8 Ways to Spot a Survey Scam

Survey scams are almost as old as the internet. Spend an hour online and there’s a chance you’ll run into an ad for a “quick” survey promising big money or prizes for a few minutes of your time. What really happens is that the scammer walks away with a free survey, or worse, your information or money. The wary consumer can spot a survey scam, but unfortunately, fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated at luring victims into their schemes. Don’t fall for it!

Here are seven ways to spot a survey scam:

1. You’re asked to pay to participate in a survey – There’s no reason to pay to take a survey. If you’re targeted by an ad asking you to take a survey and pay for the privilege of doing so, it’s not worth it – and probably designed to scam you.

2. You’re asked to share sensitive info before you can take the survey – The survey host wants you to think it’s no big deal for you to share your Social Security number with a company you’ve never heard of before. But guess what – you’re looking at potential identity theft. That IS a big deal!

3. They advertise on Craigslist and similar sites asking for your email address – “Survey companies” that advertise on sites like Craigslist asking you to share your email address are usually fronts for scam rings. Once they have this information, they’ll spam you with scammy emails, phishing schemes, malware or worse.

4. They offer too much money – If a survey is offering you $100 for a 20-question survey that shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to complete, you can be sure you’re looking at a scam. The pay for authentic survey-taking is generally on a much more modest scale.

5. You’re directed to download attachments – Any time an unknown contact asks you to download attachments to your device, be super-suspicious. More often than not, these are scams and the attachments are loaded with malware.

6. They advertise aggressively – If the same solicitation for survey participation keeps popping up across your screen, you may be looking at a scam.

7. They require an outrageous minimum before payment – Scammers sometimes require their targets to take an outrageous number of surveys before they receive their first paycheck. Often, the victim will just quit before they qualify for a payment.

Survey-taking can be a great way to earn some pocket money, but survey scams are rampant. Follow these tips to stay safe!

Avoid Calls From These Area Codes

Robocalls are the worst. Those phone calls can do a lot more than just disrupt dinner. Using sophisticated spoofing methods and dogged persistence, they can swindle unsuspecting targets out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars, using nothing but a phone. Here’s what you need to know about phone scams and how to avoid them.

Traffic pumping: According to federal law, rural carriers are allowed to charge wireless and long-distance carriers higher fees for calls to local subscribers. To earn a quick buck, rural carriers partner up with chat lines, “free” conference call service providers and other numbers that are based overseas. Their goal is to artificially inflate call volume in the home area codes of rural carriers so they can bill the wireless and long distance companies tons of money and give the chat lines a kickback, too. The bad news for private consumers is that their service provider will pass the higher costs on to them. The consumer often believes these calls are free – until the bill arrives.

Area code alert: The 712 area code and the 218 area code are infamous for traffic pumping.

The one-ring scam: In this ruse, scammers use robocalling technology to call wireless numbers and hang up after one ring. The scammers are hoping the target will be curious and careless enough to return the call. If they do, they’ll likely be calling a number in the Caribbean, which can cost them up to $30 a minute. A prevalent one-ring scam that originates in Japan brings that cost up to $50 a minute! Whenever you receive a call from an unfamiliar number, it’s best to let it go to voicemail instead of picking up.

Area code alert: The FTC warns consumers about returning one-ring calls from these area codes:

268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849, 876

When an unfamiliar number comes up on your phone screen, you’re better off waiting for a voicemail to determine if you have a legitimate caller before calling back. You can also Google the phone number to see if anyone has posted warnings about it being used for a scam. Stay safe!

Questions? Want more information on Freedom? Contact a Freedom Federal Credit Union representative at freedomfcu.org or 1-800-440-4120.

About Freedom Federal Credit Union
Freedom Federal Credit Union is proud to be your financial partner. Freedom serves and is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school, volunteers, or has family in Harford or Baltimore County, MD. As a credit union, we are committed to putting you first, not shareholders, and helping you achieve your financial goals.
Learn more at freedomfcu.org or call 410-612-2135 to see how we can help.

Your Turn: How do you deal with robocallers? Tell us about it on Facebook, LinkedIn,Twitter, or Instagram @FreedomFedCU.

4 Scams to Watch Out for this Black Friday

Black Friday has traditionally been the day that ignites the holiday shopping season, sending masses of crowds through retailers across the nation. Unfortunately, it’s also a day that spawns a season of shopping scams.

Here are four scams to watch out for on Black Friday and throughout the holiday shopping season:

The Amazon Prime service fraud scam

In this ruse, a scammer posing as an Amazon representative, will call to notify a target about an alleged problem with their Prime account. The victim is prompted to download a tool onto their computer or mobile device so the caller can gain remote access for “helping them resolve the problem” at hand. They’ll then be instructed to log onto their banking account so the caller can be compensated for their time. Unfortunately, this will give the scammer free reign over the victim’s accounts.

Phishing emails

In these scams, the victim receives an email allegedly sent by Amazon or another large retailer, asking them to verify or update their account. Or, it might be to supposedly confirm an order. By using the link dropped into the email, the user will give their personal information directly to the scammer.

Delivery issues

Delivery scams generally take the form of a message appearing to be from UPS or another delivery service, informing the victim of a “delivery issue” with an order. They’ll be asked to confirm or update their info using a provided link. Doing so gives the scammer access to their financial information and opens the door to identity theft and more.

Non-delivery scam

This scam involves a purchased gift that never arrives. Unfortunately, the seller disappears after payment, leaving the victim with no way of notifying them about the no-show or for requesting a refund.

Avoid Black Friday scams

Never grant a stranger access to your device and/or accounts.
Don’t open links sent in emails from unverified contacts.
Never share sensitive information with an unknown contact.
Keep the privacy and spam settings on your devices at their strongest settings.
If you have an issue with an ordered item, contact the retailer directly through their site.
When shopping on a new site, look for a physical address, a customer service number and copy that’s free of spelling errors.

Stay safe!

If you receive something suspicious via text, email, or mail, related to your financial accounts please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are unsure.

Your Turn: Have you encountered a scam like this before? Tell us about it on Facebook, LinkedIn,Twitter, or Instagram @FreedomFedCU.