5 Quick Things to Keep You From Being Scammed in New York State
April is financial literacy month, so what does that mean to you? It means making sure that you know how to protect yourself and your money.
How can you do that? There are plenty of groups, like your bank or the Financial Trade Commission (FTC) for instance that can give you guidelines as to what to watch out for and what to make sure you don't do to keep yourself, your money, your credit, and your financial identity safe.
What 5 things should you make sure that you keep in mind before you do anything with your money?
Do you get weird text messages telling you that you are waiting to receive a few thousand dollars and all you have to do is send a small amount of money to 'be able to deposit into your account?' Yeah, that is a scam. Never give any information to anyone via text, phone, or email.
How about a 'great part-time' or 'full-time job' that you just need to pay a few dollars for to be eligible to apply?
Has someone ever asked you to pay to apply for a job? Yep, scam. Even if they are a 'head hunter,' as they get paid by the company that is looking to fill the position, they still will not have to pay to get the job. Don't let people scam you.
READ MORE: Scammers Gonna Scam, 4 More to Be Aware Of
Frustrating? What if someone needs you to give them money, gift cards, wire them money, immediately?
Take a deep breath. If someone is asking you to act immediately, tell them thanks, but no thanks. If they want you to get a gift card and then read them the numbers on the back. Stop. This is a scam. Never fall for anything or anyone contacting you asking you to help them, and stop a scam either.
Still sound like it could be real, but think it might be a scam?
If you are still thinking that there has to be something that is real or on the up and up on this, grab a friend or two and just double-check. Sometimes not just saying what is taking place, but doing it out loud to a friend, will allow you to process just how shady the whole thing is.
If my Dad had just double-checked with someone else, he would still have that little nest egg he had stashed for a rainy day, not the person who scammed him.