Trust your gut if things feel fishy

WATCH YOUR STEP

Jana Rogers of Mutual 7 said that a good friend from her past had reached out to her via email and asked for a favor. Rogers said she loves and trusts this friend and agreed to help.

“The friend said she was having problems with her bank and needed me to buy two, $100 gift cards from Amazon” said Rogers. She told the friend that she would buy the cards at Ralphs and deliver them to her house. The friend responded that she would prefer that Rogers purchased them online and forward them to her. Rogers felt uncomfortable since she had never sent a gift card virtually before. However, her friend insisted that this was the only way that she could send the cards.

Rogers tried to call her, but the phone number was disconnected. When she asked her friend to call her, the friend said she would later.

Rogers suddenly realized her friend had misspelled her own name. Her friend is from another country and the email used a common American spelling. Rogers deleted the link and stopped corresponding with the email address.

Rogers did all of the right things in this situation. She did not allow herself to be hurried into buying the gift cards or pressured into sending them in a way she did not feel comfortable doing. She tried double checking with her friend through calling the number, and once she noticed the misspelling of her friend’s name, she stopped corresponding and deleted the email thread.

Scammers can pose as friends, family and even popular businesses in emails and your caller ID. The scammer wants you to trust them and not feel wary about their requests. Below are a few things to keep in mind if you come across an email like the one Rogers received: Pay attention: If you receive an email from a friend or family member asking for money or gift cards, double check the spelling of their name in the email address or any outrageous spelling mistakes within the email. If their name is mispelled, like it was for Rogers, stop corresponding immediately and block the emailer.

Double check: If things feel off to you but don’t know for sure if it’s a scam, try calling the person or company directly from your phone or their business listing. Make sure it’s really your friend asking you for help; most of the time, that will not be the case.

Don’t be pressured: Scammers want you to feel rushed so you don’t have time to notice the scam. If someone asks you to do something you’re uncomfortable with, like sending money over the Internet instead of delivering it personally, listen to your gut. Try not to immediately spring to action, no matter how dire the situation seems.