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The Scammer and You

The Scammer and You

How do scammers know so much about me?  They are very good con artists and most of them have a very good script that they follow. But it is more likely that we give our data away without knowing it. This week I will discuss the ways we often leak our own info.

I share personal updates on Face book.

Scammers turn to social media postings to learn more about those they’ve targeted, so be prudent, don’t post personal info. Narrow who can see your posts, and avoid posting real-time updates about your whereabouts. Friends and family know you are on vacation, but not everyone needs to know that.

I frequently enter contests.

Online contests are a gateway to unwanted phone calls and sales pitches. Not only do the marketers collect your name, age and address, and email address, they can learn even more about you, like you want to buy a car, or travel. Always have an alternate email address for this type of info sharing.

I toss my mail.

This is a no-no, invest in a paper shredder, anything that has you name and address, account numbers or other personal data on it must be shredded before you toss it into the garbage, Dumpster divers are not deterred by filthy garbage bins that have sheets of valuable data on it.

I fill out lots of surveys.

Did you stay at a hotel recently and where asked to fill out a survey based on your stay? Depending on if it was a reputable company that does not sell your info (trip advisor) selling survey data is big business, marketing firms and criminals can learn a lot more about you than you think, like your annual salary, your travel preferences, the type of home you own, or the type of car you drive.

With the New Year coming up, I thought it would be good to cover these topics as a refresher, because this is the time of the year scammers will be calling you, like the IRS, and Microsoft.

If you have a land line (old phone) I suggest you go to the National Do Not Call Registry at www.DoNotCall.gov and sign up. This won’t stop all illegal calls, but it will reduce the nuisance calls. Unfortunately Cell phones are up for grabs, but, never answer to anyone you don’t know, and if it was important, they will leave a message. Thanks for reading and remember at “Hunt Technology”, you always get “Quality Service & Individual Attention” you deserve.  Hunt Technology, 320 Watson St., Ripon WI, 920-290-0936

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