SECURITY experts have revealed a seemingly polite three-word phrase that’s almost always a surefire sign you’re being scammed.
With 19.2 billion spam text messages being sent monthly, Americans can never be too prepared to fight fraudsters.
Americans should be on high alert if unsolicited callers or texters use a three-word phrase[/caption]
Security experts said ‘would you kindly’ is a surefire sign you’re getting scammed[/caption]
This is because ‘kindly’ is a word more often used in countries like Nigeria and India, where groups of people set up call centers to try and scam Americans[/caption]
Last year alone, people reported losing $10 billion to scams, which is $1 billion more than the highest amount of annual losses, the Federal Trade Commission reported.
This is, in part, because scammers are getting better at their sick schemes, meaning unsuspecting consumers should take efforts to outwit them.
Most Americans can recognize obvious signs of a scam, such as asking for credit card data or a social security number to obtain package information.
Phishing emails can also be caught if the eagle-eyed reader notices links to websites that don’t exist or blurry logos that don’t look professional.
However, there’s actually an even easier way to catch a scammer – through their word choice.
If you read or hear the three words “would you kindly,” the best practice is to hang up the phone and get a second opinion, according to expert Tim Bajarin.
“The word ‘kindly’ is simply something we don’t use in our common vernacular in the US,” Bajarin, a technology analyst, told Reader’s Digest.
“You’ll often hear it used in countries with British influence, perhaps once a colonial country, where English isn’t their mother tongue [such as Nigeria, India, and Pakistan].”
Bajarin said a caller’s word choice should be watched closely as they could be part of a “boiler room” type scheme, where people in foreign countries use high-pressure sales tactics to trick victims into handing over sensitive data.
“If you see this word of phrase, it’s a red flag, similar to poor spelling or grammar,” he said.
TEXT SCAM
In September 2023, 19.2 billion spam robotexts were sent to Americans, which divides up to nearly 63 texts per person, according to Robokiller.
The tech company reports that consumers are at an abnormally high risk of being scammed over the phone based on a disturbing upward trend.
Other text message-based phishing schemes are plaguing Americans, like one that alerts drivers of unpaid tolls.
The warning urges drivers to pay a fine or face steep late fees.
This urgency can fool people into handing over sensitive credit card info instead of checking with their state’s tolling agency first.
One scam victim issued an urgent warning over a text message, resulting in $15,000 being drained from her bank account.
The pregnant Ohio woman said she got a message asking her to confirm she sent a wire transfer.
The text caused her to spiral into a panic before she suddenly got a call.
The caller ID showed it was Chase Bank, but it was actually a scammer who convinced her to send him her login information.
Another terrified victim got an email with pictures of his house demanding ransom money.
Expert Advice: How to protect yourself from fraud
Craig Costigan, the CEO of fraud experts NICE Actimize gave the following tips to readers of The U.S. Sun on how to stay safe from fraudsters.
- As the saying goes, trust but verify. Always question your text and email communications. It may not be from who you think it is. Look for giveaways that it is a scam email. If your bank contacts you about a fraud via a text or email, call the number on the back of your credit or debit card to contact the fraud department directly – much safer than giving data to an impersonator.
- Protect your personal identifying information such as social security cards, your blank checks and other IDs.
- Always be vigilant. Even the safest and most careful among us have encountered fraudsters – we survived
because we reported the activity immediately to our providers, changed our passwords and checked our credit reports for unusual activity. - If you are not applying for credit, you might also consider placing a freeze on your credit reports, such as Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, so fraudsters can’t open accounts in your name. You can easily unfreeze your credit when you want to open a new account.
