Watch Out for These Red Flags of a Secret Shopper Scam
Don’t let a mystery shopper scam send your cart careening down the financial disaster aisle.
Learn about the latest ID theft schemes so you can protect your personal data
Don’t let a mystery shopper scam send your cart careening down the financial disaster aisle.
When you see these warning signs, send the moving company packing.
Scamsters have a few new tricks up their sleeves to steal your money or identity.
Stop scammers and identity thieves in their tracks with these fraud prevention measures.
Business email compromise scams target unsuspecting employees for financial fraud.
Ready to invest in crypto and NFTs but don’t want to get scammed? Laura answers listener questions about who should own crypto assets, the potential risks, and how to know when a cybercriminal is trying to take advantage of you.
Don’t be fooled by scamsters out to steal your personal information with imposter sites.
All you need is a job. But all that fake “employer” wants is your personal information or money.
Here’s how to know when to call “foul” and walk away from a shady sports betting site.
Don’t put yourself at risk for credit card theft with these common mistakes.
Here’s how to avoid sending your well-intentioned Ukraine donation to a scammer.
Take these steps to ensure your deceased loved one’s identity can rest in peace.
Not all sports memorabilia items are winners. Here’s how to avoid getting scammed.
Only a small fraction of people take the most basic protective measures.
Watch out for dating site “cyber actors” eager to put the moves on your bank account.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country. Here’s how you can prevent it.
Watch out for online COVID test scammers eager to prey on Omicron fears.
Ron Book is one of the most powerful lobbyists in one of the most important states in the country. But his influence and his fortune can’t stop a crime that started last year – and keeps getting worse.
Take these steps to keep medical identity thieves stuck in the waiting room.
Don’t let scammers lead you off a financial cliff as an unwitting money mule.
Don’t overlook these signs of an identity thief at work wrecking your credit.
Are criminals assembling a “Frankenstein” identity with pieces of your personal information?
Don’t let the microchip shortage and supply chain issues tempt you to buy from scammers.
Here’s how to stop fraudsters from stealing your identity to file false unemployment claims.
Holiday purchase scams are on the rise, warns the Better Business Bureau.
Beware of phony online ads and false promises for festive decor this holiday season.
Scammers these tricks to steal your money or identity during the holidays.
Don’t be too quick to buy from these social media ads, warns the Better Business Bureau.
Watch out for these scams aimed at tricking older adults into bad financial situations.
Not everyone claiming to be from the HealthCare Marketplace is legit.
Are you losing money to sneaky phone bill charges? Here’s how to find out.
Holiday online shoppers are at greater risk, warns the Better Business Bureau.
Don’t be seduced by phony dating sites in a hurry for your sensitive, personal information.
Identity thieves and hackers can’t wait for you to connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi.
Take these steps to avoid a crash course on repairing your stolen identity.
Take action now to prevent yourself from becoming an identity thief’s next victim.
That out-of-the blue offer of free government money is just a scam, says the FTC.
Scammers pretending to be big companies trick consumers with deals too good to be true.
LTBTQ+ romance scammers use extortion to get their hands on your money.
Think your credit card information is secure? Identity thieves know otherwise.
Don’t open the door to scammers promising loans and government relief to stop eviction.
Nobody wants to go shopping with identity thieves. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Here’s how to stop identity thieves from burdening your child with a poor credit history.
Here’s how to repair the damage wreaked on your credit accounts by identity thieves.
This summer’s rental car shortage has scammers kicking into high gear.
Here’s how to stop debit card thieves from taking a swipe at your bank account.
Scammers pretending to sell used cars online can’t wait to get their hands on your money.
Scamsters can’t wait to get their hands on your hard-earned vacation dollars.
Don’t get taken for a ride this summer by these common moving scams.
Scammers take a stab at preying on public health fears with COVID-19 schemes.
By law, every consumer can check their credit for free once every twelve months. There’s even a government-mandated web portal set up where you can download your reports. Just answer a few security questions and you can download the reports from all three bureaus.
When it comes to preventing identity theft, you want to look for two things:
Name variations are often assigned incorrectly, so you can end up with collection accounts that aren’t yours. If you have accounts listed in your credit report that you didn’t authorize or open, it’s a sure sign of theft.
A yearly review is one of your best lines of defense to catch ID theft early.
The Social Security Administration created a special portal where anyone with a Social Security number can set up an online account. Whenever someone tries to claim benefits or use your number, the portal notifies you. This helps you catch Social Security fraud early, which is important because it’s the worst type of theft to handle.
Note: Do wait to do this! If someone steals your Social Security number, they can set up an account in your name. That means there’s a much lower chance of catching the theft, because the thieves intercept all your warnings!
First off, change your passwords often. This helps prevent theft. You should also use one password for only one account. With today’s technology, it’s really easy to use a random password generator to create 16-character strings that are impossible to guess. Then, you save your passwords to a secure online vault or on your smartphone so you don’t have to remember them all.
There’s no excuse for using something easily guessable like Password123 or something equally as guessable.
Some phishing scams are easy to spot, but some are easy to fall for because they really seem legitimate. Phishing scams work by convincing you that a service provider you work with needs information from you. They either direct you to a website where they ask for personal information or they ask you to call them. Either way, their goal is to get things like you Social Security number or credit card account information.
If you receive an unsolicited email that directs you to do something, call the service provider’s main customer service line. Don’t call the phone number listed in the email. Just check the company website and call the main customer service line. This ensures you only respond to legitimate requests for information.
Emails are one of the easiest forms of communication that cyberthieves can intercept. So, whether a legitimate service provider asked for it or not, never email private information. Call and give numbers over the phone if they’re needed or ask if there’s a secure website where you can enter the information.
Nobody but you should have your debit card PIN. And nobody on your social networks needs to know your physical address. Oversharing is a big problem for identity theft and social media is only making it worse. Adjust all the security settings on your favorite social networks so you only share stuff with people connected to you. This will help prevent ID theft and also problems like social media identity theft.
Credit monitoring services alert you whenever there’s a change in your credit profile. This helps you catch identity theft as early as possible. It’s also a good way to track your credit score so you can build credit effectively.
If you can’t afford a paid service, there are free ones available. You may also get a monitoring service free through one of your credit card accounts or bank accounts.
Most people are pretty bad about closing old accounts. You may still have a Hotmail account that you haven’t used in over a decade, but it’s still there. And it leaves you open for identity theft if it gets hacked.
If you stop using a service, make sure to close your account. This step is most often skipped with free accounts; you close paid accounts to stop the bills, but free accounts just get left running. So, instead of just deleting that app that you never use anymore, actually take the step of going online to close the account.
Most forms that you fill out ask for your Social Security number even when they don’t need it. If a service provider wants your Social Security number, ask if it’s required. If not, leave the space blank. This happens often with doctor’s offices and veterinarians. Streaming services don’t need your SSN either.
So, always ask why they need the information and if it’s required. If it’s not, don’t provide it!
Impart all these great identity theft tips that you’ve learned to your kids. Teenagers are terrible about oversharing and they’re often not protective enough of their accounts. They may even give their debit card and PIN to a friend because they need money and they’re feeling lazy.
So, don’t let your best ID theft practices be thwarted by kids that don’t know any better. Teach your kids about identity theft and how to avoid it, so they adopt good security practices as early as possible.