Written by: Pamela Johnson, CLTC, CSA, DMM Owner of Legacy Protection Planning in DC

  1. Sign up for the national “Do not call” registry. Call 888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register.
  2. Don’t reply to messages or click on links asking to verify personal or financial information.
  3. Do not send money to someone you don’t know.
  4. Shred all papers containing personal and/or financial information.
  5. Get all offers in writing. Resist the pressure to act quickly.
  6. Don’t play a foreign lottery. Foreign lotteries are illegal. Inevitably you will be asked to pay “taxes,” “fees,” or “custom duties,” to collect your prize. If you have to send money to collect, you have not won anything.
  7. Carefully read your monthly statements. If you see unauthorized charges, contact your bank.
  8. Get a free annual credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com, to ensure someone hasn’t opened up a line of credit in your name.
  9. Stay clear of claims of guarantees of high yield or no-risk investments. All investments have risks associated with them. And if it sounds too good to be true, chances are it’s a scam. www.finra.org/meers/risk.
  10. Give only to charities you are familiar with. Don’t trust those that seem to have popped up out of nowhere.