Scams through the Mail

As mentioned in the first article, scams come in all shapes and forms. This article will discuss mail scams. Mail scams are nothing new. From lottery and sweepstake scams to fake charities, scammers will use any tactic they can to try and trick you into handing over your money. These scams can be especially dangerous for seniors, who are often targeted due to their perceived vulnerability. But no matter your age, it's important to be aware of these common mail scams to protect yourself and your hard-earned money. Let's look at some examples of mail scams and how to avoid falling victim to them.

Scams through the mail:

Here are some examples:

The lottery or a sweepstake scam (Publishers Clearing House as an example). You get a letter saying you have won a lottery or sweepstakes prize. However, to collect your prize earnings, you must send them money, or they want to deposit it into your bank account once you give them your account information. This is not true! Even if you did enter a sweepstake, they would never ask for money or your bank account number before giving you the prize. Recently I had a “Publishers Clearing House” call, and they said I had won their significant award. Interesting, since I never entered. I decided to play along to see what his angle was. Of course, he told me he needed my social security number, address, and bank account number to deposit into my account. Being sarcastic, I told him I would wait until they came to my door with the big check as seen on T.V. Surprisingly, they still hadn’t shown up.

Fake charities: As Americans, we are known for our generosity and should be proud of that. However, sending money to fake charities helps no one except the scammer. If it is a charity, you have donated money to or are very familiar with, by all means, donate if you feel the call to do so. However, always check out any charity by visiting Charity Navigator. For more information on Fake charities, see AARP’s article.

Mail scams are a common tactic used by scammers to trick people into handing over their money. Remember that whenever you are asked for money, carefully consider the source before sending anything to the requestor. If you are a senior, do not feel obligated to send money, and while you are in charge of your money, it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion from someone you trust. Statistically, all ages do get scammed; you are not alone. Examples of mail scams include lottery or sweepstake scams and fake charities. The following article will discuss computer technology scams, which are becoming increasingly common as technology advances. Examples of computer technology scams include phishing scams, where scammers attempt to steal personal information by disguising themselves as a trustworthy entity, and malware scams, where scammers use malicious software to access a person's computer steal sensitive information.