Be Scam Smart

National Consumer Protection Week is held annually in March to help people understand their consumer rights and make well-informed decisions.

Be Alert
• Talk with family members and friends about your travel plans and daily activities
• Be aware of your surroundings, walk in groups of two or more
• Don’t carry unneeded credit cards or your social security card with you
• Never post your travel plans on social media sites
• Only use ATMs that are inside of a bank or business and shield your PIN from view of others.

Never
• Never give your personal information (bank account numbers, routing numbers, social security numbers) to anyone who contacts you and asks
for it.
• Never send money, wire transfers or pre-paid cash cards to someone you do not know – even if they tell you they are calling from a police station
• Never allow your bank card or credit card out of your sight.

Remember
• Banks, credit card companies and government offices NEVER call you to verify your personal or account information
• Law enforcement agencies will not contact you and demand that you make a payment of fines over the phone or internet
• No one can win a lottery for a country they’ve never visited or a sweepstakes they didn’t enter. You have to “play to win.”
• No offer to share millions of dollars, recover wealth, or provide large sums of money for you to distribute to charity will require you to provide
‘money up front.’ If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!
• Beware of heath care scams, never release information to any health service provider that you did not contact directly

Scams are becoming more realistic. Take a moment to think things through. Ask a friend, neighbor or trusted staff person if an offer/claim/email sounds right to them.