It's best to be vigilant always, but even more so during the holidays, when scammers take advantage of the "spirit of giving" to pad their own pockets.
Identity theft, phony money orders, fake charities and a host of other methods for thievery assault us on our computers, by telephone, through the mail or even on our streets.
"The first thing I encourage people to do is to listen to their guts," said Dale Dixon, director of the Better Business Bureau of Idaho and Eastern Oregon. "If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. With anything legitimate, it will be there tomorrow or next week."
Dixon pointed out a favorite technique of scam artists: Try to pull of the deal off quickly before the victim has a chance to think things over.
"It's that kind of rush that should really make you do that gut check," Dixon said.
Scams come in lots of shapes and sizes. E-mails tell us we won lotteries when what the scammers are really after is our bank account numbers so they can pilfer our funds. Crooks send overpayments in the form of phony money orders and ask us to refund the balance in legitimate tender. Other scammers call us on our telephones and purport to be collection agencies when they are really after our credit card or Social Security numbers.
Fake charities, especially during the holidays or times of natural disasters, claim to collect money for the needy or displaced when they are really only collecting for themselves.
Dixon said charity inquiries are one of the most prevalent calls that the BBB receives during the holidays.
"Scams that look like charities are playing on our Christmas spirit," he said. "They see that as an easy opportunity."
If in doubt about a charity, contact the BBB. The organization keeps files on charities and can usually tell you which ones are legitimate and which ones are shams.
Scammers are also out in force during the holidays simply because of the sheer volume. More people are shopping, more people are traveling and more people are spending money.
"Because of the sheer numbers, scammers see it as an increased opportunity just because of the increased odds," Dixon said.
There is some good news. Lots of agencies and organizations have become wise to scamming methods and have lots of advice on how to avoid being taken. Type in the words "Christmas" and "scam" on an Internet search engine and you'll be provided with a host of Web sites offering helpful advice.
Scams don't just happen elsewhere either. You can find them right here in the Wood River Valley.
Hailey resident Karen Osborne contacted the Idaho Mountain Express last week about a telephone scam she recently encountered. The caller claimed to be trying to collect on an old telephone bill and went to great lengths to get Osborne to verify her Social Security number. Osborne refused, in part because she didn't owe anything on a past telephone bill and in part because she smelled a scam.
"What she was wanting was for me to slip and verify my Social Security number," Osborne said. "Then my life would really be screwed. So be careful as to what you tell people over the telephone."
Here's another one. Rofwitha Boss, a longtime East Fork resident, talked about an attempted scam when she tried to sell a couple of snow tires through a classified ad. The selling price: $125.
A man claiming to want the tires contacted Boss by e-mail. He said he would send payment, including a little extra that he asked her to send to a courier who would pick up the tires at her home.
When payment arrived, Boss received $4,000 in phony U.S. Postal Service money orders that were sent by registered mail from an address in Sierra Leone, Africa.
"Maybe they just thought I was really stupid," Boss said. "I don't know what they were going to do with snow tires in Sierra Leone?"
Instead of cashing the money orders, Boss turned them over to Ketchum Postmaster John McDonald, who verified that they weren't legitimate. The matter is now under investigation.
Boss said her phony customer also told her she could keep $100 extra for her time and trouble.
"I was going to be nicely rewarded for cashing his phony money orders," she said.
It's best to be vigilant.
