Thursday, December 22, 2011

Christmas Phone Scams

During holidays particularly the Christmas season, many phone and internet scams are going around and victimizing people. With the many promos and special offers to persuade possible customers cum victims, this season is indeed a very great time to cheat people of their money.

Here are some list of the many Christmas frauds and scams that has victimized too many people and has gotten millions of dollars out of private citizen's pockets:

1. Identity Theft - A caller will congratulate you for winning special prizes drawn electronically. Reasons for such winnings will include your number being picked up to win the prize, that your receipt number got picked up from a department store, that you are the 100th customer in a grocery store where you frequently shops, and many other odd reasons, but unfortunately, victims are believing. Once the victim falls for the alibis, PIN numbers are asked by the caller for verification. What happens after is that the victim realizes late enough that his identity has been stolen and that his personal data and numbers are now being used by other parties in many expensive and unnecessary transactions.

2. Credit and Cash Theft - A caller gives the same reasons as above, except that this time he will ask for your credit card or bank account numbers which he says you need to provide to charge you with minimal fees to process your winnings. Again, due to the excitement the holiday rush gives plus the additional feelings of happiness winning gives, many people also fall prey to this scam.

3. Holiday Rush Confusion Threats - A caller will confuse you with a call that tells you to call a toll-free number because you have unpaid balances on your credit account and that you need to settle it the same date to avoid penalties and charges. This call especially happens when its a holiday and the bank is closed so you wont be able to contact the bank to clarify your supposed balances. And you are left no choice but to call the toll-free number given to you. When you do call it, you will be charged huge amounts of money to your phone number long distance charges because this supposed toll-free number is not really free, but a number that is able to credit your account with large sums of money.

There are many other schemes happening around like the above mentioned during the holiday season. Be very careful. When you get these calls, verify the phone numbers via Verifyphone.com. It comprehensive phone directory online can help you get the basic details about the person that owns the numbers. You can use the information to report the incident to the police. Be vigilant during these times to prevent such crimes from victimizing you. Share the story to your friends and relatives as well so that more poeple are informed and warned. Stay safe.

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