(Better Business Bureau of Acadiana)- It’s easy to pretend to be someone that you’re not on the Internet or over the phone, and it can be difficult to tell who’s real and who’s faking it. Scammers depend on this confusion to trick unwitting consumers in to giving away their money or personal information.

“Impersonation” is a very common tactic used by scammers. It’s where the scammer pretends to be a legitimate business that is well known and trusted by the consumer. While all scammers pretend to be some sort of legitimate operation by definition, this particular tactic is where the scammer pretends to be a known, trusted entity.”

Here are the most common legitimate organizations that were used for impersonation:

· The government. The IRS, Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Government in general. Scammers often claim you’re eligible for a free government grant and just need to pay upfront taxes to claim it. They may also pretend to be connected to Medicare or Social Security and ask for personal information.

· Better Business Bureau. That’s right, Many of these scams target small businesses. Scammers call to collect unpaid “dues” or email dangerous links or attachments that they claim are related to “complaints”. While a BBB office may

contact a business for a variety of reasons, you should never give personal or financial information over the phone during an unsolicited call from someone you do not know… End the call and call back through the number in your records or the number on the organization’s website.

· Publisher’s Clearing House. This organization is known to give away a lot of money. Scammers take advantage of this, and claim that you’ve won millions of dollars. Similar to a government grant scam, you just need to pay an upfront fee to receive your winnings.

· Computer companies. Organizations like Microsoft and Apple are often impersonated. Tech support scammers will buy sponsored links on search engine results pages, cold call and email consumers, and cause alerts to pop-up on computer screens. The end-game is the same: the scammer claims that they can help you with a serious computer problem for a price. You’ll be asked to pay money and provide remote access to your computer.

· Travel brands. Marriott, TripAdvisor and most recently Expedia have been some of the top companies used in scams. Scammers call consumers and pretend to be well-known travel organizations. They offer “deals” on trips, claim you’ve won free vacations, and solicit your personal and financial information.

· Social media companies and banks. A scammer emails you claiming that there’s an issue with your online social media or banking account and prompts you to click on a link to fix it. This link will bring you to a look-a-like phishing sign-in page. If you enter your log-in information the scammer will also have access to your online account. The names of many of the organizations are used in this way some examples are Facebook , Bank of America, PayPal , and Capital One.

So how do you protect yourself from all these impersonators? BBB has these tips:

· Don’t believe everything you see. Scammers are great at mimicking official seals, fonts, and other details. Just because a website or email looks official does not mean that it is. Even Caller ID can be faked.

· Whenever possible, work with local businesses that have proper identification, licensing, and insurance, especially anyone dealing with your money or sensitive information. Check them out at bbb.org to see what other consumers have experienced.

· Trustworthy companies will never demand a gift card as a form of payment and consumers should never have to pay to get money back.

· Using a search engine does not guarantee getting the correct number. Always go directly to a business’ own website to find contact information. Large companies often have a ‘Contact Us’ button or a help hotline number directly on their webpage.

· Protect personal information. Be cautious when connecting to public Wi-Fi and never use it for online banking or entering personal or financial information. Never share personally identifiable information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited, whether it’s over the phone, by email, on social media, even at your front door. This includes banking and credit card information, your birthdate, and Social Security/ Insurance numbers.

· Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited email. Links can download malware onto your computer and/or steal your identity. Be cautious even with email that looks familiar; it could be fake. Make sure to report all scams to BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker. “Look for the Seal” and Start with Trust®. BBB Serving Acadiana is a private non-profit organization. BBB strives for a trustworthy marketplace by maintaining standards for truthful advertising, investigating and exposing fraud against consumers and businesses.

Please contact Better Business Bureau at bbb.org 24 hours a day for information on businesses throughout North America. Consumers can also sign up for our free BBB “Scoop” eNewsletter by visiting bbb.org and clicking on the “Programs & Services” tab.