Protect Yourself from Imposter Scams
Throughout National Financial Capability Month, the DFPI will feature information and resources to help consumers protect themselves from scams and fraud. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released its 2023 Data Book identifying scams and fraud as some of the top crimes in the U.S. According to the report, people lost $10 billion to scams last year, $1 billion more than in 2022.
The DFPI has recently updated its most popular consumer education booklet, Protect Yourself from Fraud. This highly valued consumer resource includes critical information on how to spot, prevent, and report financial fraud, with lots of useful tips, links, and resources. Coming soon in Spanish and other languages.
Imposter scams were the most reported scams in 2023. An imposter scam occurs when a scammer pretends to be someone else to deceive you and manipulate you into sending them money or divulging personal information. These scams can take various forms, such as phone calls, emails, or text messages. Learn how to recognize the red flags and protect yourself from these most common types of imposter scams:
- Government Agency & Financial Institution Fraud – The most common types of imposter scams involve scammers who pretend to be from a government agency or financial institution. Scammers take advantage of unsuspecting consumers by using similar names and/or website URLs to other legitimate institutions. Always contact a government agency or financial institution directly, not via any links or phone numbers provided by potential scammers.
- Romance Scams – A romance scam often starts as a fake dating profile through which the scammer falsely develops an online relationship with the victim. When the time is right, an urgent request for money via gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or crypto assets is offered.
- Affinity Fraud – An investment scam that targets identifiable groups and communities with common ties such as ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, military service, or age (seniors). Affinity fraudsters commonly are (or pretend to be) members of the targeted affinity group.
- Finfluencers – People who, by virtue of their popularity or cultural status, can influence the financial decision-making of others through promotions or recommendations on social media. These endorsements are often made without legitimate industry licensing requirements or full disclosure of risks or potential conflicts of interest.
Follow these simple tips to protect yourself from imposter scams:
- Never give out personal information. Don’t give out any sensitive information like your name, address, social security number, PINs, passwords, or financial information over the phone. Most companies and government agencies already have the information they need to conduct regular business transactions with you. Use two-factor authentication on your financial accounts as an extra layer of protection.
- Never pay with alternative payment systems. Scammers often request payment through wire transfers, crypto assets, prepaid debit cards, gift cards, or even by mailing cash. These types of payment methods are practically impossible to trace or to get a refund later if it’s a scam.
- Check your credit history. Check your credit reports with the credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) for signs of identity theft. You can request a free credit report every week at AnnualCreditReport.com.