Telephone Fraud
You can protect yourself from becoming a victim of a telemarketing fraud by remembering these tips from the United States Postal Inspection Service:
• The offer sounds too good to be true. An unbelievable sounding deal probably is not true.
• Insistence on an immediate decision. A swindler often refuses to take no for an answer.• You are just one of a few people eligible for the offer. Don't believe it. Swindlers usually give a reason like, "The offer will expire soon."
• Your credit card number is requested for verification. Do not provide your credit card number (or even just its expiration date) if you are not making a purchase, even if you are asked for it for "identification" or "verification" purposes.
Last year, the Postal Inspection Service responded to 66,000 mail fraud complaints and arrested 1,691 mail fraud offenders.
If you have been victimized or want more information, call the Federal
Trade Commission toll-free at 1-877-987-3728 or
visit www.usps.com/postalinspectors.
If someone contacts you or a loved one with an unsolicited offer, don't
be pressured into giving away financial information.
