How to Spot Scams and Safeguard Your Hard-Earned Money

Scams come in various shapes and sizes, and scammers are getting craftier by the day. Gone are the days when an Arabian prince desperately needs MY help. Unfortunately, there are people out there who make it their business to steal and take advantage of people who don’t realize it till it’s too late. This is a public service announcement to keep you informed and your money protected. Here's how to recognize the red flags and protect your assets.

Common Scam Red Flags:

Unsolicited Contact: Be wary of unsolicited phone calls, emails, or messages, especially if they ask for personal information or money. Legitimate organizations won't contact you out of the blue.

Have you received a text message from THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA saying ____ is ready for deposit? Usually there is a link included. For credibility, they might include a reference number.

Or maybe you got a text saying *There was an issue processing your tax reassessment, please follow the secure CRA deposit portal before DATE* Link included.

These are SCAMS. The government does not send emails or texts like this.

Too Good to Be True Offers: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be cautious of promises of high returns with little to no risk.

For example: my friend (Let’s call her Katie) received a phone call from “Telus” wanting to give her a free phone because she “had always paid on time and had great credit with us” however - she was on her family plan and isn’t on any of the billing information. The operator also asked Katie for her personal information, but she was quick to retort “Shouldn’t you have that info already if you have access to my account?” His response was “Oh no Ma’am, my job is to only fill out this form for your free phone, so I don’t have access to any of that information.” Hmm… Wait a minute. Does that make sense?

Urgency and Pressure: Scammers create a sense of urgency to make you act out of fear or without thinking.

An employee of mine was telling me about how she kept getting automated calls from “Amazon” because there was a problem with her order. When she pressed 1 to speak to someone about it, she was directed to an operator who needed information about her account. She said “Well I think that’s very interesting because I don’t have an Amazon account and I didn’t place an order” and the operator hung up on her!

Thankfully she hadn’t placed an order, but imagine if you had an important package in the mail and needed it right away. It was easy for my employee to know she was being scammed from the beginning, because she didn’t fit the criteria of the catered scam. Scams aren’t designed for dumb, uneducated people. They’re designed to bait the right people for the right scam.

Know That Scams Are Getting Better: Many scams are known to originate from overseas, and scammers sometimes have poor grammar and spelling in their communications. These are important to look out for and can be easy to catch. However, there are local scammers too. Here are a couple stories that have been shared with me.

A Grandfather received a call from his “Pharmacy” letting him know that he needed to pay for his medication before he picked it up. He gave his credit card over the phone and thought that was that. 3 days later he went to pick up his ready medication and was asked to pay for it. That is when he was told that they would never call to request payment from him. The assumption was that it was an inside job of some kind, as the person calling knew all his information. (ie. name, address, number, and medication.) Whether it was an employee or an opportunist that took a picture of his information, it was a local enterprise.

Either way, scammers are always working on perfecting their pitch to be more convincing. Scams are becoming more sophisticated as people fall for them and as people catch the inconsistencies. Bottom line: If it feels off, it probably is.

A loving Grandmother received a phone call from her “Grandson”. He was upset and frantic, had been in some kind of “accident” and “needed money for bail”. But he was too embarrassed to call and ask his parents. She gave her credit card over the phone and fell for the scam. I have heard of instances where the scammer will spoof the phone number of the grandchild so the right caller ID will pop up. AI has also been used so it sounds exactly like the family member.

Requests for Personal or Financial Information: Legitimate institutions won't ask you to share sensitive information via email or text. Never provide your SIN or Social Security Number, credit card details, or passwords to unknown sources.

My friend’s older Aunt Teresa unfortunately fell for a high-level scam. She was watching TV when it suddenly shut down. When she turned it back on and went back to the Amazon Prime channel (Which she had a subscription for) it wouldn’t work and said it required an update. The formal step was to call a number provided on the screen. Teresa called the number where she spoke to a man who gave a whole spiel about a special discount payment plan for Amazon Prime for the next 2 years. He needed her password to her Amazon account and her credit card number. This transaction was done through PayPal. Afterwards, her Smart TV started working normally again. The next day, she was telling her son Paul about the “special offer” she got. Paul knew this wasn’t a real deal and that it was a scam. Teresa had to cancel her credit card and reset her Amazon password. With the information the scammers got from her, they could have bought anything through her account! They were fortunate to realize what had happened before any major purchases were made.

Payment Requests via Untraceable Methods: Scammers often ask for payment through methods that are difficult to trace, such as wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Once the money is gone, it's challenging to recover.

My friend Mary got an email from someone close (Let's call him Dave) she knew that asked her to do a favour. Dave wanted her to buy gift cards for his niece’s birthday. He wasn’t able to go to the store since he had injured his ankle. Mary, being the lovely person she is, was happy to do that. Until she found out the amount was for $500 and she needed to take a picture on the digit code on the back and send it to him. Sensing something wasn’t right, she thankfully called me. It turns out, Dave’s email had been hacked, he didn’t have an injured ankle, and everyone he knew had received this email! Because Mary had stopped to think through what was happening and get a second opinion - she didn’t fall for the scam.

Always Check URL’s: Scammers oftentimes try to copy reputable sources to gain access to your information.

I was scrolling on Facebook and my eye caught a wayfair ad. When I clicked on it, I was expecting it to go to www.wayfair.com. Except when I clicked the link, I noticed it went to www.wayFAIRE.com (this is just an example, not the real link). The website looked just like the real website - but is only pretending to be the real deal. Keep an eye out for weird websites.

Also look to see the REAL email addresses that suspicious emails are sent from – or get replied to. I have received MANY emails from my regular suppliers that seem legit but when I look closer, realize that the email “reply to” address is NOT the same. RED FLAG!

Remember: Anyone can be scammed. Scammers don’t discriminate. If they can take your money, they will try.

Another thing to remember is that people who fall victim to scammers are not dumb people. It might be easy to think “I’m too smart to fall for that”. But the fact of the matter is that anyone can be deceived and scams are getting more convincing every day.

Maybe you’re already hyper vigilant and know the signs to look out for - but maybe there’s an older or younger family member/friend that is a phone call away from being a scammer's next victim. Have open conversations about the new scams you see or hear happening.

Keep educating yourself on the way scams are evolving as they are only getting better and better. Stay vigilant and remember if something feels off, take a step back. Scammers often prey on your desires, whether that be something free; to help a friend or family member; to fix an issue; or to be protected.