When Scams Hit Home: Personal Accounts

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In this podcast episode, we talk about various scams, how scammers lead us to believe them, and what to watch for.

Guests are Kyle Rea, Kay Schrieber, Dale Schrieber

Host Jan Johnson narrates her harrowing experience of falling victim to a sophisticated scam.

She recounts how a stressful day, combined with technical issues, made her vulnerable to scammers posing as tech support. Throughout the ordeal, Jan was manipulated into purchasing gift cards, believing it was necessary to resolve an alleged hacking issue.

Despite the warning signs, the scam persisted until a conversation with a sheriff revealed the truth. In sharing her story, Jan emphasizes the importance of awareness and overcoming the shame associated with being scammed.

Common points:

• Sense of urgency
• I can fix this for you
• I'm here to help you
• scammer asks for money, credit card info, cashier's check
• Tells you to stay on the phone (prevents you from calling anyone or getting messages from your bank)
• You're contacted out of the blue- unsolicited phone calls or emails (you can't win a lottery you never entered, you don't receive a call or email from tech support that you didn't initiate.)
• It sounds too good to be true
• Email looks official, but has mistakes or subtle differences
• Threats
• Asks for upfront payment

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed

https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams

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Find me on my website: jan-johnson.com