Tag Archives: identity theft

Don’t get scammed this holiday season

November 27, 20183-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Crime Prevention, Education, Holidays, How-To's, Senior Livingidentity theft, Katherine Jamieson, Michigan State University Extension, Online shopping, ScamJoanne

By Katherine Jamieson, Michigan State University Extension

The biggest shopping days of the season are fast approaching. According to “Consumers and retailers win big over Thanksgiving holiday” from the National Retail Federation, from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, more than 174 million Americans shopped in stores or online in 2017. According to the 2018 Consumer Holiday Spending report by OpenX and Harris Poll, predictions show that holiday spending is going to be even greater.

With more spending comes more opportunities to get swindled. Michigan State University Extension recommends these tips and suggestions to avoid being scammed.

Only give to charities you trust and know. Holidays are a time for giving and some people can take advantage of your good will. Give smarter by learning about the charities you plan to give to, making sure they are legitimate. Look them up on the Charity Navigator who rates charities based on financial health, accountability, transparency and other factors.

Be cautious of contests. Many scammers use telemarketing to tempt consumers with prizes from fake contests. Be skeptical if you get a call out of the blue about winning a big ticket item like the newest iPhone or luxury vacation. Don’t put down a deposit or provide the caller with your personal information.

Beware of bait and switch. Peddlers of fake merchandise items do a booming business during the holidays as people shop for the most popular, high ticket items like watches, designer handbags and electronics. The rule of thumb here is one you’ve heard before: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Check the authenticity of purchased gift cards. Gift cards have been increasingly popular, so make sure your gift card has not been tampered with. Check the scratch-off personal identification numbers to ensure it is still intake. The Better Business Bureau also urges caution if you buy your cards from an auction or third-party website (a site that doesn’t belong to the retailer offering the cards). The card may have already expired, has no value or was obtained illegally.

Limit your chances of identity theft. While identity theft is an issue throughout the year, it happens even more often during the holidays. You’re probably giving out your personal information more often and freely than you even realize. Many retailers are now asking for your zip code, phone number and email address at checkout. None of this is necessary to complete a retail transaction. You can politely decline to give this information. It is best to keep sensitive information private.

Secure your online shopping. When you are buying online, make sure to shop on your home or other secure Wi-Fi network. You will also want to stick to secure web pages when making your purchases. Be careful of giving personal information when clicking on email links. It is better to type the company’s URL into your browser instead. This way you can see if it is a secure web page (it would have a padlock symbol and “https:” at the beginning of the URL). Make your computer is safe by using firewalls, anti-spyware and anti-virus software. Keep all software and browsers updated.

Unfortunately, there are new scams each year and it’s hard to keep up on all of them. Protect your wallet, purchases and identity by shopping safer and smarter this holiday season.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Don’t get scammed this holiday season

November 23, 20183-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Senior Livingidentity theft, Katherine Jamieson, Michigan State University Extension, Online shopping, Retail fraud, ScamJoanne

By Katherine Jamieson, Michigan State University Extension

According to “Consumers and retailers win big over Thanksgiving holiday” from the National Retail Federation, from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, more than 174 million Americans shopped in stores or online in 2017. According to the 2018 Consumer Holiday Spending report by OpenX and Harris Poll, predictions show that holiday spending is going to be even greater.

With more spending comes more opportunities to get swindled. Michigan State University Extension recommends these tips and suggestions to avoid being scammed.

Unfortunately, there are new scams each year and it’s hard to keep up on all of them. Protect your wallet, purchases and identity by shopping safer and smarter this holiday season.

Avoid financial and identity theft scams: What to watch out for

October 9, 20173-bottom, Citizen Journalismfraud, identity theft, online scamsJoanne

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.

“So What?” to new chip credit cards?

October 8, 2015Area Education, Crime Prevention, Local Business, Senior Livingchip credit card, City of Wyoming Police Department, credit card theft, identity theft, Lt. James MaguffeeJoanne

The new chip protected credit cards are coming! As of the first of this month, stores were required to have a new credit card reader installed to complete this new and improved credit card system. With this new technology, you can expect improved security and reduced chances of identity theft. That’s because the new chip, or “EMV” cards, make it harder for thieves to counterfeit your card or steal the number for charging up fraudulent purchases.

There are just a couple hitches in the plan – namely most people haven’t received their new chip cards, and it’s certain most stores won’t have the new and improved chip card reader installed any time soon. Even if they did, banks will not require you to use a special pin number every time you use the card, which is the ultimate step to crime fighting credit card fraud. So what’s the big deal?

According to City of Wyoming Police Officer Lt. James Maguffee, the change is slow in coming, but can make a difference when it gets here. Especially in fraud cases he’s been involved with recently like credit card numbers being skimmed from gas pumps in the west Michigan area. “The new chip cards make it harder to get the card number, so skimmers or a server at a restaurant won’t be able to see it.” The chip card will protect the data that is currently easily readable on the magnetic strip, so accounts held by big box stores like Target and Walmart likely will be safer. Walmart already accepts chip-enabled cards at all of its locations thanks to chip card readers installed as of November of last year. But chip embedded credit card are still rare.

In the meantime, even if the store has no chip reader you will still be able to swipe your chip card, when it eventually arrives. But this also means you are still vulnerable to credit card theft. “The new credit card chip will have very little impact on consumers,” says Lt. Maguffee, “because without a pin number requirement, someone can still smash your window and steal your purse. They can still get the card number and use it at a store, even online.”

And by the time you actually have to use a pin number to activate the chip card, Maguffee predicts there will likely be even more sophisticated protections involving biotech systems currently being explored. This reminds us that identity and credit card theft prevention is something we should all be aware of while we wait for the future to arrive. The Wyoming Police make the following suggestions to help keep you from becoming a victim:

Check your accounts as often as you can, looking for unauthorized activity; daily if possible, and report any such activity to your bank immediately.

•Do not write passwords or PINs anywhere on or near your credit or debit cards.
•Protect your passwords and pins by using caution when entering or using them in a public place.

•Do not carry your social security card or number on your person. Memorize it and secure it at home.
•Never leave purses, wallets, ID, credit cards, etc. in your unoccupied vehicle.
•Never give out personal information over the phone to any source you are not absolutely certain is legitimate.

Lt. Maguffee says since the recent big bust of gas pump credit card skimmers in west Michigan, the number of fraud cases may have “dipped just a bit.” So good old fashioned crime fighting doesn’t hurt either.