Scams are becoming harder to spot. They can be in the form of a mispelled email address or a call from a robotic voice. Scammers are using your personal information that they have gathered about you to make themselves sound more legitimate.

Artificial Intelligence is contributing to scams becoming more sophisticated. For instance, using voice cloning can make you feel like you know the person you are speaking with. This is a really good reason to never give your identifying information to someone during a call you did not initiate.

Social Security contacts you by sending you a letter, unless you initiate contact with them. However, now there is a government look-alike mail being sent out. Check the return address, since it will contain a claim number. If you are suspicious of the mailing, contact Social Security at 800-772-1213 to confirm it is legitimate. For more Social Security information on steering clear of scams, click here … to go to SSA.gov/scam.

The IRS will never call, text, or email you unexpectedly. For more advice from the IRS on verifying the validity of interactions with their agency, click here …

Neither Social Security nor the IRS will ever call and threaten you. If you receive such a call, hang up! Fraudulent activities continue to become more sophisticated daily, so stay alert and warn your family and friends. The elderly tend to get defrauded more often than younger people. Due to the rise in employment scams, the numbers are growing for younger people, too. For additional information on this topic, check out the article by The Motley Fool’s Maurie Backman posted here…here …

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