You’re not the only one kicking things into high gear this time of year. “Naughty elves” are heating up their efforts to steal private financial data from unsuspecting shoppers by masquerading as trusted companies. The criminals behind these schemes are using tactics to trick consumers into gifting them bank account credentials, credit card details and other sensitive information.
You’re closely following guidelines to protect you and your family’s health against COVID-19. But it’s important to protect your financial health as well. Here are five tips to keep your financial and personal information safe from scammers, both online and off. Continue reading
It starts with your phone ringing — the most prevalent tax scam making the rounds this year. The caller claims to be from the IRS and demands your money NOW. Don’t think you’re the only one singled out for this tactic; aggressive, threatening phone scams occur regularly across the country. But, scamming also happens via email, U.S. mail or in person.
Tax scams don’t all look the same, but they are all intended to steal your money. Most fall into one of several categories of illicit acts, including phone scams, phishing and tax provider scams. Help yourself avoid these scams by knowing what kinds are out there and taking steps to keep your money safe.
It’s great to have the convenience of person-to-person (P2P) payment services, but any time there’s money involved, you can be sure fraudsters are not far behind. That’s why it’s important to know how to use them wisely.
If you use a cellphone or have an email account, you’ve almost certainly been exposed to an attempt at mass marketing fraud. 
The internet can be a great resource when you’re searching for a new job. Unfortunately, it’s also home to many online scammers who are constantly devising new employment schemes to trick you into handing over your money or sensitive personal information so they can steal your identity.
Phishing is the act of sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The requested information is most often credit card numbers, but it can also be credit union or bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, or other sensitive data. The email often attributes the need for verification of data, due to security concerns, to create a sense of urgency in responding. Be particularly cautious if the email contains an embedded link for you to access the site in order to update your information.
