Learn to Spot Common Scams:
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Check Fraud
- Signs of a fake check:
- Winning prizes and being told to send back taxes and fees for it
- Getting paid as a “secret shopper” and being told you need to wire the money back
- Selling items online and the buyer overpays you for it
- Spelling/Grammar errors
- Fake signature
- Vague information -company name & address and/or bank company name & address are missing or not correct
- Tips to avoid a fake check scams:
- Be aware – talk to someone you trust and contact your bank if you think you might be getting scammed
- Never take more money than what you are asking for
- If selling anything online, consider using an escrow or online payment service
- Do not ever send back money to someone that paid you with a check
Grandparent Scams
- Signs of grandparent scams:
- Urgency to get money
- Pretending to be a family member
- Pay with gift cards or cryptocurrency or do a wire transfer
- They claim to be stranded or in jail, need help paying medical bills
- They might have information about you to make it seem more realistic
- Tips to avoid grandparent scams:
- Confirm who the caller is
- Ask questions
- Never give out any personal information
- Never rush into a financial decision
Online Shopping
- Signs of online shopping scams:
- Products and services are at an extremely low price and might be significantly lower than competitors
- Merchants that only accept payments such as wire transfers, money orders, gift cards, or using cashapp, venmo, and zelle
- No contact information or details on returning the product
- Websites that have grammatical and spelling errors
- Tips to avoid online shopping scams:
- Do not click on any suspicious links or give out any personal or banking information
- Do the research – make sure it a safe website, verify the contact information, look for ratings and reviews, also keep track of the shipping information
- Payment methods – do not wire any funds, only use peer to peer payments with people you trust, never pay someone using gift cards or prepaid debit cards
- If you are caught in a scam, please contact your financial institution or law enforcement
Tech Support Scam
- Signs of a tech support scam
- Might show up as an error or trust antivirus software in the browser
- Wants you to call a toll-free number, urges you that you need to call immediately, or you are at risk of losing all your personal data
- If you call, then they might want you to give them remote access, pretend to run a diagnostic test, tell you they have found a virus, or they might sell you repair services or a security subscription
- Then they will ask you to pay a fee – they will offer you things that are free elsewhere, fixing a problem that does not exist, installing malware, offer things that you already have, etc.
- What to do in a tech support scam
- Don’t click any links or call any phone numbers they give – they will try to get money from you
- Keep your security software up to date – know what it looks like, so you know what to look for
- Tell someone you trust about it – it will help you know if it is a scam or not
Phishing Emails & Text Messages
- Signs of phishing scams:
- Texts, emails, phone calls that seem like they are from your financial institutions, or federal government, etc.
- They will ask you to click on this link – by clicking on this link they can install programs that can lock you out of your computer and allowing them to steal your personal information
- They might ask you for information like passwords or your bank account numbers
- They will rush you to give out information or click on the link – tell you that if you do not act fast, something bad will happen
- Tips to avoid phishing scams:
- Do some research first – look up the link, call the company they are posing as, but do not use the number that was sent in the email or text, talk to them about the message you got because they will be able to tell you if it is a scam or not
- Look for fraud tip offs- you might not have an account with the company, message is missing vital details or has grammar and spelling errors, might ask for personal info or passwords
- Protect yourself – keep your computer security up to date, use multi-factor authentication (a second step to verify who you are by a text with a code), change compromised passwords right away and do not use them for anything else
Romance Scams
- Signs of romance scams:
- Professes their love very quickly, saying things like they are overseas for business or military purposes
- Asks you for money and tries to lure you off the dating site
- They try to make you think they need the money for emergencies, hospital bills, or traveling expenses
- They will try to act like there are coming to visit you but at the last second, they cancel due to an “emergency”
- Tips to avoid romance scams:
- Slow things down – do not make rash decisions because they are wanting you to move quickly
- Talk to someone you trust
- Never transfer money – especially when they ask you to wire or get an X amount of money on gift cards, you might not be able to get the money back
- If you have sent money to the scammer, contact your bank or financial institution right away
For more information on fraud and/or common scams, contact eServices:
Phone: (712) 262-3340
Email: eservices@farmerstrust.bank
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