Easter is Coming [BEWARE of Easter SCAMs]

 Easter is Coming [BEWARE of Easter SCAMs]

It's Friday night [U.S. time] and as we all look forward to the Easter Holiday, be forewarned of scams that easily prey on the hapless population, so please bear with me if, at least for today, this narrative is more of an alert notification and advisory.  We just feel that we owe it to forewarn you ahead.

IMPORTANT DON'Ts:

DON'T click Easter-themed e-cards from unknown senders.

DON'T click malicious links in the email.

DON'T click emails on social networking sites requesting support for phony cases.

DON'T click & buy those bunnies, puppies and kittens which fraudsters will lure you.

DON'T respond to social media messages from senders you DO NOT KNOW offering free-membership & subscriptions to phony services.

DON'T be lured joining contests in Twitter [even if the link twitted to you comes from your BFF [who knows your BFF got lured by that impending scam].  Once you click that link, you'll be added to a LIST of ZOMBIES [which are the compromised computers].  

DON'T get into sites with no "ABOUT" pages.

DON'T get into sites with no "CONTACT US" pages.

DON'T get lured by sites offering hugely discounted prices unless they are confirmed LEGITIMATE sites.

DON'T give personal information [e.g. SS Number] unless you have verified & reverified the legitimacy of the site itself [preferably by calling the hotline].

DON'T reply to emails with generic salutations, e.g. Hello Dear or Dear Customer.  100% they are phony.

DON'T click attachments unless you have verified the sender to be legitimate & if it's your banker, call the hotline to validate.

In a nutshell, when, where and how are we most vulnerable ?  It's when it involves matter of our heart, our finances and emergencies.  Dating sites will send you a genuine picture based on IDENTITY THEFT.  And once the fraudster seemed to have gained a headway towards you, the $$$ narrative kicks in.  How about this script:  I'll be sending you a full 24-k jewelry set worth $1,000 but according to FeDex/UPS, there is customs tax to be levied amounting to $1.  And since $1 is obviously 'peanuts', once you say YES, he comes back to correct that it's $100, not $1.  There goes your $$$.
As we are locked into this pandemic, please continue to be alert, cautious, wary, watchful & suspicious.  You won't lose a penny by being this circumspect.  HAPPY EASTER folks 🎪🎪🎪