Don't take a chance and be scammed!

Dawn Luhning |
Categories
safety
investments

I was speaking to someone the other day about the fact that the scammers seem to be getting "more sophisticated". If it's not a weird text message, or a crazy looking email, it may be a telephone call from a country or province or state that you seriously know NO ONE from! It can be disconcerting and I am beginning to see how anyone could be drawn in. It is getting harder and harder to recognize a phony email address for instance. They seem, in some instances, to know more about me than I think they should. And that is what they are hoping for - a possible in to your personal information and finances.

In our industry, regulators have implemented a new question for all clients to try and protect you against situations similiar to this. I will be asking you if you are a client, if I haven't already, for a trusted contact person. This is NOT a power of attorney. A power of attorney can have authority over your finances if that is what you put in place for that person through that legal documentation. 

No. A trusted contact person is a different contact for me, for your protection.

A trusted contact person is an individual that you have identified as a trusted source who I may contact to address concerns related to the following:

  • Your ability to make financial decisions;
  • Your ability to understand the important consequences of a financial decision that you are about to make; or
  • the possible financial exploitation or abuse of yourself

Think about who that person could be for you. Someone that I would be able to contact if I believe that you, as my client, are not thinking clearly, that our discussion is out of sorts, or if someone tries to enquire about you and your finances to me that seems odd. I can then contact your trusted person to assure me that you are alright OR that maybe you are not ok and that further precautions should be taken.

Send me a message by text or email to get your trusted contact person in place with me if we haven’t done this already. It’s in your best interest, and for the protection of your finances.

~ Dawn