In keeping with its mission to assist its Verde Community neighbors, VerdeCares is offering some tips to recognize and avoid falling prey to various scam operators.

Come of the common scams impersonate loved ones seeking help, technology assistance, sweepstakes and lotteries.

One scam is to call and say, “Hi grandma, can you tell who this is?” If you appear to recognize the voice, then the scammer will agree and pretend to be that person, then they’ll say they’re in trouble and need some cash wired to them immediately.

VerdeCares said it’s only natural for someone to want to help their friends and family, so ask questions that only the loved one or relative would know the answer to.

With technology scams, one common theme involves someone calling and claiming to be from “Microsoft” saying that there is a serious issue with your internet. If you appear to believe the scammer, they will then ask you to turn on your PC and will connect to it remotely.

They can then install a virus onto the computer or ask you to log in to your online banking and steal your banking details in the process. Do not give out any information to these callers.

Every day consumers lose thousands of dollars to unscrupulous prize promoters in sweepstakes and lottery scams. Many consumers receive phone calls or mailings telling them they've won a big prize - only to find out that, to claim it, they have to buy something or pay as much as $10,000 in fees or other charges.

There's a big difference between legitimate sweepstakes and fraudulent ones. Prizes in legitimate contests are awarded solely by chance and contestants don’t have to pay a fee or buy something to enter or increase their odds of winning.

The Bottom Line: ignore all mail and phone solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country, give it to the postmaster at the Kachina Station. If you believe you’ve responded to a sweepstake or lottery scam, file a complaint with The FTC Complaint Assistant at reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/ or The Arizona Attorney General at azag.gov/complaints/consumer.