Sun Coast Amateur <br>Radio Club Society - blog:2021-03-19https://scarcs.ca/2026-04-16T18:18:28+00:00FeedCreator 1.8the_anatomy_of_a_scam2021-03-19T21:47:59+00:002021-03-19T21:47:59+00:002021-03-19T21:47:59+00:00https://scarcs.ca/blog/2021-03-19/the_anatomy_of_a_scamAnonymous
<h1 class="sectionedit1" id="the_anatomy_of_a_scam">The Anatomy of a Scam</h1>
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This is not ham radio related, but I thought it might be a good public service announcement non-the-less...
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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!
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In a nutshell here's why these scams are so effective:
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They hook you in by telling you that <em>they</em> owe you money.
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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 <em>your</em> mistake because you typed too many zeros.
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So now you feel guilty and will go the distance to pay them back the difference.
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<h2 class="sectionedit4" id="tips_to_not_get_scammed">Tips to Not Get Scammed</h2>
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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? <span class="wrap_hi ">Don't click on the link.</span> Instead:
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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.
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If your account looks normal, delete the message; it's a scam.
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If the message instead gives a phone number, <span class="wrap_hi ">do not call it.</span> Instead:
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Independently look up the number from whatever institution it's supposed to be from and call that number instead.
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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!
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Any other tips? Leave them in the comments below...
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