Scams & Fraud

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.

The holiday deals have already begun, but buyer beware – not all of those great deals you see online are legit. Because if the online shopping season has started it means that online scam season has officially begun too.

In August of 2022 the Veterans Administration (VA) began the largest expansion of benefits in its history with the enactment of the PACT Act. The Act, which compensates military personnel and veterans for exposure to toxic chemicals has led to 4.5 million toxic screenings and the expansion of benefits to more than 400,000 individuals. It has also created an opportunity for criminal scammers.

Social media has become a dangerous marketplace. Scammers are great at creating slick ads and professional looking websites and for minimal cost they can force them into your feed. According to the Federal Trade Commission, $2.7 billion in reported fraud losses have been tied to social media since 2021 and 44% of those came from fake sales.