San Francisco, May 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Google on Thursday launched a new programme called Scam Spotter to spot and stop scammers who are exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic with alarming speed, taking advantage of fear and uncertainty.
The programme simplifies expert advice with three rules when you receive a suspicious phone call or message to figure out if it's a scam.
The three rules are: "Slow it down, spot check and stop! Don't send."
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), people reported $1.9 billion lost to scams in 2019.
Every minute, more than $3,600 disappeared from wallets and bank accounts in response to made-up stories of urgently overdue tax payments, bogus contest winnings, or a smooth-talking online suitor who suddenly needs some gift cards.
"A high-pressure phone call or exciting message can overcome many people's judgment, especially if they are caught at a vulnerable moment," said Google.
While people ages 25-40 are most likely to be scammed, research shows it's seniors who stand to lose the most, with their median losses more than double the average.
The company also unveiled a new website ScamSpotter.org.
"If we learn how to spot the bad actors, we can spend our time focusing on those moments that matter," said the company.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz