October 22, 2020
Imposter scams often begin with a call, text message, or email. The scams may vary, but work the same way – a scammer pretends to be someone you trust to convince you to send them money or share personal information.
Follow these tips to help protect your money and personal information:
- Be suspicious of any call from a government agency asking for money or information. Government agencies don’t use threats and they don’t call you with promises of – or demands for – money.
- Don’t trust caller ID – it can be faked.
- Never pay with a gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency to anyone who tells you to.
- Check with the real agency, person, or company. Don’t use the phone number they give you. Look it up yourself.
If you spot an imposter scam, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. Your report can help the FTC’s investigators identify and stop imposters.
Source: Federal Trade Commission
If someone contacts you asking you for your Medicare number, contact Ohio SMP at 1-800-488-6070, option 7. or use the Report Fraud button on this App.