I just received a call from an unidentified caller who said he was working for Smith Barney / Bank of America / Morgan Stanley and trying to get me some annuity information from the Tempe office to me. This fast talker rattled off his name (Michael), and the financial institutions like he was on his way to a fire. He told me he was verifying my address to send me a package and needed some more information. Catching you off-guard and spewing off several questions to create confusion are the tools of the scammer to extract information from the unsuspecting.

Do you know that identity theft is expensive? I have been told that identity theft can cost one $20,000 or more in legal fees to clean up the mess.

Be safe, if you did not initiate the call don’t give the caller any information, especially your social security, mother maiden name, local bank branch … If you are interested in the call, ask for a name and callback number. Then look it up.

Googling this callers number shows a number of scam complaints.