If someone asks to use your phone, I think the answer should be no

Remember when the old rule from your parents was to avoid strangers?

"Don't talk to strangers" was the code of conduct for us as kids when we left the house.

There was no qualifier.

If you don't know the person, don't engage and keep walking. Perhaps it's time for a bit of that advice now as adults.

A woman was scammed for $2,500 last week through a Venmo scam.

She was approached by a young man who was supposedly raising money for his youth basketball team.

I'm sure she thought she was doing a good thing for the local community when she agreed to Venmo a contribution.

Soon after the transaction, she noticed that her account was debited $2,500.

Never hand your phone to someone asking for a donation

The lesson here? Don't give your phone to a stranger to visit a website and donate money, no matter how compelling the story.

If you want to throw a couple of dollars at the beggars out there, fine, but it is way too easy to get scammed today and the best bet is to stop giving money to strangers, period.

If you want to be charitable, there are plenty of legitimate causes with legit websites where you can donate.

If you are asking for money for a cause, whether it's personal or for a group, I use GiveSendGo because when I share on social media, it attracts fewer spam posts.

Ignore these calls, NJ! Area codes you should never pick up

While dodging scam calls can feel a bit like playing “Wack a mole” on the boardwalk, there are some area codes that are giant red flags, as collected by the Better Business Bureau and socialcatfish.com:

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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