Thanks to our friend Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we learned a new word this morning: Smishing.
Having lived in this area for all but 6 months of my life, I don't have any experiences, good or bad, with moving companies. However, since we do live in a state that's leading the nation in people leaving, I'll bet that someone reading this has a story to tell.
I always look forward to our twice-monthly phone chats with Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), because I learn something new about how to guard against scammers every single time we talk.
There's no sugar-coating how tough things have been for most people over the last year, especially when we're talking about finding a job. With record-high unemployment comes desperation, and desperation brings out the scam artists.
For many people, the idea of having someone else doing your taxes is very appealing, assuming that you've hired them to handle that task. It stops having any appeal when you find out that someone did your taxes without your knowledge.
Okay, so you're thrilled to have completed your two-shot COVID-19 vaccination program, and you want to share the good news with everyone. That's fine, but you need to be very wary about posting a photo of your vaccine card online.
Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), joined the WROK Morning Show this week with a stack of information on ways to avoid being scammed, and some somewhat good news about robocalls.
Someone said to me recently "You sure do write a lot about scams and scammers." As I started to explain why, he quickly added "And I appreciate it. There are several you've written about that people I actually know have fallen for."
Scam artists tend to go where the money is. Considering how many of us have leaned heavily on Netflix and/or other streaming services to get us through pandemic lockdowns, scammers are finding ways to trick you out of your subscription fees.
Yesterday in this space, I posted a warning from the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) about "Freeze Scammers." Freeze scammers are out and about trying to con you with fake furnace tests, unpaid heating bills, and even shoveling.