Beware phone, e-mail scams

When our children are young they are taught to “stop, drop, and roll” as part of a fire-safety campaign that has successfully taught the procedure to follow should clothing catch on fire.

Years ago, our family used a variation: “Stop. Drop. And Tie,” to get our children to tie their shoes.

Given today’s phishing attempts to obtain personal information, steal identities and ruin finances, perhaps similar methods should be used to prevent us from falling for these schemes.

“Stop. Don’t Call Us – We’ll Call You Back.” This might be a strategy for telephone crooks who are phishing to empty our accounts. ‘Stop’ – Think over what is being said or offered.

Older Mainers who still tend to be trustful, as most were a generation ago, may be particularly at risk. These seniors are much more vulnerable to the phishers’ rapid-fire techniques used to elicit information from the unwary.

But citizens of all ages are at risk. If you don’t know the caller, go very slow and be on-guard: “Don’t Call Us. We’ll Call You.” Ask the caller for a phone number and offer to call back. Most such charlatans will refuse to give a phone number or will simply disconnect you and look for an easier mark. These two simple steps may save your finances and keep your personal identity personal.

“Stop. Reconsider. Delete” “Stop.” – Once again, stop and consider what the e-mail is offering to you. If they ask you to fill out a form or provide personal information, or if the offer for goods, services, or money seems too good to be true, the Internet crooks are probably trying to drain your financial resources.

Last week’s Bangor Daily News included a letter to the editor from a University of Maine professor who was tempted to respond to one of these e-mail hoax schemes provided in the guise of coming from a satellite radio company. However he “stopped” and reconsidered.

The fact of the matter is that anyone, at any age, with any level of education can quickly become an e-mail phishing victim. “Reconsider.” If you are thinking about responding, hold that thought. Is there some other way you can check the veracity of the solicitation. Perhaps you can use a tried and true Web site to contact the company. Perhaps there is a corporate telephone number you can call.

“Delete.” Many of these bogus e-mails have attachments to them that are often more poison than the e-mail. If opened, they may contain viruses that will attack your computer system or provide personal information to the phisher. It is recommended that these attachments, if not the entire e-mail be swiftly deleted.

Legitimate businesses and government bodies will never ask for personal information by e-mail or telephone if they are calling you. Turn the tables on these criminals by ignoring e-mail requests for your personal information. If the scam comes from the telephone, ask for a number to call them back. Developing winning, heads-up strategies will keep you safer from the bad guys.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership costs $25; business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.