How To Avoid Being Scammed

Of all the people who have used the Trusted Helping website to find people who need help, the vast percentage are real people wanting to be of real assistance. However, there always seems to be bad actors who try to take advantage of others for their own benefit.

Just because you are contacted by a person who used our messaging system to contact you, you have to be careful. A platform like Trusted Helping is likely to be a target for a few scammers to use. They don't want to assist; they just want to cheat you out of your money. We chose the term "Trusted" Helping because we want you to trust whoever wants to help. And avoid those who are just wanting to get money from you. Here's what to watch out for, once you are contacted by someone who says they'd like to help.

Firstly, never give out your financial information of any kind. Persons wanting to help will never ask for that.

Secondly, if they ask you to put up money so that it can turn into more money, that's a scam.

Thirdly, try to meet the person, if possible. Alternatively, talking to the person, face to face, is something that scammers do NOT want to do. So we suggest insisting on a video call. Here's a good explanation of how to make video calls. If someone is not willing, that's a red flag. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but a warning to be extra careful.

If the person who contacts you tries to create a sense of urgency or false hope, using tactics like promising quick cash, easy loans, or "miracle" solutions to your financial problems, you can be assured that's a scammer.

If they talk to you about paying by cryptocurrency, that is never a good idea. Don't accept that.

And if they say they want to help by giving you a fantastic investment opportunity, don't accept that, either.

If it sounds like it's too good to be true, it's a scam. Don't engage.

Some Common Factors About Scammers

a) If they are local and refuse to meet you in person, they will tell you they work somewhere you can’t get to, for a meetup: oil rig, military base, field hospital, etc. They may say they have one child that they are responsible for, but you can't meet because they're with a nanny or in boarding school.

b) Next, requesting a drivers license copy may seem odd but a scammer will drop away if asked for that.

c) Ask them where they live. Then make an erroneous statement about that town. If real, they will correct you.

d) If they ask you to move to a different texting platform such as Google chat, hangouts, line, etc. that is extremely suspicious.

e) A scammer will not take the time to listen to you share about your life. A real person will be fine with sitting and talking to you for a while. All scammers want to chat about is how they can get money.

f) Ask questions about them and their life. A scammer will not want to talk through that.

g) Finally, trust your instincts. If something feels off to you, then just stop connecting with that person. If you really "take a shine" to that person and you get a really good feeling, then trust.

And have fun! The whole world is not made of scammers. Most people are perfectly legitimate.