April 20, 2025 • 18 mins
In this episode, we examine sleazy fraudsters and essential security measures to protect your food business from common scams. Learn how to identify and prevent various types of fraud targeting mobile food vendors and small business owners. 🛡️
Key Topics Covered 🎯
- Online fraud prevention strategies
- Fake inspector scams during service hours
- Business identity theft protection
- Common "to go to be true" traps
- Fraudulent tactics regarding events
- Credit scam awareness
- Official document verification tips
Resources Mentioned 🔗
- Password Management: LastPass - Secure password management tool
- Business Credit Monitoring:
- Government Resources:
#FoodTruckBusiness #ScamPrevention #SmallBusinessSecurity #FoodVendorTips #BusinessProtection #VeganBusiness #FoodTruckTips
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Heather (00:03):
Hey, and welcome back to the Vegan Food Truck Business
Podcast.
I'm your host, HeatherZeitzwolfe today we're talking
about scams.
Ugh, they totally suck.
no matter the size of yourbusiness, you can be a victim of
a scam.
And for a small business, oh myGod, this could force you into
(00:23):
bankruptcy.
it's really important that weeducate ourselves as
entrepreneurs to be cautious andvigilant and put in guardrails
to prevent it from happening.
Oh, there's so many horriblepeople out there.
We just have to be super, supercareful.
it's not like in the old dayswhen fraud was committed by some
random, shady person, maybe likea couple of grifters coming
(00:47):
through town, you know?
Now because of the internet,most scams are getting.
more complex and committed byorganized crime rings.
because many of these fraudstersoperate outside of the us, it
becomes nearly impossible tocatch them.
if you are living in the US andthe scammer is located in this
(01:09):
country as well, you can getauthorities involved; depending
on the type of fraud and thelocation, it might be your local
police, or it could be the FBI.
Now, if you live in anothercountry, check your local
government sites to find out howthey deal with it in your
country, Here's something tragicI want to address there's been a
(01:31):
growing trend of scams,intertwined with human slavery
and torture.
I went down a rabbit hole onYouTube all about this because I
just could not believe that thiswas actually happening.
those carrying out the scams,they're doing it unwillingly.
They've been human traffickedoftentimes tricked into.
(01:53):
A promise of a job.
they're being held captive.
beaten, electrocuted, starved,not only is it shocking and I
want people to know about this,but as vegans, we are
compassionate people.
We understand how.
These horrible atrocitiesagainst humans are very similar
(02:13):
to what happens to animals,torture captivity, and forced
labor.
It's just wrong Okay, so beforewe get all depressed about the
evil in the world, let's talkabout some common scams and how
you can protect yourself andyour business.
there are tons of scams outthere.
these are the five differentbuckets I'm seeing problems
(02:33):
with.
there are other scams withinthese five buckets, Are you
ready?
okay, so the first one event and
permit scams.
this is really, really sad We wanna believe that people
that are putting on events are,on the up and up.
they probably are, but there arepeople who pretend to be the
event planners who arefraudsters.
(02:55):
This happened to me on Facebookwhen I posted an event.
luckily somebody contacted meand was like, Hey, this doesn't
sound quite right.
Why are you charging for this,blah, blah, blah?
And there were people that hadgotten onto my Facebook page, I
don't know how they were able topost they were pretending to be
the event planners and sellpeople vending spots.
(03:16):
Luckily, nobody was a victim tothat.
I caught it in time, thesepeople, they prey on excitement
and urgency.
here's how it might go down.
So you get a message, maybe anemail, maybe a DM from someone
claiming that they're running a,cool market or big name event,
It looks legit.
These fraudsters are, in airquotes, talented They put up
(03:41):
websites that look completelylegit.
And they're gonna name drop.
they might even have vendors,logos on their website, but it's
all fake.
they may say things like, oh,the spaces are going fast.
All you have to do is pay thisfee to secure your spot.
But it is a trap.
Oftentimes, the event does noteven exist.
(04:02):
It's made up.
But Other legit events, theremight be scammers pretending
okay, I am putting in airquotes.
organizers But they don't haveany connection to a real event.
when you send them payment, younever hear from them again.
be aware fake permits tied tomajor festivals, this scam has
been popping up everywhere.
(04:24):
they send you something onsocial
media, it looks
legit.
Okay, so what do you do?
first pause before you pay.
Look for an official event page,not just some Instagram profile,
especially if this personcontacts you outta the blue.
even it's somebody you know Itcould be their account has been
hacked and this person now ispretending to be the person that
(04:46):
you know they'll start askingyou for money.
Always, always, always doublecheck.
with a person, go to another,social media account do your due
diligence.
Sometimes these fake accountswill have one letter off in the
name, you wanna just make sure,is it.
A public event, is it beinglisted other places?
Are you seeing it advertisedJust do your due diligence.
(05:07):
Before you give anybody yourmoney, reach out to other
vendors to confirm that it'sreal if they're listed as one of
the vendors, see if they reallyare signed up for this event
find out who's running the eventand contact them directly.
Go through an official websiteOkay.
think I've scared you enough onthat one.
Alright, so number two,equipment and supply scams.
(05:28):
this is one of those, it's twogood to be true kind of things.
maybe you need a new trailer ortruck or something like that.
But you don't have a lot ofmoney, you wanna get a nice,
cheap price.
you're like, these sellers havethese great deals they seem
really helpful and very eager tosell you these things, be very
(05:49):
careful if they ask you to wirethem some money.
Or pay them through somethinglike Zelle you send the money
and there is no way to get itback.
This is a real problem becauseyou can pay all this money, but
the product is never gonna showup Or they sell you a piece of
junk and you're not able to getyour money back either.
(06:11):
small business owners can losethousands and thousands of
dollars being hoodwinked intobuying things that were broken
or they show you a picture ofsomething, you think that's what
they're gonna ship you, and younever get it.
So how do you stay safe?
Always ask for references.
Get a signed contract.
Use payment methods that havefraud protection.
(06:32):
Don't use these peer-to-peerapps where it's like cash or
giving someone cash or, check.
Even these days, I, I don't relyon those kind of things.
if they are not taking creditcards, that seems suspicious to
me.
but trust your gut.
if someone is pushing, pushing,pushing for you to pay quickly,
that is a red flag.
there are safer ways ofpurchasing things on a credit
(06:54):
card as well.
you could use Amex.
they have a lot of really goodprotections, but you know, it
depends on your credit if youcan get something like that
through your business.
Number three, payments anddigital scams.
This one covers phishing emails,and that's phishing with a pH,
phishing emails, spoofed, banknotices, tampered QR codes and
(07:17):
chargeback fraud.
these scams you don't see thepeople.
these are the kind of scams thathit your inbox and your payment
app.
But due to the availability ofAI technology, even small time
fraudsters can deceive and scamon a much higher scale They can
write emails, just like thepeople you know.
(07:38):
All they have to do is go ontosocial media.
They can figure out the tone andthe verbiage that somebody uses,
somebody that you trust, throughai.
they can pretend to be thatperson.
Maybe they hack into their emailand start sending emails that
looks like it's coming from theright person, and it sounds like
them, because they're using AIto develop the emails.
(07:59):
This is so scary.
that's why we have to protectourself, you might get an email
that looks exactly like it'sfrom your bank or square saying
you need to verify your info.
Don't click on the link.
Oh my God.
Just don't.
I've gotten things that looklike it's from a bank, and then
you realize, oh my God, thiswhole email is just one big
(08:20):
image that's been placed insidethe email.
there's a clickable link inthere as well.
Instead of clicking on the link,go to the actual website where
you log into your bank account.
you wanna make sure that it'sfrom your bank go to the correct
place and make sure Just neverbelieve if it says they need to
verify your info, always verify.
your bank is really contactingyou.
(08:41):
this is where many of thesescams are from.
International crime rings wherepeople are being forced to carry
out Online fraud.
like what I was talking aboutearlier.
This is the human traffickingthat is plaguing areas in South
Asia and these criminals aremaking approximately$3 trillion
a year.
This is really an internationalcrisis, these people are not
(09:03):
gonna stop if they're makingthis kind of money and nobody's
doing anything about it.
These scams are gonna become.
I'm putting air quotes aroundit.
Smarter and more clever all thetime, and they're using
technology to help them do this.
Okay, so what can we do aboutthis?
Oh my God.
use two factor authenticity forevery account.
Use different passwords.
Don't be using the same passwordfor every account that you log
(09:26):
into.
Oh my God.
please make it a complicatedpassword.
You can easily get LastPasssomething like that to help you
remember all your passwords.
Don't click links from emailsthat you weren't expecting.
like an attachment, zip file,any of those kind of things, do
not click on those.
Go directly to the sourceinstead.
Even if it comes from like afamily member and all they're
(09:47):
sending you is a link or they'resending you an attachment,
contact them and make sure thatthey sent that to you before you
open it up.
It could have malware on it.
You never know.
Also scan your payment devicesregularly to make sure nothing
has been tampered with.
There are scams out there fortap and pay where they're
putting fake things on top thatthey get from Amazon.
(10:08):
and then they're stealingpeople's credit card
information.
just make sure that you aredoing your due diligence around
your business.
And never send money to anyonewho you've corresponded with,
just through a DM or textmessages.
F
they will con you into being their friend and try to
sell you something and you'venever seen this person before
(10:28):
Also go to their Facebook page.
And oftentimes they have nofriends.
It's really weird just dig alittle bit further before you do
any kind of purchase from anyoneon the internet.
Alright, Number four, fakeinspectors and authority scams.
Well this one usually happens inthe middle of service.
Like when you are busy anddistracted and short on time,
(10:52):
somebody shows up,
badge really
quick, and they tell you you're outta compliance.
Then they say, oh, I know you'rebusy right now, but you know
what?
We can this really quick.
All you have to do is pay thefine.
They're catching you
in this moment you've got a busy rush, you've got
customers you're trying
to serve them.
And now like, what?
Now you gotta pay a fine.
And oh my God, it's, these scamsare designed to scare you into
(11:14):
handing over cash without askingquestions.
'cause you're like, I gotta getthis person outta here.
I'm trying to make money here,it works, especially for newer
vendors They feel intimidated orbullied but if the inspector is
legit, they will prove it Theywon't flash you a badge real
fast.
I mean, ask them for theircredentials.
actual inspectors.
They don't take money on site.
(11:36):
They will provide you withdocumentation.
They will explain your rights,and you always have a chance to
ask questions or appeal.
If this person with this phonybadge is acting otherwise, then
chances are it is a scam.
To protect yourself.
find out who your inspector is.
Keep your permit visible so youknow if they're like, Hey,
(11:58):
where's your permit?
and if someone shows up withouta name ID or paperwork, ask for
their credentials and call thedepartment directly before you
do anything else.
because of technology, we knowthat ID cards can be faked.
all it takes is Photoshop and alaminator.
So get to know who your localinspector is, what their ID
(12:20):
cards look like.
do they have some kind of likeholographic overlay?
I don't think that's somethingthat they could simulate.
unless they are doing some kindof like inside job or something.
All right, there's alsoauthoritative scams by mail.
I'm talking like snail mail.
These fraudsters, are sendingthese things, Like it's a
letter.
(12:41):
from the government.
maybe they're asking you to paya licensing fee, renew your LLC
pay taxes, if you're justlooking at it quickly, it looks
totally official.
They send it in an envelope thatlooks official.
It has that looks official andit has a lot of the jargon that
will throw people off and makethem think, oh, this is legit.
(13:01):
I guess I owe this money.
I didn't realize I better send'em a check right away.
Slow down, slow down.
whenever I come across these, Itry to let people know, online
about this kind of scammy stuffbecause my clients might be
receiving a similar thing soalways look at the address on
there, the names, And if itreally is from the government,
there should be a URL that endsin
(13:24):
dot gov.
That's
for all the government sites in America.
But scammers are now using textmessages.
pretend that they are from theIRS, local government, or from
the state, Just don't click onthese links.
Do not send them money and.
If you have any doubts, go tothe official government website
(13:45):
And then log into your businessaccount.
you should see if you have anynotices or messages.
Number five, Business identitytheft and credit scams.
You might think that yourbusiness is too small for ID
theft, but that's exactly whyyou may be targeted.
You are easy prey.
(14:06):
banks get hit and they havefirewall and cyber protection
and all that kind of stuff, butus little guys, they know that
it's gonna be easier.
And if you're not keeping upwith your passwords and you're
making these like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,or whatever it is, oh my God,
please stop.
if you are a sole proprietor.
I recommend that you never useyour social security number when
(14:31):
you're filling out forms like aW nine or
filing your 10
Only use a social security number whenever it is
required, like if you're filingyour taxes maybe, your local
bank or something where theyabsolutely have to have it.
Be very careful with your socialsecurity number.
I recommend if you're doingbusiness in the US, you get an
(14:51):
EIN from the IRS.
It takes a few minutes to fillout.
It doesn't cost anything.
this is like the social securitynumber for your business.
This EIN.
It will help to protect yourpersonal finances by using this
number instead of your socialsecurity number.
even with an EIN, you still needto take precaution scammers
don't need much.
(15:11):
Like with, your business name,address, and your EIN, they can
open up lines of credits, theycan apply for loans or they can
impersonate your company online.
this is some scary stuff, right?
and a lot of this info is inpublic records.
floating around out there.
the effects may not show upright away.
Like if your business isapplying for a credit card or a
(15:33):
loan and you get denied, you'relike, whoa, wait, wait a minute.
I have great credit.
What happened?
Ugh.
Okay, here's how to protectyourself.
check your business credit.
At least once a year.
I use Credit Karma to check mypersonal credit, you can do the
same thing for your business.
you can use companies likeExperian to run a credit report
or services online like Nvis,NAV, or Dun and Bradstreet,
(15:57):
which has been around forever.
I'll share the links in the shownotes, but just be mindful of
the info you share on forms,don't be afraid to follow up
with questions.
When somebody asks for sensitivedetails, Oftentimes that's a red
flag.
if you are located in the US andyou're a victim of a cyber
crime, you can file a complaintthrough the FBI's Internet Crime
(16:18):
Complaint Center.
if you're not in the US, pleasefind.
what your country uses forreporting cyber crime.
you may think like, oh God, whybother?
please do, because other peoplehave probably suffered from the
same cyber crime as you.
the more information we give theFBI around this, there may be a
better chance you get some moneyback, or something will happen
to these fraudsters.
(16:39):
Alright.
I don't mean to scare you, someof these things you're totally
aware of, but you're like, ah,whatever.
It's not gonna happen to me.
but these scams are getting morehigh tech, they're getting more
creative, coordinated.
in some cases, it could belinked to cruelty against
another human being.
But that doesn't mean that weare powerless, right?
(16:59):
these are the three things thatwe can do to defend ourselves.
One, if something seems too goodto be true, it is probably fake.
Don't fall for it.
Two, slow down.
Take your time.
Think before you click onsomething Be very careful about
what you download, the websitesyou go to.
The people that you think arereal people on social media.
(17:23):
Number three, go with your gut.
if your spidey senses aretelling you that something feels
amiss.
Your gut is probably right.
Use your intuition.
We have great intuition.
like the hairs on the back ofyour neck might stand up or
something.
Ugh, okay.
They may not do that, but youmight feel like this doesn't
feel right.
Don't.
Be afraid you're gonna be likehurting someone's feelings or
(17:46):
offending them If you go and askfor references or check
something out, if they are alegit business person, they'll
be okay with it.
All right?
Well, as a vegan business owner,you are already doing things
differently.
You're building something basedon ethics, sustainability, and
compassion, that is so powerfulBecause it is so powerful, it is
worth protecting.
(18:07):
do your due diligence keepyourself safe.
If you've ever been a of a scamand you would like to share it
on my podcast, please contact meand let me know.
thank you for listening if youhave questions feel free to
contact me on Instagram at SavvyFrugal Vegan.
And go out there.
Be strong, stay ethical, anddon't let those scammers get
(18:28):
you.
Hey, and welcome back to the Vegan Food Truck Business
Podcast.
I'm your host, HeatherZeitzwolfe today we're talking
about scams.
Ugh, they totally suck.
no matter the size of yourbusiness, you can be a victim of
a scam.
And for a small business, oh myGod, this could force you into
(00:23):
bankruptcy.
it's really important that weeducate ourselves as
entrepreneurs to be cautious andvigilant and put in guardrails
to prevent it from happening.
Oh, there's so many horriblepeople out there.
We just have to be super, supercareful.
it's not like in the old dayswhen fraud was committed by some
random, shady person, maybe likea couple of grifters coming
(00:47):
through town, you know?
Now because of the internet,most scams are getting.
more complex and committed byorganized crime rings.
because many of these fraudstersoperate outside of the us, it
becomes nearly impossible tocatch them.
if you are living in the US andthe scammer is located in this
(01:09):
country as well, you can getauthorities involved; depending
on the type of fraud and thelocation, it might be your local
police, or it could be the FBI.
Now, if you live in anothercountry, check your local
government sites to find out howthey deal with it in your
country, Here's something tragicI want to address there's been a
(01:31):
growing trend of scams,intertwined with human slavery
and torture.
I went down a rabbit hole onYouTube all about this because I
just could not believe that thiswas actually happening.
those carrying out the scams,they're doing it unwillingly.
They've been human traffickedoftentimes tricked into.
(01:53):
A promise of a job.
they're being held captive.
beaten, electrocuted, starved,not only is it shocking and I
want people to know about this,but as vegans, we are
compassionate people.
We understand how.
These horrible atrocitiesagainst humans are very similar
(02:13):
to what happens to animals,torture captivity, and forced
labor.
It's just wrong Okay, so beforewe get all depressed about the
evil in the world, let's talkabout some common scams and how
you can protect yourself andyour business.
there are tons of scams outthere.
these are the five differentbuckets I'm seeing problems
(02:33):
with.
there are other scams withinthese five buckets, Are you
ready?
okay, so the first one event and
permit scams.
this is really, really sad We wanna believe that people
that are putting on events are,on the up and up.
they probably are, but there arepeople who pretend to be the
event planners who arefraudsters.
(02:55):
This happened to me on Facebookwhen I posted an event.
luckily somebody contacted meand was like, Hey, this doesn't
sound quite right.
Why are you charging for this,blah, blah, blah?
And there were people that hadgotten onto my Facebook page, I
don't know how they were able topost they were pretending to be
the event planners and sellpeople vending spots.
(03:16):
Luckily, nobody was a victim tothat.
I caught it in time, thesepeople, they prey on excitement
and urgency.
here's how it might go down.
So you get a message, maybe anemail, maybe a DM from someone
claiming that they're running a,cool market or big name event,
It looks legit.
These fraudsters are, in airquotes, talented They put up
(03:41):
websites that look completelylegit.
And they're gonna name drop.
they might even have vendors,logos on their website, but it's
all fake.
they may say things like, oh,the spaces are going fast.
All you have to do is pay thisfee to secure your spot.
But it is a trap.
Oftentimes, the event does noteven exist.
(04:02):
It's made up.
But Other legit events, theremight be scammers pretending
okay, I am putting in airquotes.
organizers But they don't haveany connection to a real event.
when you send them payment, younever hear from them again.
be aware fake permits tied tomajor festivals, this scam has
been popping up everywhere.
(04:24):
they send you something onsocial
media, it looks
legit.
Okay, so what do you do?
first pause before you pay.
Look for an official event page,not just some Instagram profile,
especially if this personcontacts you outta the blue.
even it's somebody you know Itcould be their account has been
hacked and this person now ispretending to be the person that
(04:46):
you know they'll start askingyou for money.
Always, always, always doublecheck.
with a person, go to another,social media account do your due
diligence.
Sometimes these fake accountswill have one letter off in the
name, you wanna just make sure,is it.
A public event, is it beinglisted other places?
Are you seeing it advertisedJust do your due diligence.
(05:07):
Before you give anybody yourmoney, reach out to other
vendors to confirm that it'sreal if they're listed as one of
the vendors, see if they reallyare signed up for this event
find out who's running the eventand contact them directly.
Go through an official websiteOkay.
think I've scared you enough onthat one.
Alright, so number two,equipment and supply scams.
(05:28):
this is one of those, it's twogood to be true kind of things.
maybe you need a new trailer ortruck or something like that.
But you don't have a lot ofmoney, you wanna get a nice,
cheap price.
you're like, these sellers havethese great deals they seem
really helpful and very eager tosell you these things, be very
(05:49):
careful if they ask you to wirethem some money.
Or pay them through somethinglike Zelle you send the money
and there is no way to get itback.
This is a real problem becauseyou can pay all this money, but
the product is never gonna showup Or they sell you a piece of
junk and you're not able to getyour money back either.
(06:11):
small business owners can losethousands and thousands of
dollars being hoodwinked intobuying things that were broken
or they show you a picture ofsomething, you think that's what
they're gonna ship you, and younever get it.
So how do you stay safe?
Always ask for references.
Get a signed contract.
Use payment methods that havefraud protection.
(06:32):
Don't use these peer-to-peerapps where it's like cash or
giving someone cash or, check.
Even these days, I, I don't relyon those kind of things.
if they are not taking creditcards, that seems suspicious to
me.
but trust your gut.
if someone is pushing, pushing,pushing for you to pay quickly,
that is a red flag.
there are safer ways ofpurchasing things on a credit
(06:54):
card as well.
you could use Amex.
they have a lot of really goodprotections, but you know, it
depends on your credit if youcan get something like that
through your business.
Number three, payments anddigital scams.
This one covers phishing emails,and that's phishing with a pH,
phishing emails, spoofed, banknotices, tampered QR codes and
(07:17):
chargeback fraud.
these scams you don't see thepeople.
these are the kind of scams thathit your inbox and your payment
app.
But due to the availability ofAI technology, even small time
fraudsters can deceive and scamon a much higher scale They can
write emails, just like thepeople you know.
(07:38):
All they have to do is go ontosocial media.
They can figure out the tone andthe verbiage that somebody uses,
somebody that you trust, throughai.
they can pretend to be thatperson.
Maybe they hack into their emailand start sending emails that
looks like it's coming from theright person, and it sounds like
them, because they're using AIto develop the emails.
(07:59):
This is so scary.
that's why we have to protectourself, you might get an email
that looks exactly like it'sfrom your bank or square saying
you need to verify your info.
Don't click on the link.
Oh my God.
Just don't.
I've gotten things that looklike it's from a bank, and then
you realize, oh my God, thiswhole email is just one big
(08:20):
image that's been placed insidethe email.
there's a clickable link inthere as well.
Instead of clicking on the link,go to the actual website where
you log into your bank account.
you wanna make sure that it'sfrom your bank go to the correct
place and make sure Just neverbelieve if it says they need to
verify your info, always verify.
your bank is really contactingyou.
(08:41):
this is where many of thesescams are from.
International crime rings wherepeople are being forced to carry
out Online fraud.
like what I was talking aboutearlier.
This is the human traffickingthat is plaguing areas in South
Asia and these criminals aremaking approximately$3 trillion
a year.
This is really an internationalcrisis, these people are not
(09:03):
gonna stop if they're makingthis kind of money and nobody's
doing anything about it.
These scams are gonna become.
I'm putting air quotes aroundit.
Smarter and more clever all thetime, and they're using
technology to help them do this.
Okay, so what can we do aboutthis?
Oh my God.
use two factor authenticity forevery account.
Use different passwords.
Don't be using the same passwordfor every account that you log
(09:26):
into.
Oh my God.
please make it a complicatedpassword.
You can easily get LastPasssomething like that to help you
remember all your passwords.
Don't click links from emailsthat you weren't expecting.
like an attachment, zip file,any of those kind of things, do
not click on those.
Go directly to the sourceinstead.
Even if it comes from like afamily member and all they're
(09:47):
sending you is a link or they'resending you an attachment,
contact them and make sure thatthey sent that to you before you
open it up.
It could have malware on it.
You never know.
Also scan your payment devicesregularly to make sure nothing
has been tampered with.
There are scams out there fortap and pay where they're
putting fake things on top thatthey get from Amazon.
(10:08):
and then they're stealingpeople's credit card
information.
just make sure that you aredoing your due diligence around
your business.
And never send money to anyonewho you've corresponded with,
just through a DM or textmessages.
F
they will con you into being their friend and try to
sell you something and you'venever seen this person before
(10:28):
Also go to their Facebook page.
And oftentimes they have nofriends.
It's really weird just dig alittle bit further before you do
any kind of purchase from anyoneon the internet.
Alright, Number four, fakeinspectors and authority scams.
Well this one usually happens inthe middle of service.
Like when you are busy anddistracted and short on time,
(10:52):
somebody shows up,
badge really
quick, and they tell you you're outta compliance.
Then they say, oh, I know you'rebusy right now, but you know
what?
We can this really quick.
All you have to do is pay thefine.
They're catching you
in this moment you've got a busy rush, you've got
customers you're trying
to serve them.
And now like, what?
Now you gotta pay a fine.
And oh my God, it's, these scamsare designed to scare you into
(11:14):
handing over cash without askingquestions.
'cause you're like, I gotta getthis person outta here.
I'm trying to make money here,it works, especially for newer
vendors They feel intimidated orbullied but if the inspector is
legit, they will prove it Theywon't flash you a badge real
fast.
I mean, ask them for theircredentials.
actual inspectors.
They don't take money on site.
(11:36):
They will provide you withdocumentation.
They will explain your rights,and you always have a chance to
ask questions or appeal.
If this person with this phonybadge is acting otherwise, then
chances are it is a scam.
To protect yourself.
find out who your inspector is.
Keep your permit visible so youknow if they're like, Hey,
(11:58):
where's your permit?
and if someone shows up withouta name ID or paperwork, ask for
their credentials and call thedepartment directly before you
do anything else.
because of technology, we knowthat ID cards can be faked.
all it takes is Photoshop and alaminator.
So get to know who your localinspector is, what their ID
(12:20):
cards look like.
do they have some kind of likeholographic overlay?
I don't think that's somethingthat they could simulate.
unless they are doing some kindof like inside job or something.
All right, there's alsoauthoritative scams by mail.
I'm talking like snail mail.
These fraudsters, are sendingthese things, Like it's a
letter.
(12:41):
from the government.
maybe they're asking you to paya licensing fee, renew your LLC
pay taxes, if you're justlooking at it quickly, it looks
totally official.
They send it in an envelope thatlooks official.
It has that looks official andit has a lot of the jargon that
will throw people off and makethem think, oh, this is legit.
(13:01):
I guess I owe this money.
I didn't realize I better send'em a check right away.
Slow down, slow down.
whenever I come across these, Itry to let people know, online
about this kind of scammy stuffbecause my clients might be
receiving a similar thing soalways look at the address on
there, the names, And if itreally is from the government,
there should be a URL that endsin
(13:24):
dot gov.
That's
for all the government sites in America.
But scammers are now using textmessages.
pretend that they are from theIRS, local government, or from
the state, Just don't click onthese links.
Do not send them money and.
If you have any doubts, go tothe official government website
(13:45):
And then log into your businessaccount.
you should see if you have anynotices or messages.
Number five, Business identitytheft and credit scams.
You might think that yourbusiness is too small for ID
theft, but that's exactly whyyou may be targeted.
You are easy prey.
(14:06):
banks get hit and they havefirewall and cyber protection
and all that kind of stuff, butus little guys, they know that
it's gonna be easier.
And if you're not keeping upwith your passwords and you're
making these like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,or whatever it is, oh my God,
please stop.
if you are a sole proprietor.
I recommend that you never useyour social security number when
(14:31):
you're filling out forms like aW nine or
filing your 10
Only use a social security number whenever it is
required, like if you're filingyour taxes maybe, your local
bank or something where theyabsolutely have to have it.
Be very careful with your socialsecurity number.
I recommend if you're doingbusiness in the US, you get an
(14:51):
EIN from the IRS.
It takes a few minutes to fillout.
It doesn't cost anything.
this is like the social securitynumber for your business.
This EIN.
It will help to protect yourpersonal finances by using this
number instead of your socialsecurity number.
even with an EIN, you still needto take precaution scammers
don't need much.
(15:11):
Like with, your business name,address, and your EIN, they can
open up lines of credits, theycan apply for loans or they can
impersonate your company online.
this is some scary stuff, right?
and a lot of this info is inpublic records.
floating around out there.
the effects may not show upright away.
Like if your business isapplying for a credit card or a
(15:33):
loan and you get denied, you'relike, whoa, wait, wait a minute.
I have great credit.
What happened?
Ugh.
Okay, here's how to protectyourself.
check your business credit.
At least once a year.
I use Credit Karma to check mypersonal credit, you can do the
same thing for your business.
you can use companies likeExperian to run a credit report
or services online like Nvis,NAV, or Dun and Bradstreet,
(15:57):
which has been around forever.
I'll share the links in the shownotes, but just be mindful of
the info you share on forms,don't be afraid to follow up
with questions.
When somebody asks for sensitivedetails, Oftentimes that's a red
flag.
if you are located in the US andyou're a victim of a cyber
crime, you can file a complaintthrough the FBI's Internet Crime
(16:18):
Complaint Center.
if you're not in the US, pleasefind.
what your country uses forreporting cyber crime.
you may think like, oh God, whybother?
please do, because other peoplehave probably suffered from the
same cyber crime as you.
the more information we give theFBI around this, there may be a
better chance you get some moneyback, or something will happen
to these fraudsters.
(16:39):
Alright.
I don't mean to scare you, someof these things you're totally
aware of, but you're like, ah,whatever.
It's not gonna happen to me.
but these scams are getting morehigh tech, they're getting more
creative, coordinated.
in some cases, it could belinked to cruelty against
another human being.
But that doesn't mean that weare powerless, right?
(16:59):
these are the three things thatwe can do to defend ourselves.
One, if something seems too goodto be true, it is probably fake.
Don't fall for it.
Two, slow down.
Take your time.
Think before you click onsomething Be very careful about
what you download, the websitesyou go to.
The people that you think arereal people on social media.
(17:23):
Number three, go with your gut.
if your spidey senses aretelling you that something feels
amiss.
Your gut is probably right.
Use your intuition.
We have great intuition.
like the hairs on the back ofyour neck might stand up or
something.
Ugh, okay.
They may not do that, but youmight feel like this doesn't
feel right.
Don't.
Be afraid you're gonna be likehurting someone's feelings or
(17:46):
offending them If you go and askfor references or check
something out, if they are alegit business person, they'll
be okay with it.
All right?
Well, as a vegan business owner,you are already doing things
differently.
You're building something basedon ethics, sustainability, and
compassion, that is so powerfulBecause it is so powerful, it is
worth protecting.
(18:07):
do your due diligence keepyourself safe.
If you've ever been a of a scamand you would like to share it
on my podcast, please contact meand let me know.
thank you for listening if youhave questions feel free to
contact me on Instagram at SavvyFrugal Vegan.
And go out there.
Be strong, stay ethical, anddon't let those scammers get
(18:28):
you.
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