There are the perennial scams, such as the emails that look like they came from your bank, and then there are the “scam of the day” varieties, which take advantage of big, recent news that people might not be fully aware. An otherwise savvy consumer might be more vulnerable to this type of scam, because it takes advantage of the element of surprise in a sometimes very convincing way. Recent events – such as government rebate or incentive programs, H1N1 flu vaccinations, and now the 2010 Census – are prime targets for these convincing scams.

This year, expect to see scams involving government programs like the new Cash for Appliances, and especially the 2010 Census, which some predict may prompt a return to more traditional mail scams. While other events, such as tax season, normally see a spike in related scams, expect to see new scam variations on this yearly event. Never respond immediately to an email, letter, or phone call – give yourself time to react appropriately. Scammers often employ a sense of urgency to make us feel we have to respond right away. The universal rule is to never provide sensitive personal information to an unknown or unverified source; if it’s an email, don’t click on any links and don’t respond directly to the email. If it’s a phone call, ask for a return number, tell them you will call back later and then verify that the number actually belongs to the entity you are trying to reach.

Tags: email scams, news scams, sensitive personal information

Categories: Consumer ID Security.