Prepare to say/do
Requests to access your computer or phone remotely.	Access your equipment so they can steal personal information and passwords for your accounts. They may also install malware that allows them access to your information later.	·       Hang up   ·       Do not allow remote access to your computer or phone unless you initiated the interaction with someone you know and trust.

Now that you’ve gone through the drills, you’ve surely noticed one recommended response came up repeatedly: “I’m uncomfortable with this interaction and I’m hanging up.” This is not mean. It is not rude. It is not accusatory. Using this language and hanging up keeps you in control and stops the scam from progressing. Or simply hang up—you don’t need to provide a scammer with an explanation.

Tips for avoiding scams

• Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize or expect. Let them go to voice mail. If someone says they’re from your credit union, bank or a merchant, call back on the number you’ve used before or look up the number on the company’s website. Don’t rely on Google search results—they can be manipulated to show a spoofed number.
• Be skeptical of interactions you did not initiate.
• A credit union or bank won’t ask how much you have in your account. We won’t verbally ask for a code. Never share out a code from a financial institution to anyone for any reason.
• Remember these things about the way legitimate organizations operate:
• No financial institution or law enforcement agency will exchange cash for a check. Government agencies always want a paper trail.
• If an agency (like the IRS) is hard to get a hold of, they won’t be calling you.
• The IRS always initiates contact with a letter on IRS letterhead. They don’t contact taxpayers by phone, text, email or social media.
• The CIA doesn’t handle personal finances and transactions.
• Never agree to meet someone you don’t know to turn over cash. Never purchase gift cards and turn them over to a stranger no matter what they promise in exchange. Once a scammer has possession of your cash or gift cards, they are gone forever.

If you have been scammed

• Know you are not alone. People–young and old-–from every walk of life and every educational level are scammed every day. An experienced scammer is a skilled manipulator who knows what buttons to push to take advantage of others.
• Share the experience with someone you trust. Getting scammed takes an emotional toll and their support can help you cope.
• Inform your financial institution about what happened so you can protect yourself going forward.
• Report the scam to local law enforcement and visit IC3.gov, the Internet Crime Complaint Center run by the FBI.
• Change your account passwords for banks, credit cards, retirement account and other finances.
• Make sure your phone, tablet and computer operating systems are up-to-date and free of malware that might have been installed during a scam. You may need to hire a professional to help determine if malware is present.
• If your personal information is compromised by a scam, notify the three major credit bureaus and put a security freeze on your credit report. This prevents others from taking credit out in your name.
• Equifax
• https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
  • (800) 525-6285
• Experian
• https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html#content-01
  • (888) 397-3742
• TransUnion
• https://fraud.transunion.com/fa/fraudAlert/landingPage.jsp
  • (800) 680-7289

 

 

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