Red_Flags

Online Scams: Five Red Flags

Red Flag 1:

You’re contacted unexpectedly.

Watch for: A phone call, email, text, direct message or pop-up with a request for personal information or money.

Scammers will:

Contact you out of the blue and claim there’s an issue that needs immediate attention.

Ask for a favor, personal details, remote access to your devices or money.
Try to confirm your identity with a verification code they send you – even though they called you.

Insist you download apps or click links to “fix” issues or confirm information.
Remember: Scammers use convincing stories. They can use fake email addresses and Caller ID information – don’t trust them.

Make sure you have verified the person who has contacted you before acting on any request. Never click a link or download an attachment from someone you don’t know.

Your bank will never text, email or call you asking for personal or account information. If someone reaches out and asks for it, it’s a scam.

Red Flag 2:

The communication plays with your emotions and pressures you to act immediately.

Watch for: An alarming phone call, email or text. Someone is indicating there’s a problem with your account, an issue with a delivery, an emergency with a loved one or product scarcity.

Scammers will:

Pretend to be a loved one who needs help
Pose as an employee from a familiar organization and say there’s a problem that needs immediate attention

Disguise themselves as a friend or love interest, even though they’ve never met you
Claim to need money for emergencies, account problems, bills or travel
Insist you keep quiet about the situation

Tell you to not trust your bank or insist you respond to questions untruthfully.
Remember: Scammers use emotional triggers, like love, compassion, exhilaration or fear, to trick you into taking action. Do not act unless you have verified the person who has contacted you and the story or request is legitimate.

Red Flag 3:

You’re asked to pay in an unusual way

Watch for: A request for money. You may be directed to the nearest post office or a wire transfer service. Or, asked for bank transfers, pre-loaded debit cards, gift cards or virtual currency such as Bitcoin. They may send you a check and ask you to deposit it and use the deposited funds to do transactions.

Scammers will:

Pressure you to pay with prepaid debit or gift card codes, wires, bank transfers or digital currency

Send you a check for more than what is owed and tell you give the extra to someone else

Have a reason for why you can’t keep all the money

Remember: Many of these forms of payments are like cash and nearly impossible to trace or get back. Be wary when someone says you have to pay in unusual ways. Always verify who you’re sending money to before you send it. Your bank should never ask you to transfer money to anyone, including yourself, and we will never ask you to transfer money because we detected fraud on your account.

By law, banks must make deposited funds available quickly. The bank may make funds available, but that does not mean the check has cleared the paying bank or may not be returned unpaid as fraudulent at a later date. By the time the check is discovered to be fraudulent, the scammer has the money you sent and you may owe money to the bank for that check.

Red Flag 4:

You're asked for personal information

Watch for: An unexpected phone call, email, text, direct message or pop-up with a request for personal information. This may be an account verification code, bank account number, PIN or social security number.

Scammers will:

Contact you out of the blue

Ask you to click links or open attachments to confirm your identity
Coach you through steps to complete an action, like changing your password
Use pop-ups on your computer or mobile device that ask you to allow software to run

Provide a callback number or tell you to trust Caller ID when you question them

Break into your mailbox to steal mail, especially checks

Take you to a website that looks legitimate and asks for your login information
Remember: When in doubt, don’t give it out. Never share account verification codes or personal information unless you’ve contacted the company through a verified method. Never provide strangers remote access to your computer.

Tour bank will never text, email or call you asking for an authorization code. If someone reaches out and asks for it, it’s a scam.

Red Flag 5:

It seems too good to be true.

Watch for: An offer for free products or a ‘get rich quick’ opportunity. Or a claim you won a contest you didn’t enter.

Scammers will:

Dangle bait such as a prize, money, shopping spree or products for difficult-to-cure conditions

Guarantee success or promise unusually high returns

Offer to pay full price, shipping or other costs

Ask you to deposit a check and use all or part of the money to buy things or send to someone else

Insist you pay a small fee in return for something

Not let you enter a rental property before paying a deposit

Remember: If something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Beware of deeply discounted prices, offers of free vacations, and winnings for a contest you never entered. Never cash a check for someone you don’t know.

Technology Red Flag To Remember

If you get an unsolicited request to remotely access your computer or mobile device, it's probably a scam - and you could lose money. Scammers often pose as employees of familiar companies and ask you to provide remote access or download an app. They may call, use pop-up screens or email to convince you that your device has a virus or that you're owed money.

How to help protect yourself:

No matter what reason you're given, never grant device access or download any app at the request of unknown companies or individuals.

Always confirm the identity of someone requesting access by calling a trusted and verified phone number (the one they provide could be part of the scam).