Scammers often call late at night and claim to be government officials, someone you know or a family member in trouble. They may ask you to wire money using untraceable methods, or give your personal information using strategies such as the Revolut scam text.
Scams on the telephone
Scams involving telemarketing and automated calls cost millions of people money every year. These calls can be convincing, since scammers will often use flattery or threats to get people to send money. They may use fake Caller-ID information to make it seem like the call is coming from a government agency, or a company you do business with. They will then try to trick you into sending money or personal information by claiming that there is a problem with your account, device, benefits, or medical records.
Scammers may also call and demand payment for goods or services that you never received. They may also threaten to take legal action against you if you don’t pay. This type of scam, which is very common, is dangerous for seniors. If you receive such a call, you should hang up. You should then report the scam to your local police and our office.
Seniors can be targeted by scammers who pretend that a family member is in trouble, or call late at nights. Also, they can target immigrants by calling in the native language of the person and claiming that they are a law enforcement officer. They promise to help them launch a business or provide phony investment opportunities.
Charity scams are another frequent telephone scam. Donations are often requested for disaster relief. But you should check charities with your state securities regulatory agency before giving. Prize scams also occur, where the caller claims you won a prize but only asks you to pay fees or taxes to collect it. Loan scams are also very common, where scammers claim to guarantee loans or credit cards if you pay an up-front fee.
You should never provide any financial or personal information to anyone who calls you, even if it sounds legit. They can steal your money and information by using different methods, including text messages, email, or over phone. Make sure to only share this information with people you trust, and always use a credit card to pay.
Email scams
Cybercriminals often use email as a way to communicate with their victim, and it is also a convenient way to steal confidential information about the victim or the company. Employees must be aware of how to report an email scam in order to keep their identity and that of their company safe.
Email phishing scams are often hard to detect because they look so real. The message may appear to be from a familiar employee or vendor and ask the recipient to click on a link, or share passwords or account details. The message also uses urgent language to convince recipients that they need to act now or something bad will happen.
Most people can recognize a phishing e-mail by its poor spelling or grammar. Other clues can also help people decide if an email is legitimate. Hovering the mouse over the sender’s name and email address will help you determine if it is from the person or company that the message claims to come from.
A lack of personalization is another red flag. Legitimate emails are usually personalized and the sender addresses the recipient by their name. In addition, a professional email will never use generic greetings such as “Dear Customer” or “Dear Client.”
It is a good idea to check the “From:” address before clicking any links or downloading any attachments from an email. While there are exceptions, a legitimate company will usually use an address that includes its business domain name.
If the From email address is from a free service like Hotmail or Gmail, you should consider it suspicious. A professional email will use a secure, domain-based server, which can be verified by checking the site’s URL and looking for https or a closed padlock.
To avoid spam, employees are advised to set their email filters as strict as they can and not post their work email addresses on websites that offer shopping, newsletters or chat rooms, or online classifieds. Consider using a different email for personal correspondence. Only use your work email for business. Employees should mark an email as spam if it gets past the filter and not click on links or reply. This will help improve the email filter and reduce the amount unwanted messages that are received.
Cyber scams
Scams can occur by phone, text or email, and they look and sound very real. Scammers target thousands of victims every day.
Do some research if you suspect a message or an email. Google the company or person and check their site. Do not download software or share passwords if they ask you. This type of action can allow criminals to access government systems and steal personal or financial details.
Cybercriminals use familiar logos, company names and/or people in order to trick people into clicking on a link or providing their information. They can also spoof email addresses so that an email looks like it comes from one of the government’s vendors. These attacks are known as phishing.
In a business context, it’s critical to report suspected phishing to the IT department immediately. This allows staff to protect enterprise systems against malware that could disrupt operations, affect data or compromise employee or client privacy.
Some of the most common scams are romance, lottery, investment and sweepstakes fraud. These scams may cause financial loss or emotional distress. Criminals may impersonate family members, government agencies or tech support professionals to steal your money and information.
Another scam involves stealing personal information to obtain goods and services in your name. Criminals will often ask you to send money orders, international transfers or provide your bank details so that they can verify your identity. You may be asked to travel abroad to meet the scammers (also known as fake mule recruitment). If you think you are a victim of a scam, it’s important to act quickly. You can report the scam to IU, or your local police station.
