Common Scams: How to Identify and Safeguard Against Them

Recognizing common signs of a scam can help you avoid falling victim. Scammers use clever schemes and tricks to persuade people to share personal information or send money. They often pretend to be someone familiar, such as a family member, a charity, or a company you regularly interact with. Protect yourself and your loved ones by learning to identify common scams and what to do if you are targeted.

Signs of a Scam

1. Scammers pressure you to act immediately.
2. Promise there’s a prize.
3. Urge you about a problem like suspicious account activity. 
4. Provide specific instructions for payment like buying gift cards or sending a money order.

Common Scams

Imposter scams: a scammer adopts the identity of a trusted individual, aiming to manipulate you into disclosing personal information or sending them money. They may reach out through a phone call, text message, or email, attempting to deceive you into believing they hold a position of authority or familiarity.

Phone scams: Phone scams can come through in various ways, such as robocalls, text messages (smishing), and risky QR codes. Technology has made it easier for scammers to spoof their numbers, so you can’t rely on Caller ID. These scammers typically impersonate organizations, such as a financial institution, and urge you to click a link or share your account information. 

Romance scams: These scams are usually initiated online and fake profiles are used to gain a person’s trust and affection. Scammers attempt to build emotional attachments until they feel the potential victim will send them money. 

How to Protect Yourself

• Secure your information with a strong password and use multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Avoid clicking on unknown links.
• Block unwanted calls and text messages.
• Never share personal or financial information.
• Stay calm and don't feel pressured to act quickly without doing a quick internet search.