Have I been scammed?
If you've given any of the following pieces of personal information to someone online recently, the safest thing to do is call them right now. If you can't call them back, or if you hear a new voice when you call back the number they're on, they're likely not who they said they were.
- 1. Your Social Security Number
- 2. Your banking routing number
- 2. Your credit card details
As John McAfee once famously said, "If someone sends me an email with a link, I'm not going there until I can call the person to verify that they sent me the email."
Ok, I've definitely been scammed. Who should I contact?
Don't worry, there are people to help you. But you have to act quickly.
If you gave someone your banking routing number, you need to call your bank immediately so they can close your bank account and make a new one with a new routing number.
If you gave someone your credit card number, you need to call your credit card company immediately so that they pause the card.
If you've given someone your SSN, you need to freeze your credit report at the major agencies. There's a great NYTimes article about how to do so here.
Uh oh, I’m so embarrassed.
Don’t be. 3.26 million people were scammed last year alone.
A sophisticated phishing attempt can slip past all of your cognitive defenses if it lands in your main inbox during a moment of fatigue, distraction, or absent-mindedness. And studies say even youth is not a guard against attack, with Gen Z Americans 3x more likely to get caught up in an online scam than Boomers are.
Still don’t know what to do?
Email us any time if you need help:
[email protected]