From identify theft to imposter scams, American consumers filed a record amount of fraud reports in 2021, resulting in $5.9 billion of stolen funds.*
At TVAMP, many of us have our own personal scam stories to tell: Random emails with innocent-looking buttons to click, a grandparent who got an urgent call from a “grandchild,” and a various other social media scams. We did some research and compiled this list of popular scams.
Spot phone scams:
- Someone threatens you to take action immediately
- Requests that you “confirm your personal information”
- Urges you to buy service contracts, pay a fee, make an investment, or donate money
- Asks for your personal information in exchange for a price quote
- An unfamiliar voice claims to be your relative, saying they urgently need money wired to them
- If you answer a robocall by mistake (nowadays scammers can make their phone number look local), don’t say anything – just hang up
- An upbeat greeting saying you won something
- Messages about your car’s warranty
Feel free to let this type of call go to voicemail. Several articles noted the more robocalls you pick up, the more you may get.
Avoid email phishing:
- Vague emails with a link
- From an odd email address
- Invites you to click on a link to make a payment
- Contains spelling mistakes and or bad grammar
- Say they have noticed “suspicious activity” or log-in attempts on your ____ account (this could be for your protection, so it doesn’t hurt to close the email and go update your password on the ____ account that it mentions in the event someone has attempted to login to one of your online accounts)
- “Click here to view/claim your refund” from a random email address
- Directly asks for personal information, login credentials, or sensitive data
Although the branding looks very realistic, take a look at the email address this is from! The button “Try Again Payment” sounds odd, too!
Don’t fall for social media scams:
- Requests for money or wants to send a large amount of money whether through check, 3rd party app, or other platform
- Urges for money because they are in trouble or stuck somewhere
- Direct messages from a random account asking you to click on a link
- If they rush to start a friendship or romance
- Suspicious profile photo and not many friends or followers
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
We also want to call attention to these two categories: government and healthcare. Whether it’s a call, email, or message on social media, these can be extra tricky to navigate because they can seem very real.
Common “government” scams:
- The IRS does not contact people in person, by email, phone call or text message, or social media
- The IRS does not threaten people or negotiate amounts due
Common “health care” scams:
- Navigators/assistants who want to “help” you apply for coverage with the Health Insurance Marketplace will not ask for payment directly
- Says you need to pay a fee for a new Medicare card or you will lose coverage
- Asks for your health insurance identification number
- Unexpected fees due
Key Takeaways:
- Never give out your personal or financial information to someone you’ve never met
- Never send money by wire transfer, prepaid gift, or credit card to someone you’ve never met
- Never click suspicious links that are sent to you
Feel free to use TVAMP as a sounding board.
Not sure about a call you got? Before you do anything, call us! We might be able to help keep you and your money safe.
*Source: thehill.com
Become empowered with a plan
We remove the complexity
Past performance is not indicative of future results. The material above has been provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security or strategy. The investment strategy and themes discussed herein may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial situation. Information obtained from third-party sources is believed to be reliable though its accuracy is not guaranteed, and TVAMP makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, which should not be used as the basis of any investment decision. Information contained on third party websites that TVAMP may link to is not reviewed in their entirety for accuracy and TVAMP assumes no liability for the information contained on these websites. Opinions expressed in this commentary reflect subjective judgments of the author based on conditions at the time of writing and are subject to change without notice. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission from TVAMP. For more information about TVAMP, including our Form ADV brochures, please visit https://adviserinfo.sec.gov or contact us at (865) 226-9982.