Beware of offers
Since the pandemic, scams have taken over the world as civilians, felonies, and government officials have joined the scamming business. This was evident when the list of people who filed for PPP loans was exposed to the public; it showed many wealthy people on the list.
There are different kinds of scams going on today, and most are initiated through social media platforms, using the famous phrase "Tap In, I got new methods," or it’s an unexpected text or email: “You got the job! Work from home and earn a top dollar!” Search online for "trading" or "investments," and you are bombarded with offers from self-proclaimed experts promising 20-30% returns in 1-3 months.
"To put things into perspective, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that in the first half of 2023 alone, there were 26,000 fraud reports and listings of fake jobs,” said Kati Daffan, an acting assistant director in the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Marketing Practices, said as she talked about the increase in scams during this year. " People have reported losses of more than 200 million dollars, and we know that's only a fraction of the losses people have experienced this year."
Daffan points out that some of the common scams she's come across are email scams, as people create fake emails representing jobs and asking for personal information from the person to speed up the application process. Another tactic is to pose as a delivery service via emails and convince people to give up personal information that way. Daffan also advises people to avoid business coaches as they are more than likely scammers especially if they reach out via social media or anonymous email.
"The key takeaway we want the readers to have is that if you see a scam or hear about one, report them to the commission at www. ReportFraud.ftc.gov,” Daffan said.
