Financial Scams continue to target our senior members
Financial Scams continue to target our senior members. We strongly encourage you to read the important information below and share/discuss this with friends and family over age 60. How is this fraud occurring?
Tech support scammers continue to impersonate well-known tech companies, offering to fix non-existent technology issues or renewing fraudulent software or security subscriptions. However, in 2021, an increase in complaints reporting the impersonation of customer support has taken on a variety of forms, such as financial and banking institutions, utility companies, or virtual currency exchanges.
Fraudsters target seniors, often a loved one or grandparent, pretending to be a grandchild or other relative in distress. They will sometimes indicate they have been arrested and need bail money or are at the border and trying to get back into the country, and they need money wired to them, usually by Western Union.
Social engineering fraud and related scams where the elderly member is contacted by someone claiming to be a credit union employee confirming data and/or asking for Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), card numbers, expiration dates, passwords, etc.
We strongly encourage you to remember these essential tips:
Never give control of your computer to anyone who contacts you. If you receive a call about a computer problem, hang up. If you suspect something is wrong with your computer or believe the scammer obtained access to it, bring it to a reputable company for a malware check.
Don't trust phone numbers provided in a text, an email, voicemail, or popup ad. If you want to call the company, use the customer service number on their official website.
If you are asked to wire money from a recent deposit or overpayment, discuss the situation with a banker, trusted friend, or family member. Be truthful about the situation since many scammers direct you to lie about why you're sending money.
Learn more at trusted sites such as https://consumer.ftc.gov This site has a provides a summary of recent scams and how to avoid them.