What is an Imposter Scam?

Imposter scams come in many different shapes and sizes, and they may be different depending on the target and slowly change over time as new trends occur and old scams begin to be recognized. No matter what the scam may look like, an imposter scam is any scam that involves a criminal acting like someone they are not and trying to fool you into thinking they are a person of authority or trust.

Social security scams, gift card scams, Amazon scams, and many others all fall into the pool of imposter scams because someone tries to impersonate someone else. These scams are increasingly popular among scammers because they play on a person’s ability to trust the people around them. Sadly, everyone needs to learn the signs of these scams so they do not fall claim to them and lose their personal information or money.

Another scary aspect of these scams is the consequences that the scammer presents. The criminal makes you think they are someone else and uses serious threats that make you think you must act quickly without giving you much time to think. Some threats they often use are telling you that you will suffer from legal consequences or will be arrested if you do not follow their demands.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, 761,799 imposter scam fraud reports were made in 2022. The top imposter scam was a gift card or a reloadable card scam. This is not something people can ignore, but rather gain education on so that we can not fall victim to the array of scams happening all the time, all over the world.

Warning Signs of Imposter Scams

While each form of imposter scam may be different, they all normally have similarities that you can recognize. These warning signs will help you be on the lookout for scams.

• Receiving an unsolicited call claiming you owe money, and there are dire consequences if you do not pay.
• You receive a call that you have won a prize or giveaway, but you must do something in order to claim it (pay money or tell them sensitive personal information)
• You receive a call from someone at a tech company or internet servicer telling you your computer has a virus.
• A caller asks for payment in the form of a gift card or prepaid card.

What Can I Do To Avoid These Scams?

Just as there is a list of warning signs, there is also a list of things you can do and be on the lookout for to avoid losing money. For example, you should resist the urge to act quickly when you receive a call or message.

Businesses and corporations will not require cash or money on the same day without prior requests or messages. Scammers want you to act quickly so that you do not have time to make a better judgment. Let’s look at a few other examples of things you can do and things you can be aware of:

• Verify the caller’s information. Does the caller say they are from AT&T? Get their name and desired action and hang up the phone. Call the AT&T number you find online and ask if the information the call shared with you is accurate.
• Look for small spelling or grammar mistakes in all messages and emails. Scammers will often spell things wrong and not read back through their messages. If you do see spelling mistakes, take a moment to verify the email or phone number are correct and current with what you find on the internet for the company the message claims to come from.
• Don’t rely solely on caller ID. While you may expect Caller ID always to be accurate and tell you who is calling, a scammer can make a request look very convincing. Always hang up the phone and call your personal contact number for that person or business.
• Never send money or grant access to someone you do not know. Instead, hang up and give your intuition the benefit of the doubt. Suppose you continue receiving requests from a particular company or service. In that case, you probably owe the money, but not if they ask for it urgently or randomly without prior knowledge or services.
• Never click on a link in a message unless you know exactly what you are clicking on. You should be able to hover over links with your cursor and see where that link truly takes you.

What Can You Do To Help Defend Against Imposter Scams?

First, don’t fall victim to one of these scams yourself. The fewer people falling victim and instead learning about these warning signs and avoidance techniques means a better world. To help, though, you can record when a scammer has tried to fool you and report it to the proper authorities.

Keep track of the following information:

• When you receive a call or message, record the date and time.
• Who was the imposter? Write down who they said they were and what company they were with.
• What actions did they want you to take? Did they want you to make a payment? How did they want you to make it, and how much did they say it would be?
• What was the phone number that the call came from?

Once you are armed with this information, there are various ways to report it. If it comes from a company that is local, it may be helpful to inform that company of the scam. Find their correct number online and tell them that scammers are calling and requesting money as if they were them. This allows them the opportunity to send out a notice if the scam progresses.

You can also report scams to the FTC. You can send them emails, phone of text messages, and social media scams. This can be done by filing a complaint to the FTC on their website or calling their phone number 1-877-382-4357.