The scammers have become VERY convincing. It's easy to fall victim to their scams...too easy.

The good news is, while many scammers are clever, they're predictable. They often use the same tactics, over and over. By identifying those tactics, you can spot a scammer right away, no matter what premise they use to contact you.

Watch out for scammers asking for you to:

1. Act immediately. They may say things like:  "Your service will be disconnected" or "Your payment is late".  This is to scare you into giving them what they want. Real service providers don't need (or want) to do that!

2. Provide personal information. They ask you for information they shouldn't need. For instance, they may ask for access to your computer up front. Or they might want you to send a credit card/gift card number via text.

3. Pay in unusual ways. Instead of the usual credit card or PayPal, a scammer may ask you to pay with a wire transfer, the code from a gift card, or a prepaid debit card.

If someone tries any or all of these methods on you, stop the communication immediately. 

If you think your computer may have been compromised, disconnect from your internet connection immediately and contact IT Support.

Happy (safe) computing!