====== The Anatomy of a Scam ======

This is not ham radio related, but I thought it might be a good public service announcement non-the-less...

I just watched this 23-minute long video detailing the anatomy of a scam and why they work so well.  Oh and the glitterbomb stuff is pretty cool too!

{{ youtube>VrKW58MS12g }}

In a nutshell here's why these scams are so effective:
<WRAP center round box 80%>
  - They hook you in by telling you that //they// owe you money.
  - They have a very effective way of making you believe that they refunded you too much (10 or 100 times more) and that it was //your// mistake because you typed too many zeros.
  - So now you feel guilty and will go the distance to pay them back the difference.
</WRAP>

===== Tips to Not Get Scammed  =====
I often receive text messages or emails from "Fido" telling me that they owe me a refund.  The link posted kind of looks like Fido but not quite.  So what to do?  <wrap hi>Don't click on the link.</wrap>  Instead:
  * Go to the official website and login to your account to see if there's anything unusual.  Most accounts will even have a "message" place where they post their official communications.
  * If your account looks normal, delete the message; it's a scam.

If the message instead gives a phone number, <wrap hi>do not call it.</wrap>  Instead:
  * Independently look up the number from whatever institution it's supposed to be from and call that number instead.

Now, I don't even bother with the weekly Fido texts I receive, but last week, I got an email from Telus saying I had a lot of points to redeem.  I didn't click on the link, which looked legit.  Instead, I logged into my account and lo and behold: I managed to apply a $50 credit to my next bill and redeem a $25 Amazon gift card.  Sweet!  

Any other tips?  Leave them in the comments below...