Don’t let cyber safety scare you! The idea of cyber safety can seem a little daunting but being proactive is the first step. As long as you are willing to learn and be diligent you will protect yourself and your money from scams and fraud.
Six Common Scams
Scammers have unique and sophisticated ways to target victims. While there can be countless different scams, here are six of the most common ones. This list includes who the scammers are pretending to be, what the scam is, and why they are doing it.
Imposter Scam
- WHO: Scammers pretend to be from a bank, a government agency like the IRS or Medicare, or a charitable organization.
- WHAT: They try to get money or personal information that can be used to sell on the dark web.
- WHY: They ask for payment for back taxes or unpaid debt that needs to be settled immediately.
Urgency Scam
- WHO: Scammers pretend to be hospitals, bail bonds men, the IRS or even family members.
- WHAT: Any type of scam that pressures people to take advantage of a deal or to send a payment urgently.
- WHY: They pressure you to provide personal information or send a form of payment.
Phishing Scam
- WHO: Scammers pretend to be from banks or other reputable companies.
- WHAT: These scams look official and are sent by email, text message, social or voice message.
- WHY: They are meant to trick unsuspecting victims into giving out personal or financial information to steal personal information or money.
Utility Scam
- WHO: Scammers pretend to be from the electric or other service company.
- WHAT: They contact you via phone or email and pressure consumers into sending a payment to avoid having their service turned off.
- WHY: They use scare tactics to trick those targeted into providing financial information.
Pay Yourself Scam
- WHO: Scammers pretend to be from your bank.
- WHAT: They send a text or email that looks like a fraud alert from the person’s bank asking if they authorized a transaction. They’ll then call as a bank representative and offer to help stop the alleged fraud.
- WHY: They ask you to send money via transfer or person-to-person payment. In reality, the payment is being sent to the scammer.
Support Specialist Scam
- WHO: Scammers pretend to be a support specialist from a known technology company.
- WHAT: First, they will try to trick victims into thinking that their computer is damaged. Then, they will request remote access under the false claim that they can fix the issue.
- WHY: They claim there is something wrong with the victim’s account or device and then steal information from it.
Resources
Don’t let cyber safety scare you! Make sure you look at our page on protecting your finances. This page includes information and products that we offer our members to prevent fraud and scams from affecting you.
Check out this website with helpful tips to learn about different types of scams and how to protect yourself against them at any age.
Click here to take this 2 minute digital banking quiz to test your safety knowledge.
