Take a Breath

Dec 03, 2021Fraud Prevention

Did you know that Fraudsters prey on your fight or flight response to a situation?   They know that people have that knee jerk reaction to situations and use that to their advantage.  They will always make you feel a need to hurry or a sense of panic to get something done quickly and in a day and age where everyone is always running 6 directions it isn’t hard to get that sense of panic going.   Here are a couple of things you can do and a few red flags to look for to prevent you from being a victim of fraud.

• Pause and count to 5.  If someone is asking you to do something, or make a snap decision stopping and counting will help bring your fight or flight under control.  It will help you clear your mind and see the situation in a different light.   If the person making the request won’t give you that 5 seconds move on, hang up, walk away.  There is something phishy going on.
• Breathe in a square.  Take breath in and count to 4. Hold your breath and count to 4. Breathe out and count to 4. Hold it and count to 4. This will help ground your senses and clear you mind.  This will allow you to see the situation with a clear thought.  Again if the person making the request is not allowing this move on.
• Sleep on it. The age-old saying really does have merit.  Stepping away from something allows your brain to relax.  It allows your mind to relax.  You may see the situation differently the next day. If someone is pushing you to make a decision, especially involving money they should allow you to think on it before acting.  If not this is a sign that something else may be going on.

Using these tips in any situation will help you feel calmer, make better decisions and be less likely to become a victim of a scam.

Kandy Bowlsby

Financial Education Manager | HAPO Community Credit Union