Scammers are becoming increasingly more dangerous and more convincing. One common tactic used by fraudsters is impersonating banks, well-known brands, or government agencies to gain your trust, steal your personal information, and in some cases, drain your bank account.
Let’s explore how these scams work and how to protect yourself.
What To Look Out For:
- Phishing Emails and Texts
- Phone Call Scams
- Fake Customer Support
Red Flags:
- Urgent language: “Act now or your account will be closed”
- Emails that may have typos or grammatical mistakes
- Suspicious links or attachments
- Requests for sensitive information
- Too-good-to-be-true offers: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is
How to Protect Yourself:
- Hang up and call back: If you are the least bit suspicious on a phone call, hang up and call the number on the back of your card or statement
- Always hover on links before you click
- Use multi-factor authentication for logins
- Monitor your accounts regularly: Set up account alerts to catch unauthorized activity early
- Report scams: Help others by reporting scams to your bank and the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov