Scams & Fraud

One of the most popular ways for criminals to steal money and sensitive information is by impersonating a trusted source — often a government agency. According to the Federal Trade Commission, victims of government impostor scams reported theft of nearly $617 million in 2023.

Tax season isn't just about filing returns; it's also prime time for IRS impostor scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported theft of $5.8 million via these scams in 2023 alone. Here is what you need to know about IRS impostors so you can stay one step ahead of these crooks.

AARP Pennsylvania emphasizes the importance of education on the risks and prevention methods of Social Security fraud. With identity theft at the forefront of digital crimes, understanding how to protect one's Social Security number has never been more crucial.

Many of us have used a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment app to split a bill or send money to a friend, and some people even use them for traditional shopping. However, there are inherent risks that exist on these payment apps that everyone should know about.

The numbers are in and last year was yet another historic year for fraud. The Federal Trade Commission released its annual compendium of fraud reports from 2023, and the news is shocking. For the first time ever reported theft through fraud topped $10 billion. The total is 14% higher than what was reported in 2022 and 5 times greater than reported losses in 2019.

It’s that time of year again – the holidays are long past, and summer is still a long way off. It’s time for a spring getaway. But beware, for everyone looking for a great spring break deal there is a criminal out there offering an amazing deal. These three tips will help you spot a potential travel scam.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, victims of government impostor scams reported nearly $509 million stolen from them in 2022.

If there is one thing everyone should understand, it is that “scammers” are career criminals skilled at the art of manipulation, and no one is immune. These crooks target people of any age; in fact, 41% of those who reported a fraud loss to the Federal Trade Commission in 2023 were under the age of 30. So, what can a person do if they experience fraud?

One of the oldest scams around involves a criminal getting hold of one of your checks and forging the payee and the amount. Usually this is done by “washing” the check with chemicals to remove the real information you have written on it. Today, with access to new technologies, criminals are “cooking” checks by creating fake versions of real checks using computer programs. These “cooked” checks can be manipulated digitally and either printed or deposited electronically, saving the crook a lot of mess and hassle.

The past two years have seen an explosion of crypto currency scams which has led many people to ask the same question - how? After all, crypto currency is something most people don’t understand, and those who do follow it know that it is very volatile, completely unregulated, and has no protection for investors. So, given all of that, how are people losing billions a year to crypto scams? If we had to pick someone to blame (besides the criminals), it might be Cupid.