Tips for Avoiding Fraud and Scams

If you get a call saying you’re a winner but you don't recall signing up for a contest - beware!  It's likely a scam.  Here are some helpful tips for protecting yourself from telephone scams, which are one of the most common forms of fraud.  

• Don’t pay any money to collect supposed sweepstakes winnings. Legitimate operations won’t require you to pay to collect your winnings.
• It’s against federal law to play a foreign lottery – so if you get a call it is likely a scam.
• Never wire money to anyone with whom you are not familiar.
• Never provide anyone with personal information such as bank accounts, pin numbers or Social Security numbers.
• Check any unfamiliar area codes before returning calls.
• Be aware that there are many 3-digit area codes that connect callers to international telephone numbers – especially 876.
• If you do not have Caller ID, consider adding it to your phone service so you can avoid answering calls from unfamiliar numbers.
• If you do not make international calls, ask your telephone provider to block outgoing international calls.