When it comes to scams, we must be ever vigilant

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Summertime is when we all have an opportunity to briefly look around us and notice things that slip by us later in the year. One of the constant happenings that seem to be getting worse, regardless of the season, is the people out there who stay awake late at night calculating how to cheat us in any way possible. What’s even more amazing are the different types of scams being created by enterprising crooks who often live halfway around the world.

Almost everyone I know has had the experience of being solicited for something that will pick his or her pocket. Last week, a call came through to me from someone who said he was from Microsoft and wanted me to immediately go to my computer and send him personal information. I happened to be a visitor in an office building, and at first was about to confess that I couldn’t get to my computer, and then it hit me that it was a scam. I hung up fast.

If you’re a lawyer or an accountant, you get dozens of solicitations from people in Africa or South America who’ve supposedly won the lottery or whose relatives died and left them tons of money. They’re willing to share it with you if you’ll just advance them the expenses necessary to free up the funds. Needless to say, you’ll never see a penny if you fall for it.

How about the wise guy who steals someone’s personal email address list and sends you an urgent plea on behalf of someone you know? It seems that Joe Smith, whose email address is in your list, is stuck in Spain and had his passport stolen, along with all of his credit cards. You’re asked to send an email to an address, and the recipient will give you the wiring instructions to send the money for your poor friend in distress. I immediately become suspicious, because the person who’s allegedly in trouble usually moved away long ago, and I haven’t seen him in years.

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