LISTICLE

Watch Out for Scams! | Listicle

https://cpatrendlines.com/category/checklist/listicle/By CPA Trendlines Research

Technology has brought us many labor-saving services, but it is also facilitating scams. And with the help of artificial intelligence, scams are becoming more common, more subtle, more creative and more effective.

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Help your clients with these 10 serious tips for avoiding a scam.

  1. Don’t make impulsive purchases over social media. Do some research. Make sure who you’re dealing with.
  2. Be very wary of online relationships, be it advice from an expert, an increasingly romantic conversation, an offer to join in a project or investment. AI is perfectly capable of conversing as well as a real person.
  3. Never click on a link or open an attachment in an unsolicited email or text message. You should be suspicious even of emails seeming to come from real friends. If in doubt, contact the sender by other means.
  4. Don’t believe everything you read. Just because someone says they’re from the IRS, a church or the FBI doesn’t mean they are. In fact, they probably aren’t. Fake websites can look identical to real websites. Even Caller ID can be faked.
  5. Be suspicious of unrealistically low prices, weird opportunities, urges to make a quick decision.
  6. Know the warning signs: An offer too good to be true. A requirement to pay with a gift card or cryptocurrency. A call to transfer funds directly from or to your bank. A requirement to pay in advance. A request to continue conversation on another platform.
  7. Don’t share your Social Security number – not even the last four digits – your birth date or your driver’s license number unless you are really sure who you are talking to.
  8. Don’t be pressured to act immediately.
  9. Disregard any offer or inquiry that doesn’t include your name, such as “Dear Taxpayer” or “Postal Customer.” Note that the IRS, the FBI, the USPS, the Social Security Administration and other government agencies never initiate communication via email.
  10. If in doubt, talk with your accountant, banker or other trusted professional.

Scams are becoming more difficult to identify every day. Protect yourself and help others – especially the young and the elderly – to protect themselves.