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INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosiers who own small businesses should be wary of government scammers targeting them, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The current warning on the FTC website says, “Is that ‘from the government’ letter asking for money?” That’s a scam. ”
This warning refers to scammers who rely on traditional email as a way to appear authentic. According to the FTC, scammers are sending fake forms and letters from fictitious agencies to small businesses demanding money. The scam email claims that it is time to register or renew a business license or trademark that is not genuine. The letter will include the address of the website you can visit. The website asks for driver’s license, social security information, employer identification number and credit card numbers, and usually warns of fines and fines if you don’t respond right away.
That’s a lot of information to give without double-checking who you’re really dealing with. However, you don’t have to guess whether it’s a scam or not. The FTC recommends the following steps to protect yourself and your business:
- Please check if the agency is genuine before replying. Visit USA.gov to find the names and contact information for federal, state, and local government agencies. Do not use the website or phone number provided in the letter.
- Know that the government will never ask you to send money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram, or to pay with gift cards, virtual currency, or payment apps. Only scammers would do that because that money is hard to trace and hard to get back.
- Check out the advice at Fraud and small businesses In English, Spanish and other languages.
If you spot a scam like this, please report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Find out what to do if you pay someone you think is a scammer or give them personal information.
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