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- Random phone calls. Scammers start with small requests to establish a sense of commitment. After agreeing to these minor requests, we are more likely to comply with larger demands, driven by a desire to act consistently.
- Creating a sense of urgency. Scammers fabricate scenarios that require immediate action, like claiming a bank account is at risk of closure or an offer is about to expire.
- Building rapport with casual talk. Through extended conversation, scammers build a psychological commitment to their scheme. No one gets very far by just demanding your password, but it’s natural to be friendly with people who are friendly towards us.
- Help me to help you. In this case, the scammer creates a situation where they help you to solve a real or imaginary problem (that they actually created).
Mar 15, 2024 · The minute someone tells you to lie to anyone — including bank tellers or investment brokers — stop. It’s a scam. “Don’t trust anyone. They’re in on it.”. That’s a scam. Scammers want to cut you off from anyone who might slow you down. “Do [this] or you’ll be arrested.”. That’s a scam. Any threat like this is a lie.
Sep 17, 2024 · Cease all contact immediately. Document the incident (photos, call records, screenshots, etc.) Don’t send a wire payment to someone you don’t know, as they typically can’t be reversed. Be skeptical of any offers to help recover the stolen money, as they might be a scam.
- Noma Nazish
- Spoofing. Does caller ID show the same area code and prefix as yours? That incoming call could be from anywhere — even a foreign country. Spoofing is falsifying data on caller ID to disguise who's on the line.
- Phishing. So-called “phishing” emails, calls, texts and letters try to trick you into sending cash or disclosing personal information. Or, the correspondence aims to allow a bad actor to infiltrate your computer device and steal sensitive information.
- Fake profiles. Anybody can disguise his or her identity on social media, dating platforms or other sites. In 2019, the Pentagon warned about an increasing number of impersonator accounts on Twitter that hijacked the identity of Marine Gen.
- Fake photos. Images can be copied or stolen from the internet — or altered — to lend credence to a bogus profile or website.
- Louis Denicola
- AI-Powered Scams. Perhaps the most obvious example of scammers using new technology to power existing scams comes from artificial intelligence (AI). For example, scammers might use AI to
- Student Loan Forgiveness Scams. The back-and-forth changes in student loan forgiveness creates a ripe opportunity for scammers. The scammers know people want to believe their student loans will be forgiven, and they'll use that hope for their personal gains.
- Phone Scams. Scammers may contact you by phone, and some phone scams rely on smartphones' capabilities to access the internet and install malware. These can include
- Zelle Scams. Scammers are turning to Zelle, a peer-to-peer payment app, to steal people's money. The scammer might email, text or call you pretending to work for your bank or credit union's fraud department.
Apr 4, 2023 · What they want from you. Money and, well, your stuff. In all, merchandise scams amounted to $8.7 million in lost money in Canada in 2022 (another $868,000 was wasted on counterfeit goods), while vendor fraud was to blame for another $3.5 million in stolen money, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
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Feb 25, 2024 · February 25, 2024 7:00 AM EST. T he data may show that Americans are losing billions of dollars to fraud each year, yet many consumers still believe they'd never fall for a scam. But scammers rely ...