Cell Phone and Internet Scammers

Hey guys, I was reading the June, 2018 Consumer’s Reports today on cell phone and Internet scammers and there are two very important types of scams out of the seven discussed in the article we all should be aware.

First, don’t’ click on any link sent to you in a text without first checking that it’s from a trusted sender. Also, if a text instructs to push a key to “opt out” of future messages don’t do it because any responsiveness may mark you as “in play.”

Instead, forward that text to 7726, which works for the major phone carriers, so that your cell phone company can block the caller.

And ask your carrier for help blocking robocalls.

The second tip concerns Facebook when you come across a posting that tugs at your heartstrings, like photos of adorable puppies or a cute little girl who did not get any happy birthday wishes. You instinctively click the “thumbs-up” or add a comment like Happy Birthday and may even decide to share the posting.

You may be the victim of “like-farming,” a post that’s engineered to generate attention so that it will continue to show up in more and more people’s news feeds. Once the page creators have generated a certain number of likes and shares, they change the content of the page and promise something more nefarious, like an ad for a bogus business or a too-good-to-be-true product you can buy online.

The best defense against this is to “think before you like,” and be suspicious of any shared postings that seem designed to elicit an emotional response – especially ones that promise a big donation to a charitable cause.

Always be cautious about what you share on social media and decline invitations from any and all strangers who may not be the person they are posing as.

These are just two of the seven fraud schemes going around on our cell phones and the Internet. So be careful when you receive any Facebook postings about free fishing tackle, baits, etc. If it is from a bass professional then go to that pro’s Facebook page and check it out. Same is true for any companies promising us free tackle or goods at or below wholesale prices.

Just thought you all would be interested in this information.