5 Ways to Avoid the Biggest Identity Theft Scams this Tax Season In 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) identified nearly 1.1 million tax returns as potential fraud. For many fraudsters, tax season can mean intercepting important tax documents and deceiving unsuspecting taxpayers to steal their money. Two common tax-related scams: 1) Fraudsters take your tax documents, such as a W-2, and file a return to ensure… Read More
Common Cybersecurity Attacks and How to Protect Your Information Cybersecurity is necessary to protect your computer systems and electronic data from the dangers of browsing the web. In fact, in 2022, over 490 million ransomware attacks were reported by organizations worldwide. In 2021 alone, 94% of malware was delivered via email, which demonstrates the value of knowing how to identify and prevent these sorts… Read More
4 Investment Scams to Watch Out For It’s no surprise that investment fraud is common, since investments can often be complicated and difficult for people to understand. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2022, consumers reported losing more money to investment scams than any other category, adding up to a whopping $3.8 billion. Here’s everything you need to know about… Read More
4 Steps You Should Take to Protect Yourself Against a Data Breach You’ve probably received an email before alerting you that your data has been leaked in a data breach. A data breach is an intentional security incident that exposes sensitive, confidential data to unauthorized third parties. This exposed information can range from banking details, personal identification, and protected health information to any other private intellectual property. … Read More
5 Signs This Text is A Scam Did you know fake bank messages are the most reported text scams? According to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, over 40% of people who reported a text scam in 2022 said the text impersonated a bank. To better protect yourself, here are five signs this text is a scam. Strange phone numbers In most… Read More
Check Fraud is on the Rise: 3 Ways to Protect Your Money The rise of digital banking has lessened check usage, but they are still relied upon by many. Unfortunately for check users, recent reports show that check fraud is escalating dramatically thanks to mail theft. In fact, it nearly doubled from 350,000 reports in 2021 to 680,000 in 2022, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.… Read More
Puppy Scams: What Are They? And How to Avoid Them Sporting lovable personalities and a willingness to show unconditional love and loyalty, it’s no wonder dogs are a human’s best friend. Unfortunately, fraudsters know this too, and they use a variety of tactics to take advantage of dog lovers looking to purchase a pooch. However, you can avoid scams by following these basic guidelines. What… Read More
5 Online Scams Targeting Your Wallet and How to Avoid Them According to a 2022 Better Business Bureau (BBB) report, consumers aged 25-44 reported losing money to text message scams more than any other age group. This age group also reported a higher susceptibility to fraud (42.6%), and a higher median dollar loss at $190. This generation’s high usage of social media and dating apps exposes them to digital fraudsters.… Read More
Watch Out for These 6 Social Media Scams While technology has boosted our ability to access virtually anything online, it has also created many more opportunities for social media fraudsters to take advantage. They can target anyone who participates in everyday online exchanges. That’s why it is so important to stay informed about the common internet scams. Here are six types of scams… Read More
5 Tips to Avoid Online Dating Scams Recent reports highlight the fact that online dating sites and apps are seeing massive increases in users. It seems that love is logging in online. Before you run off to create your dating profile, consider the possible risks. According to the FBI, romance scams and similar confidence scams cost consumers more money than any other kind… Read More