Word to the Wise - How to Detect Scams

This post is not about about adoption but is a word to the wise about how to detect scams. My wife just received a text message saying she has an unpaid tollroad balance and must pay the Utah Dept of Transportation. The text has a link for her to click on.

A year or so ago, a friend received a menacing phone call from someone alleging to be from the Sheriff's Office saying there was a warrant for my friend and that he needed to pay a fee to avoid being arrested.

In each instance, a quick Google search revealed the text or call was a fraud. If your "spidey sense" goes off and you're thinking to yourself, "This is weird," then please do a quick Google search and you may find that your intuition is right: It is a scam. (Not to mention that today is April Fools Day.)

You'll notice that scams typically try to arouse fear and impose some sort of deadline or urgency. Another clue is the poor English grammar or punctuation. The below text message has many errors that indicate it was composed by a non-native English speaker.

So, listen to your intuition. You're probably right.