1. Your Info Is Out There
If we really want to keep ourselves - and our money - safe from fraud, we must all come to terms with one thing: our personal information is likely already out there. Many entities have our personal information – credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, and health-related information – and data breaches have most likely exposed it. So, what can we do to protect ourselves after the fact?
Here are three steps towards protecting yourself against identity fraud. 1)
Place a security freeze on your credit accounts with the three big agencies so no one can open a new credit line in your name; 2) Establish online access to your financial accounts and monitor regularly (you can set up text alerts for activity on these accounts); 3) Use strong and unique passwords for every online account; consider using a password manager that creates complex passwords and stores them securely.
2. Cupid’s Connection to Crypto
The past two years have seen an explosion of crypto currency scams which has led many people to ask the same question - how? After all, crypto currency is something most people don’t understand, and those who do follow it know that it is very volatile, completely unregulated, and has no protection for investors. So, given all of that, how are people losing billions a year to crypto scams? If we had to pick someone to blame (besides the criminals), it might be Cupid.
Romance scams have become one of the top drivers of crypto currency fraud, because once the criminal creates a deep connection with their victim, they are able to get that person to do things they wouldn’t normally do.
If someone you only know online tells you they are making money investing in crypto and offers to teach you how, it’s a scam – full stop. It doesn’t matter how well you think you know this person or how strong of a bond you feel you’ve created, asking for money to invest in crypto currency is one of the surest signs of a modern-day romance scam.
3. A New Take on an Old Scam
One of the oldest scams around involves a criminal getting hold of one of your checks and forging the payee and the amount. Usually this is done by “washing” the check with chemicals to remove the real information you have written on it. Today, with access to new technologies, criminals are “cooking” checks by creating fake versions of real checks using computer programs. These “cooked” checks can be manipulated digitally and either printed or deposited electronically, saving the crook a lot of mess and hassle.
The best way to protect against these scams is to be careful how you send checks. If you use your checkbook to pay bills via mail, how you send those bills is the key to staying safe. Rather than dropping the bills in your mailbox and flipping up the flag, take them to the post office and drop them off inside. A criminal can’t wash or cook a check they don’t physically have, so taking this extra step to safeguard your mail can protect your bank account in the long run.
4. Getting Help After the Scam
If there is one thing everyone should understand, it is that “scammers” are career criminals skilled at the art of manipulation, and no one is immune. These crooks target people of any age; in fact, 41% of those who reported a fraud loss to the Federal Trade Commission in 2023 were under the age of 30. So, what can a person do if they experience fraud?
One resource is the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline. Every weekday, trained AARP volunteer fraud fighters are helping victims and their families understand what happened, report the crime, and start to put their lives back together. That number is
1-877-908-3360. We also offer an online small group victim support program to help address the emotional harm fraud victimization causes. Learn more at
aarp.org/fraudsupport.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of fraud, make sure to file a report with local police; among other things, you will have this as evidence in the event restitution becomes possible down the line.
