For the most part, we want to trust the people we live and work around. Constantly questioning the motives of everyone we come across on a daily basis can make us paranoid - not to mention bad company. Still, some things, such your social security number and other personal identifiers, are better left revealed to only a few select individuals.
When someone asks you for sensitive information, try to discern if it's really necessary to share it. Unfortunate circumstances and desperation can cause people to victimize individuals they ordinarily would never dream of hurting, such as friends and family members.
Take for example a recent case concerning a supposedly trustworthy minister, Raymond L. Clayton Sr. An 82 year old parishoner of Clayton's congregation received a strange phone call concerning an overdue credit card bill. The unfortunate grandmother soon found out that $25,000 was owed through credit cards opened in her name.
Pat Tomedi, treasurer of the congregation for 17 years, had been scammed by someone who she placed a great deal of trust. The pastor was recently found guilty and sentenced for his crime.
The purpose of this article isn't to scare people into mistrusting everyone they care about. Instead, it should encourage people to practice smart methods of minimizing their risk. A few simple preventative measures could have alerted Pat Tomedi to this violation of her trust, way before the $25,000 bill arrived. These preventative measures will be the subject of future entries at deFraud.
For the full story of Pat Tomedi and Clayton the crook, see this WNEP news article .
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