Opinion: How not to play into the scammer’s hand

With the spring shopping season underway, it’s a proper time for a reminder that even the most vigilant among us can fall victim to scams.

While March is better known as Women’s History Month, it’s also the lesser-known Fraud Prevention Month, a 31-day period recognized by consumer watchdog organizations such as the Better Business Bureau.

Throughout the month, the BBB is releasing materials on the scams that occur the most, how to combat them and what to do if you’re a victim. Stephanie Garland, BBB Springfield regional director, is a great person to know when it comes to scams that can impact your business, employees or customers. She says scams are most successful when consumers aren’t on guard.

Regardless of whether you personally have been impacted by a scam, it’s important to take a look at the data to show how nefarious actors have an impact on the money that consumers may have spent at your business otherwise.

The BBB’s 2020 Scam Tracker report indicates the organization last year received more than 46,000 scam reports. Of those reports, 46.7% included a financial hit, with the median loss at $115. That’s millions of dollars lost each year to scams that could have been spent better at local businesses or saved at area banks.

The BBB report shows the top five riskiest scams of 2020 comprised online purchase, employment, fake check/money order, advance fee loan and home improvement fraud.

Fraud Prevention Month works as a warning for cases like that of Janet Wray, an 86-year-old who lives near Springfield. Last year, Wray lost $14,500 through a gift card scheme after scammers pretending to be from Apple said she had to buy the cards to protect her cloud data, according to the BBB.

While older adults are a well-documented group of people who can become scam victims, fraudsters care more about the leverage they can apply, no matter the person’s age. That’s clear in the BBB report, which identifies the highest median loss of $150 per case by 18- to 24-year-olds and those older than 65.

A scammer will say whatever the intended victim fears most in order to take their money away from them. There’s no honor among people who scam others for a living, and despise them as we might, they’re still going to work their hardest to carry out fraud schemes.

That’s why it’s important to not only educate yourself on the state of the fraud industry but also to teach what you’ve learned to those who are important to you.

Here are 10 tips from the BBB on how to avoid scams:

1. Don’t send money to someone you haven’t met face to face.

2. Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited messages.

3. Be careful of scammers mimicking websites, emails and other details. (Side note: Before clicking on something in a message and especially before making a purchase, verify the identity of the source. Some email clients, such as Gmail, have a button through which you can check if the sender is secure and legit. If you don’t have that, check the email address and Google it if it looks fishy. Your best bet is to visit vendors directly through their websites and avoid emailed solicitations.)

4. Don’t buy online from unsecure sources. (Another note: Make sure the URL starts with “https” and look for a small lock icon in the address bar.)

5. Be extra vigilant dealing with anyone you’ve met online.

6. Do not share personal identifiable information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited.

7. Don’t be pressured to act quickly.

8. Use secure, traceable transactions.

9. Do business with companies that have proper identification, licensing and insurance.

10. Use caution with what you share on social media.

Scammers aren’t going away on their own. It’s up to us to force their occupation to cease existing.

Springfield Business Journal Web Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net.