Posts Tagged Scams

ATM Skimming – Yes, It Could Happen To You

ATM Skimming – Yes, It Could Happen To You

It’s all so convenient. You go to the gas station, insert your debit card into the reader at the pump, fill up your car, and you’re on your way. Or when you need some pocket money, you simply go to the nearest Automated Teller Machine (ATM), swipe your card, take your cash and go. Thanks to modern technology, there’s no longer any need to waste time waiting in long lines at gas stations or banks. Thieves also love the convenience of gas station card readers and ATMs. They’ve come up with some ingenious ways to use them to gain access to your bank account information, and therefore, your hard-earned money. It’s called ATM skimming, and the crime requires just two easily obtained components. The first is the skimmer itself. This is a counterfeit card reader, which is placed over the ATM’s actual card slot. When you swipe your card through

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How to Protect Against Identity Theft

How to Protect Against Identity Theft

It is estimated that someone’s identity is stolen every two seconds. Security expert Frank Abagnale offers some suggestions on how to prevent it from happening to you. Lock your mailbox. If your mailbox doesn’t lock, you can buy one that does for about $40 Don’t leave valuables in your car, particularly your laptop, mobile phone and wallet Shred sensitive documents, don’t just throw them in the trash or recycling bin. Micro-cut shredders, which shred documents into confetti, are available for around $30 Use a password to secure your smartphone. Avoid obvious passwords, such as your birthday, pet names and sequential numbers like 1,2,3,4 Change the password on your computer regularly, at least once every three months. In addition, use strong passwords on all your financial accounts Don’t share your Social Security number unless it is absolutely necessary Don’t carry your Medicare card unless you are going to a health care

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Beware of these two scams targeting seniors

Beware of these two scams targeting seniors

Approximately 20 percent of Americans over the age of 65 have been victimized by some form of financial abuse, with the average loss per victim exceeding $120,000. While financial abuse is sometimes perpetrated by family members or “friends,” it is often the result of organized online and telephone scams. According to a recent study by Wells Fargo, nearly half of all seniors report that they know someone who has fallen victim to a scam. The Social Security Administration has issued a warning about scammers who pose as employees of the agency in an attempt to gather personal information about seniors. In one such scam, a senior receives a phone call with a recorded message claiming that his or her Social Security number has been suspended for suspicious illegal activity. The message provides a phone number that the person must call to rectify the problem and to prevent his or her

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