WATCH YOUR MAIL

I recently heard that fraud has now surpassed oil as the world’s largest income resource. Whether that is true or not, it is definitely big business these days with losses in the BILLIONS! Here are a few of the latest scams and frauds and some simple steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim.

Thieves know when it’s tax season and what to look for in the mail. Your tax return contains very sensitive, personal information. So if you are mailing your tax return only do so by taking it inside the post office during business hours and just before the scheduled pickup time. Never mail a tax return or any other sensitive information or funds from your home mailbox, from an outside big blue mailbox, or even from the post office over the weekend.

Additionally, monitor your incoming mail. You can do this by signing up for INFORMED DELIVERY through the US Postal Service. The post office will send you an email daily with a picture of the mail that is supposed to be delivered that day. You will then know immediately if something is missing from your mailbox. You can sign up for this service by going to USPS.com and look for Informed Delivery under the Quick Tools tab.

Have you given much thought to the volume of information that is out there in various databases about each of us, how it is obtained, and how it’s tion is getting tougher and tougher these days but a simple, inexpensive shredder is one way to limit the possibility of your information falling into the hands of criminals. Shred any and all paperwork that has personal information on it, including your address, or credit card numbers. This obviously includes things like bank statements or credit card statements but it also includes things like prescription labels, junk mail, magazine labels, and even receipts from the drive-thru often have your name and the last 4 of your credit card. Make shredding these things part of your normal daily routine and help protect your personal information.

Fraudsters and hackers often pose to be from a business or government agency you know and trust. They send spoofed emails, texts, and phone calls telling you things such as you’ve had potentially fraudulent charges on your account, or your package delivery has been delayed, that you’ve won a prize, or even that you have a warrant for your arrest.

Never click on links in texts or emails and do not answer calls that are not from your personal contacts. If you truly are waiting on a package delivery or think you may have had fraudulent charges on your account, get out of that email/text/phone call and contact that business directly to confirm but do NOT reply or use the links or phone numbers they have asked you to use. Instead, do the research yourself and look up the contact information.

Also, government agencies, such as the Sheriff’s office or the IRS will never contact you by phone and ask you to pay a warrant, fine, or back taxes. And lastly, remember if you are being asked to pay in gift cards, wire transfers, crypto-currency, or a courier being sent to your house to pick up cash, it is without a doubt a scam.

If you’d like more information on how you can avoid becoming a victim of the latest scam, fraud, or crime targeting seniors please contact our office at 405-8692555 for information on free monthly classes taught at 20 locations around Oklahoma County. You can also sign up for the same free monthly class online by going to www.metrotech.edu/events and look for the Crime Prevention Series.