You and your family can avoid becoming victims of scams by following some easy tips.
Financial loss and significant distress can result from scams. These tips will help you guard against con artists.
Phishing and fraud scams are techniques used to fraudulently collect personal information, including credit card numbers, passwords, and identity numbers, by phoning, emailing, or texting individuals and pretending to be from reputable businesses or banks.
These emails or text messages usually ask recipients to click on a link to a spoof website, which aims to trick users into believing it is authentic, to update or gain vital financial information, such as contact details.
Along with a phone number and a contact person, these emails and texts also speak of promises that you could win significant sums of money and that you should call these people.
What you should do to prevent falling victim to scams and fraud:
• Never reply to emails or texts requesting personal information that seems to be from your bank. Remember, no bank will ever request that you send an email to verify or change your account information.
• Never give your online ID, password and PIN to anybody. You should also never write them down or distribute them.
• Keep your password for online banking off your desktop.
• Once you have inputted your password for online banking, never leave your computer alone.
• At the end of a session, always log off or sign off.
• Avoid using any computer that strangers could access for online banking, including public spaces like internet cafés.
• Frequently change your passwords and PINs.
• Set reasonable limits for transactions on your accounts.
• Give your credit card information only to reliable businesses.
• Usually, if something appears too good to be true, it is.
• Never offer credit card numbers, internet account information, or money transfers to someone you do not know and trust.
