The office of the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, offers information to help people avoid scams. Scammers often use junk mail, spam email, telemarketing calls and other unsolicited (unwanted) offers to try to scam people. These scams can cause victims to lose money or suffer other harm. Information follows on common scams, how to avoid being fooled by them and additional resources. Those seeking to get fewer unsolicited offers, or to report an unsolicited offer, can visit the Leave Me Alone page.
Email spam
Common email scams include the following:
- Product advertising: email spam to get the recipient to buy a product. Never buy anything advertised in spam.
- Phishing or brand spoofing: Identity thieves using official-looking emails that seem to be from legitimate sources to try to trick recipients into giving them personal information. Examples of phishing email phrases include “We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.” “Please click here to update and verify your information.” “Our records indicate that your account was overcharged. You must call us within 7 days to receive your refund.”
- Emails pretending to be from organizations such as the Internal Revenue Service. More information on IRS scams is available at https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-scams-consumer-alerts.
- Emails pretending to be from a customer’s bank or other legitimate businesses. Scammers use emails, logos, hyperlinks and URLs that make them look like well-known companies.
- Emails that seem to be from a person’s email service saying that the email box is full and emails are not getting through unless the recipient logs on through a specified link. These scammers are really trying to get access to people’s email accounts.
The Office of the Attorney General provides the following advice:
- Be wary of generic greetings in an email like “Dear Customer.”
- Be wary of emails that contain a false sense of urgency. Many spoof emails try to trick recipients into acting quickly.
- Do not click on links or open attachments contained in suspicious emails.
- Do not send personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers or passwords by email.
- Do not call any phone numbers listed in the email.
Those who are unsure if an email is a scam can look up the website or phone number for the company or organization that contacted them — without using the phone number or website listed in the email. Ask the organization if the email is really from them.
More information regarding email scams is available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts. Additional educational resources can be found from the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0038-spam and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at https://www.privacyrights.org/consumer-guides/anti-spam-resources.
Text spam
Common text scams include the following:
- Prize offers: Texts saying the recipient won a gift card or other free prize. Do not click on links in the text. Do not give personal information. Those who reply may end up paying fees or getting even more spam. Common signs of prize scams are listed at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams. Those who are unsure can look up the website and/or contact information for the company or organization that contacted them. Ask the organization if the mail is really from them.
- Product advertising: Texts to get recipients to buy something, like cheap mortgages, credit cards or debt relief services. Never buy anything advertised in spam. Do not click on links in the text.
Additional educational resources are available from the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0350-text-message-spam.
Unsolicited calls
Common telemarketing scams include the following:
- Call from a number similar to the recipient’s: Some recipients get calls from a number with the same area code and maybe even the same first few digits as their own number. Do not answer the phone. Do not give out personal information.
- Credit cards and loans: Many scams offer loans, payday loans, credit card protection and lower credit card interest rates. Do not send money or give out information.
- Charitable causes: Scammers make urgent requests for charitable gifts, especially after a recent natural disaster. Do not send money or give out information. Those wishing to donate can directly contact the charity.
For descriptions of more phone scams, see the FTC’s Phone Scams page, the FTC’s Phone Fraud Scam Alerts and the United States federal government’s list of common telephone scams and frauds. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse also shows what to do when receiving different types of unwanted phone calls.
Junk mail
Common mail scams include prize offers, mail saying the recipient won a gift, service, sweepstakes, lottery or other prize. Do not respond. Common signs of prize scams are listed at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams. Those who are unsure can look up the website and/or contact information for the company or organization that contacted them. Ask them if the mail is really from them.
Additional educational resources are available from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at https://www.privacyrights.org/consumer-guides/opt-out-resources-unwanted-junk-mail. This source also provides a detailed list of more ways to opt out.
Junk faxes
Common fax scams include the following:
- Fax back scams: Faxes announcing items such as contests, job offers, deals, etc. to try to get recipients to fax something back. Do not fax back anything in return. Victims may be charged a high fee for doing so.
- Phony business opportunities or requests to send money: Some scam faxes claim senders want to send or get money for various reasons such as a product or investment opportunity. Do not send money or give out information.
The Federal Communications Commission offers an additional information sheet at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-calls-texts-and-faxes.
Information provided by Office of the Attorney General
