I recently received a Facebook friend request appearing to be from a friend, and former coworker whom I've known for 25 years. That sent up a red flag. When I checked "her" profile, she only had a few friends. I messaged her husband telling him her profile had been cloned. He informed me she was aware and action had been taken.

54% of us have had our social media hacked. A few years ago, it happened to me four times in less than a week. It’s reported 63% of Americans have fallen for at least one online scam. Here are five red flags you should recognize...

#1 A company name that sounds similar to that of a well-known company.

#2 Asking for money via wire transfer or money order.

#3 Representing themself as being from the government and saying you’ll go to jail if you don’t pay.

#4 Promising a large amount of money if you send a smaller amount first

#5 A call or email saying your Social Security number has been compromised.

My iPhone sends calls from unfamiliar numbers directly to voicemail. If they don’t leave a message, I don’t call back.

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