INDIANA – Secretary of State Diego Morales will recognize Slam the Scam Day today to help raise awareness and prevent scammers from stealing your money or identity.
National Slam the Scam Day is an initiative to raise public awareness and educate Hoosiers to look for fake calls, texts, emails, and unsolicited messages on social media or unsecured internet websites.
This week also marks National Consumer Protection Week, which occurs from March 3-9.
Scammers count on consumers to fall for deceptive tactics, putting their assets and identities at risk. Unfortunately, not everyone recognizes common scam warning signs before their devices are hacked, financial accounts are exposed, and money is gone.
“Consumer awareness is the most effective method of deterring these crimes. Informing Hoosiers about scammers and their deceptive practices remains a priority for my office. We want to promote National Slam the Scam Day and continue to use every tool at our disposal to help protect Hoosier consumers from these bad actors,” said Diego Morales, Indiana Secretary of State.
Hoosiers should learn to spot scams, identify red flags, and report suspicious activity. If you receive an unusual, unexpected, urgent, or suspicious phone call, text message or email:
- Stop and think: is the message odd, unexpected, too good to be true, or highly urgent?
- Do you know who is on the other end of the message? Always verify.
- Always think and check before clicking a link. Your ID and money may be stolen.
- Don’t respond to unverified, urgent requests for money or personal information.
- Ignore, delete, and report potential scams.
If you ever question the legitimacy of a message you’ve received, ask questions, do your homework, and contact the Indiana Securities Division at 317-232-6681 for more information.
