Since 1912, the Better Business Bureau has guided people into making smarter and safer buying decisions. By investigating frauds and schemes, they help warn consumers and have, indeed, become an institute for marketplace trust. Are you aware that in 2020, 38.3% of all scam reports were from online purchases? That is why the Better Business Bureau warns of Mother’s Day scams this 2021.
According to a survey of BBB Scam Tracker users, learning about general scammer behaviours and tactics is an effective prevention strategy. So what should you be looking for?
General Scammer Behavior
A strong distinction of online safety awareness is understanding the red flags. Undoubtedly, there are ample ways to secure your safety online. But when it comes down to it, you need to remember a few things about scammers.
Gaining Your Trust
They will try to gain your trust by either impersonating a contact or claiming to be from a well-known source.
Verification Methods
Scammers push their own verification methods, which is likely a site they've created or a made-up number.
Appeal to Emotions
They will appeal to your emotions in order to manipulate you and make you doubt your intuition.
Sense of Urgency
Every scammer will develop a sense of urgency so you make a decision without thinking first.
Yes, Mother’s Day is a time for celebration and gratitude. However, scammers use this time of giving to prey on those who just aren’t aware of their heinous motives. Essentially, there are three questions you should be asking yourself this Mother’s Day:
How likely am I to be targeted by a particular scam?
What are my odds of losing money when I am exposed?
If I do lose money to a scam, how big will my loss be?
If you don’t know the answer to these questions yet, it is definitely something to consider going forward. The more you are aware, the more likely you will be able to spot a scammer before they can take advantage of you.
5 Online Safety Measures You Should Follow
At present, 1 in 10 adults fall victim to scams or frauds every year in the USA. There are about 331 million people residing in the United States so 10% of this total would equate to about 33 million scam victims annually. That’s a lot of fraud taking place and guess what? We don’t want you to be a part of it. What are the 5 online safety measures you should be following this Mother’s Day?
As has been noted, the Better Business Bureau warns of Mother’s Day scams this 2021 because of rising scam trends. Our goal is to make sure you are not a part of the 10% of Americans that get scammed every year. When you look back on Mother’s Day this year, you should remember smiles and family, not scams and frauds.
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