Scams & Fraud

Here are three steps towards protecting yourself against identity fraud.

Getting tickets to must-see concerts is becoming harder than ever. From presale signup to waiting hours online and still missing out on the tickets you want, criminals have a solution – and it’s costing consumers a lot of money in fraudulent ticket purchases. With most concert venues switching to digital tickets only, it is easier than ever to produce counterfeit tickets. And with many of the top shows selling out instantly the market for resale tickets is larger than ever. Here are three tips to avoid buying a worthless ticket.

Winter is upon us and with temperatures plummeting in many areas, keeping the heat on is critical — a fact that fraud criminals try to take advantage of. Each winter, utility scams spike as scammers claiming to be from the utility company say you haven’t been paying your bill and they threaten to cut off service if you don’t make an immediate payment. The goal of these crooks is to create a sense of panic – when we react first with emotion, it’s hard to access logical thinking, and the criminals are adept with using this tactic. Their hope is that we stay in that state of panic long enough to complete a payment.

One key to shopping online is reading the fine print, including who you’re actually buying from. While we often think of giant online retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target as a store they can be more like a mall or flea market where you are buying products from a variety of sellers. However, some of those sellers are more reputable than others.

If you’re like a lot of people, you spent a lot this holiday season and you might be in the mood to tackle your debt in the New Year. Getting yourself out of debt is hard work. It takes time and discipline. Be wary of offers of guaranteed quick fixes.

It’s New Year’s Resolution time. Time to make a commitment to be fraud aware in 2024. For the next 52 weeks, like clockwork, scammers will be on the prowl looking to steal our money or sensitive information. Instead of making one pledge this New Year make a resolution to remember these three words: stop, think and verify.

If there is one thing we know, it’s that criminal scammers are not stupid. They often use cutting-edge technologies to make their schemes more sophisticated and harder to detect. However, these same technologies can – and should – be used to protect people as well.

The holidays are a time when friends and family of all ages gather together, share updates on their lives and recount cherished memories. One thing to add to that list this year: a conversation on how to stay safe from fraud.

It’s the season of giving, and for those in the spirit, telling the difference between a real charity and a con can be a challenge. Legitimate charities make a big push at year-end for last-minute annual donations. Scammers know this and make their own end-of-year push to line their pockets.

Most of us do it several times a day. We have a question, need a phone number or are looking for a website, so we open a search engine and type in our request. What happens next is becoming more and more dangerous.