Protect yourself against fraud

Everyone’s had the email in their inbox at one point in time — a Nigerian prince has a million dollars he’s just itching to send to you if only you could forward him your bank account information first. Sounds legit... Examples of fraud like this have become antiquated occurrences for anyone who’s ever owned an email address, but it’s important to remain vigilant as criminals are always seeking ways to innovate methods of deception and deceit in order to separate people from their finances and valuables.

Lt. Pat Hengst of the Wickliffe Police Department offered a few

tips in staying wary of potential fraudsters, and he highlighted certain commonalities among them.

“If someone you don’t know is asking you for money or telling you that you have to send them money over the phone, that should be a red flag.” Hengst said. “Anyone that wants you to send money in an unusual form like green dot cards (disposable bank cards) or wire transfers should also be a red flag.”

When attempted con artists forego the pretense of actually knowing their targeted victims they instead play to their ambitions.

“Sometimes, these phone

scams prey on the elderly and they prey on insecurity,” Hengst said. “Sometimes they prey on greed, too, when someone thinks they stand to make an easy buck or two.”

Hengst sums up his fraud prevention advice with a single line that, if utilized, could serve as a defense against deceptive forms of fraud a person may come across, whether online or in real life.

“Anything that sounds too good to be true, is. Beware,” he said.

SUBMITTED Fraud can come in many forms, increasingly so on the internet. Lieutenant Pat Hengst of the Wickliffe Police Department (not pictured) offers tips on how not to get tricked.