Online shopping has become the latest craze. And why not? Its way easier then driving to the stores, fighting traffic, the hassle of crowds. However with online technology comes scams and hackers. It can be really hard to tell whats real and whats not. Here are some tips to keep you safe from these un-seen criminals and the easy to fall for scams.
Banks and credit card companies have recently seen digital money movement fraud on the rise. A scammer can contact you requesting payment through a Wire Transfer or transfer via Zelle® –these methods allow money to be sent quickly, and the funds are often hard to trace and recover. You should never wire money or send money using Zelle® to:
Anyone who claims to be from a government agency
Any stranger, no matter what reason they give
A telemarketer trying to sell you something
Anyone claiming your account is compromised
Unauthorized, unverified cryptocurrency sites or salespeople
Anyone asking you to send money to yourself
Stay vigilant to protect your accounts
If you get a suspicious call, email, or text, don’t disclose any personal
information until you verify it’s from a legitimate source. If you have any doubt,
contact the company directly.
Always protect your credit cards/bank account numbers and account PINs. Be sure it is not easily guessable, and remember that your credit card company bank team will never ask for it.
Spoofs via Email
Also known as phishing or hoax emails, spoof emails appear to be from
legitimate companies. These emails try to convince you to click on a link to
resolve an urgent matter involving your account.
Just clicking on the link may give identity thieves access to your computer,
allowing them to record your keystrokes and capture your passwords and other
sensitive information.
How to spot a spoof email
There will be a sense of urgency – spoof emails will claim that your
account will be closed or temporarily suspended with a warning that you’ll
be criminally charged if you don’t respond.
Spelling and grammatical errors – there will likely be obvious errors in
spelling and grammar, which help spoof emails avoid spam filters.
Be aware of current scams
1. Depositing Checks from Unknown Sources: Fraudsters may ask you to
deposit a check into your account and promise you can keep a portion of
the money. These checks are often counterfeit and may be returned or
sourced from illegal activity — you could lose money or even become
unknowingly involved in a crime.
2. Requests for Donations: During times of geopolitical events, fraudsters
exponentially increase their efforts to take advantage of your interest to
support specific causes. Funds or personal information provided to
unverified charities could ultimately not reach their intended audience and
could put your account information at risk. FTC.Gov provides guidance to
help donate wisely and ensure your contributions reach their intended
targets.
3. Requests for Account Info: Fraudsters may pose as bank or credit card
company employees and ask for information that allows them to access
your account — they may email, text, or call you.
4. Paying with Gift Cards: Scammers pretend to be someone they’re not to
convince you to pay with a gift card. Legitimate companies or government
agencies would not make this request.
Tips to help keep your accounts safe
If you receive a one–time pass code you didn’t request, don’t give the code
to anyone who contacts you for it.
Never open or use a personal bank account to deposit or transfer funds for
someone else.
Be wary of “get rich quick” or “easy money” schemes, especially if
unsolicited.
Use known links to access businesses online.
Verify any phone, text, or email contacts are legitimate before sharing
information such as your account number, security word, PIN, User ID, or
password.
Be leery of requests to download apps to fix issues or that allow access to
your device.
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