GoodToGo scam

By Diane Hettrick

This is apparently scam season. I have gotten warnings from multiple organizations about scams using their name. They generally contain the phrase "We would never ..." ask you for money this way.

They certainly would never threaten you.

I usually don't get hit with what they are warning about - but this time I did. And my husband did. And people were posting questions about it on social media.

This group even sent follow up scam notices in case you weren't scared enough the first time.

This was a text message. 

Some things to think about when you get a message like this.

• First of all: Breath. Panic clouds the brain.
• Look at the domain or in this case the URL -fezxw.xin/us. It's not just suspicious, it is screaming 'fraud'. On email look at the 'from' to 'reply to' 
• Look at all the instructions. With GoodToGo you create an account and pay through it. 

The rule is: do not pay from the notice. Go to the actual website or account. Here's mine from my password protected account.

So no, I not only do not owe anything, I have a credit balance.

• Look at the lack of actual details in the scam notice. And the vague threats.
• Have someone look at the notice you receive. If English is not your native language, or if you have poor reading skills, or your grammar is a little shaky, you may not notice (in this case) the clumsy writing, lack of details, and other tells. Stress and fatigue also make you more vulnerable.
  

This one isn't very good but many of the scams are skillfully done.

Years ago when the scammers started using logos and wording that made them look legit, I received a message that I hesitated over. It looked very real. But then I got it five times from different email addresses.

Not all of you have the advantage of getting as much email as I do.