RichieB is correct is guiding his 97 y/o mother NOT to give out personal info over the phone.
However, sometimes companies need information to process your order, bill you, etc. They can be scammed by an impersonator, just like you.
The key is that you initiate the call or email to a phone number or email address that you looked up, got from 411, etc. This is not that you click on an email link or use a phone number that they provide - it is an email address or phone number that you independently verify as belonging to the company that you are calling and not an impersonator.
One trick scammers are using to fool you into believing they are legit is the "last four". That could be the last four numbers of your social security number or the last four numbers of your credit card. These "last four" are fairly easily obtainable so everything I said before - about YOU initiate the call or email - still applies. Just because a caller or writer knows your "last four" doesn't make them legit! The "last four" or your credit cards appears on most of your credit card receipts. The VA, the military, your doctor, and most medical supply places have the "last four" of your social security account number on their paperwork.
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