An In-Depth Look at Common Scams

Sadly, there are many different methods that scammers use to steal from unsuspecting people. Here's a more in-depth look at a few of the more common scams and some tips on how to avoid them.

What is a Romance Scam? A romance scam is often a long con where the scammer gains the trust of their victim by offering companionship to take advantage of the victim financially. They will do everything they can to avoid meeting in person in most instances.

How to spot and avoid a Romance Scam: Be aware of what you post online. Research new people, take your time getting to know them, and asks lots of questions. Look out for manipulating behaviors such as someone trying to isolate you from other people. Lastly, only give money to those who you know, trust, and have met in person.

What is a Gift Card Scam or Cryptocurrency Scam? A gift card scam is a scam involving a gift card as a form of payment for a fake service. Cryptocurrency scams are like gift card scams with the only difference being that the scammer wants crypto as payment instead of a gift card. The scammer will ask to be paid exclusively with a gift card or crypto for services, an emergency, or fees for a prize. No legitimate business would ask for that. The scammers can extract funds quickly and there are fewer protections for these kinds of payments. Gift cards do not require the same level of protection as other funding methods nor does crypto.

How to spot and avoid a Gift Card Scam or Cryptocurrency Scam: Gift cards should be gifts for people you know, not payment for people you don’t. Cryptocurrency is a form of payment that is hard to track and has fewer government regulations If someone asks to be paid in a gift card or cryptocurrency, it is most likely a scam.

What is a Fake Tech Support Scam? A fake tech support scam can have many different forms. It can be a spoof call, a bogus email, a pop-up, or an online ad. The scammers’ goal is to get the victims to pay large sums of money for repairs they don’t need.

How to spot and avoid a Fake Tech Support Scam: If someone is pressuring you to make a large payment, verify from the actual institution (i.e., Cedar Point) that this person is legitimate. If someone asks for personal information such as social security numbers or account passwords or if they are calling you seemingly out of the blue, it’s likely fraud. If you are unsure, hang up and call the number for the business that called to make sure it’s legitimate.

What is an Employment Scam? An employment scam can take many forms but at its core, it is a fake job offer that looks legitimate. These scammers will often require some form of payment for services or training to steal from their victims.

How to spot and avoid an Employment Scam: If they ask for money on the front end, it is likely a scam. Verify that the position is legitimate by searching the company online with the words, “complaint”, “review”, or “scam” after it to see if anyone has been defrauded by them before. You can also use trusted job sites such as CareerOneStop to verify the open position.

What is an Account Takeover Scam? An account takeover scam occurs when a scammer gains the account login information of their victims and either takes money out of accounts or uses personal info to gain access to funds. This is often used with schemes like phishing or smishing in which the scammer will send you a fraudulent email or text message to gather personal information.

How to spot and avoid an Account Takeover Scam: Do not click on hyperlinks in text messages and emails that come from unknown sources or that come at no notice. Make sure to shred or properly dispose of mail with personal information. Change passwords at least once a year and do not have the same password for everything. Using a password manager like lastpass, bitwarden, or 1password could be a big help. Anyone who calls you in urgency or that asks for personal information such as a social security number should be verified.

 

As always, if you are uncertain of the legitimacy of any phone call, email, or text message from Cedar Point, it is okay to be skeptical. Give us a call at 301-863-7071 during normal business hours to verify. Our Call Center representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.