By Ellen A. Winter, Grand Wealth Management
Young or old, wealthy or poor, online or in person … nobody is immune from financial scams and identity theft slams. No matter who you are or how well-informed you may be, the bad guys are out there, daily devising new tricks for every fraud we fix.
Financial fraudsters and identity thieves are after your assets and your personal information. Thieves use any means possible to obtain your most treasured personal information, including social security and driver’s license numbers, financial account and credit card numbers, passwords, birthdates and any other about your life that can help them pull off their scams.
So, how can you protect yourself? Criminal techniques may be new-fangled, but the red flags to look for are not. Whether online, in the mail, on the phone or in person, be on high alert for any of the following experiences.
- An offer sounds too good to be true.
- A stranger wants to be your real or virtual best friend.
- Someone you know is behaving oddly, especially via email or phone. This may mean it’s an identity thief, posing as someone you know.
- Someone claiming to represent a government agency, financial or legal firm, police department or other authority contacts you out of the blue, demanding money or information.
- You’re feeling pressured or tricked into responding immediately to a threat, a temptation or a curiosity.
You’re prioritizing easy access over solid security with weak or absent locks and passwords.- You’re sharing personal information in a public venue, including social media sites.
- Facts or figures aren’t adding up; bank statements, reports or other information is missing entirely.
- Your defenses are down: you’re ill, injured, grieving, experiencing dementia or feeling blue.
- Your gut is warning you: something seems off.
If you feel you’ve been victimized, or any of the above has occurred, check all online accounts, call your financial institutions and credit card companies, and check in with the government agency responsible for overseeing the breach such as the IRS for tax fraud, or the FTC for anything else.
