Madison Communications' Website Compass

Back to Basics 14 WebsiteCompass that you never entered—especially if they also tell you that you need to provide payment or something else of value to collect your prize—it’s almost certainly a scam. You are addressed generically. When you enter a legitimate contest, you provide your name and other identifying information. If you receive mail or other communication that addresses you as “Sir” or “Madam,” it’s because the sender doesn’t know anything about you. You receive an unexpected check from an unknown source. Some scammers will send you a check from out of the blue, tell you to deposit it, and direct you to send a portion of it to a third party. By the time your bank informs you the check you deposited is bad, you’re already out the sum you sent. You are rushed into action. Scammers will push you to claim your “prize” immediately to quickly get their hands on your money or financial information. Other Scams to Avoid Sweepstakes scams are just one style of deception that criminals can use to trick you out of your money or financial information. To avoid becoming a victim, learn about others they may deploy. Here are a few to watch out for this year: Check cooking. In this scam, thieves steal paper checks and, using chemicals, wash away the name of the recipient and the dollar amount. Leaving the valid signature in place, they then fill in a new name and amount. To stay safe: Bring checks to be mailed to the post office instead of dropping them in a mailbox and continually monitor your checking account. Voiceprint scam. Here, the scammers get you on the phone and make a recording of your voice, which they use to impersonate you. For example, they can use it on a call to your financial institution to move funds from your account to theirs. To stay safe: Don’t answer phone calls, especially from numbers you don’t recognize. Anyone who knows or does business with you will likely have other ways to reach you. Paris Olympics scam. Criminals often use current events to play their tricks. One example is a scammer hacking the email account of someone you know to email you with a message saying the person is at the Olympics in Paris, got their wallet stolen, and needs gift cards or cash. To stay safe: With urgent requests, resist the impulse to act immediately. Contact the person another way, such as via text message, to verify the story. Publishers Clearing House Scams Some sweepstakes scammers are using a well-known name, Publishers Clearing House (PCH), to get victims to think they have legitimately won a large sum of money. The criminals send their official-looking checks to unsuspecting people and inform them that, before the check can be cashed, the recipient must send in tens of thousands of dollars to cover taxes and “fees.” Alternatively, they may request personal financial information or other valuable things like gift cards. Not surprisingly, once they are paid, the scammers disappear, and the check receiver gets nothing. This scam works because PCH is a legitimate entity that does pay out cash awards. Protect yourself by checking with PCH if you receive something that looks like it’s from them, and never paying to collect any kind of prize.

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