Know Your Company and Avoid getting SCAMMED.
I originally posted this article on PublishOx, but I really hate scammers and getting scammed. So I changed it a little and posted it on readcash. I really hope that it reaches people in time to help them not get scammed.
I really feel that the importance of fraud prevention is not stressed. This is especially true for cryptocurrency since the most common way of losing your crypto is by letting people take it. I mean, it’s easier to set up phishing links and fake e-mail to cheat people out of their crypto than to “break into” their wallets. As a result, we must be more careful about our actions to prevent getting scammed. However, many companies have different types of information that they request. It's vital to know your company and the kind of information that they will request and how they will contact you.
Recently, I got an e-mail from Amazon on how to prevent getting ripped off by people pretending to be from Amazon. While it’s not a crypto account, this really struck a chord with me because I always get contacted by scammers, and I feel it worth critiquing their suggestions. I am also providing two examples of fraudulent e-mails. One is from a scammer posing as Trustwallet and the other from Amazon.
These are their suggestion (taken directly from their e-mail) my comments are in *italics:
Never feel pressured to give information (such as your credit card number or account password) over the phone, especially if the call was unexpected. Scammers may try to use calls, texts, and e-mails to impersonate Amazon customer service. If you’re ever unsure, it’s safest to end the call/chat and reach out directly to customer support through the Amazon app or website.
*While this is good advice, I would be even more cautious and suggest any call claiming to be a representative should be questioned since contact can be made through the app. They should encourage customers to call back through the app.
Never pay over the phone. Amazon will never ask you to provide payment information, including gift cards (or “verification cards”, as some scammers call them) for products or services over the phone.
*This is excellent advice for any service. I feel this scamming technique focuses more on the older generation, like me, that are not as tech-savvy as the younger generations and therefore are more reliant on the phone calls.
2. Trust Amazon-owned channels. Always go through the Amazon mobile app or website when seeking customer support or when looking to make changes to your account.
*This is the best advice for all services that have apps with contact services.
3. Be wary of false urgency. Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they’re asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.
*Best advice. In my article on a Metamask e-mail that had urgent requests to prevent my account from being frozen. If something is urgent, always take a step back and evaluate it. Never click on the links provided, but go to the home website for advice or contact information.
In my opinion, another piece of advice is to check the address in e-mails. If you feel it looks odd, confirm. Both examples of fraudulent e-mails in this article have strange e-mail addresses or simple mistakes in spelling or punctuation.
Here's another example from a TrustWallet scammer:
**TrustWallet doesn't do this and this was a scam. I checked their customer service FAQ.
If you receive an e-mail or call and feel that it might be legit, contact their customer service or FAQ. They might also have communities that have information.
For some services such as Pancakeswap, they have no customer service or contact. They only have a help community on servers such as Discord or Telegraph. In my opinion, this really makes it easy for scammers. Just last month, I had an issue with Pancakeswap and needed help. I posted to their community and got a direct message on how to solve it by providing my wallet 12-word phrase. I knew never to share that, so I did some investigating. Yep, it was a scam! Pancakeswap doesn't communicate with direct messages.
My final advice to apps and services, educate your customers on how you prefer to contact them. This is vital for ensuring a safe environment for customers. In my Metamask article (here), I explained that I received an e-mail saying that I needed to provide KYC information. Many crypto wallets and applications need KYC (know your customer) information, but many will never ask this. For example, Metamask and Trustwallet will never ask for KYC information. However, most customers are not aware of this. So this opens a door for scammers to get confidential information.
