2022-02-11T15:01:00
(BPT) – Now more than ever, it’s important to understand and learn more about the most widespread scams impacting families across the country. Here are a few of the most common scams taking place today:
Fake Bank Fraud Specialist
What it looks like: Consumers receive a fraud alert via text or email that appears to come from their bank. The message asks to validate whether they made a certain purchase or sent money.
After saying “no,” the recipient gets a call from someone claiming to be from their bank’s fraud team. The phone number may even appear to be real and valid.
How to stop it: Unfortunately, scammers target consumers from many banks and they are very good at disguising themselves by “spoofing” or making their phone number appear legitimate. Consumers should never share their banking password, temporary identification code, ATM pin or send money to someone who says that doing so will prevent fraud on their account. Bank employees won’t call, text or email consumers asking for this, but crooks will. To confirm you are talking to someone from your bank, call the number at the back of your credit or debit card or visit your local branch.
Grandparent Scams
What it looks like: You’ll get a call or email from a grandchild (or other relative) saying that they’re in trouble and need money fast for bail or medical expenses.
How to stop it: Call your relative directly. If you can’t reach them, contact another relative who knows them and may know their whereabouts and circumstances. Whatever you do, don’t send money, purchase gift cards, or share any of your personal information, including your banking username and password.
Online Shopping Scams
What it looks like: Scammers set up fake websites or fake ads claiming to sell products but send out fake products — or nothing at all.
How to stop it: Beware of retailers claiming to sell luxury goods for unrealistic prices. Also, make sure to check independent reviews for a site you’ve never purchased from before.
Tips for Detecting and Preventing Fraud
Below are several valuable dos and don’ts from Chase for dealing with today’s scams.
- Educate yourself on the most common scams and share your knowledge with family and friends on how to stay safe
- Monitor your credit score with Chase Credit Journey. It’s free for everyone – no Chase account needed.
- Set up account alerts to help you detect unusual transactions[1]
- Ask your telephone or cellular service provider to enroll you in their scam and spam call protection service
- Click suspicious links from emails or texts.
- Share personal information. Banks won’t ask for username, password, PIN, etc.
- Transfer money to someone claiming to be from your bank.
- Pay someone using gift cards, especially when they claim to need them to remove a virus from your computer, stop fraud on your account or to buy plane tickets to visit you.
[1] Delivery of alerts may be delayed for various reasons, including technology failures and capacity limitations.