Harvey Aftermath Protection: Tips To Identify Scams And Con Artists

HOUSTON, TX — Catastrophic events like Hurricane Harvey that devastated Houston and the Texas Coast can be soul-crushing. As seen so often in the last week, the horrible Category 4 storm brought out the best in people from the Cajun Navy to folks all over the country lending a hand and donating food, clothes and cash. But then there's an ugly side that includes looters, impersonators, scams and con artists.

Local officials have already warned residents to be aware of folks impersonating FEMA, ICE and other agents from the Department of Homeland Security. Some residents reported that HSI impersonators have shown up to their doors, perhaps scoping out potential homes to burglarize.

The Texas Attorney General's Office has alerted folks through its website to be on alert for any scams. The site says, "Decent, intelligent people are duped out of their life savings by smooth-talking, utterly unscrupulous crooks. These are people who will look you in the eye and lie."

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Here are some tips to identify crooks who will try to prey upon people in dire situations.

FIVE HOOKS: Tell-Tale Signs of a Scam

1. They contacted you. Think about it. If you look up a business and call to make an order, you know who is on the other end of the deal. With a con artist, all you know is who that person says he or she is. You are already at a huge disadvantage.
2. They dangle bait in front of you. It is almost always a large sum of money, like a prize or an easy loan or a large income. It sounds so easy, but we all know people don't give away large sums of money so easily, or pay large incomes for nothing.
3. They want your personal information. Anytime someone tries to get your bank account number, social security number or other sensitive information, you should automatically be on red alert. Don't do it.
4. First, you have to pay them. Don't be blinded by the promise of a large sum of money in the future. If they are asking you to give them money first, back off. It is illegal for someone to require up-front payment before funding a loan or paying out a sweepstakes prize. Would an employer ask a new hire to pay them before they started working?
5. You have to wire money instead of mailing it. This is the last warning: if you are on the brink of wiring somebody money in order to get a prize or a loan, an inheritance or any other large sum of money, then stop! It's a scam, and they are trying to avoid the stiff penalties for mail fraud. You are about to be robbed.

By mail, by phone or face to face, con artists dangle baited hooks in front of honest people every day of the week. It usually begins with an unsolicited contact from a company, individual or organization you never heard of. You do not know who the caller really is. Real lotteries don't call you to say you've won. You don't get grants without applying for them. You don't get easy loans if you have bad credit. Real money is hard to get. It doesn't just come to you. But there are people who would like to take whatever money you have to lose. Don't get hooked!

Five Tricks of a Con Artist

If you fell for a scam, chances are it was because a skillful salesperson hit all the right buttons. Here are five ways that smart sales people — and scam artists — can get you to part with your hard-earned money against your better judgment.

1. They give you something for nothing. When someone you don't know well gives you something for nothing, be alert. Be aware of the feeling of obligation that the other person has created in you. Is that person manipulating you into buying or doing something that is not in your best interests?
2. He makes you like him. Smooth operators spend time up front making themselves likeable to their intended victims. They are often quite heartless in selecting individuals who live alone, cultivating their trust and affection. Con artists are often attractive. They may use flattery, making their intended victims feel appreciated, listened to, and cared about. These people are often quite good at picking up on people's interests, beliefs and preferences solely for the purpose of pretending to have these things in common.
3. They make you think it's now or never. This is just about the oldest trick in the book. The seller tells you an offer is good for a limited time only — it's the chance of a lifetime, and supplies are limited. Every high-pressure sale is made in an atmosphere of urgency: hurry, don't wait, don't think, it's a golden opportunity, and you would be a fool to miss it. Your natural impulse is to grab the opportunity. Of course, there are golden opportunities in life, but they are rare, whereas high-pressure sales are depressingly common.
4. He says he's going to make you rich. It is impossible to be prepared for all the different stories cons will make up to explain how you are going to come into a fortune. Lotteries, sweepstakes, investments, business opportunities, government grants and long lost inheritances. The main thing is, a perfect stranger tempts you with a promise of riches that will make all your problems go away and set your family up on Easy Street forever. He may even ask whether you want cash or a direct deposit in your bank account.
5. They make you believe it worked for other people. Word of mouth is an excellent source of information for any consumer. We always recommend that anyone hiring a contractor, for example, should ask for the names of other customers to call for references. However it is important to note that testimonials are only useful if they are from other real, unbiased consumers who can be contacted independently.

The bottom line: he makes you trust him. "Con" is short for confidence. The con artist's art is making you feel confidence — in both him and what he tells you. Con artists get what they want from you by winning your trust and establishing their own credibility in your eyes. They are experts at using your natural impulses and reactions against you.

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