ORLANDO, Fla. – Forty-seven percent of Americans experienced financial identity theft last year. Losses from identity theft cases cost more than seven hundred billion dollars in 2021.
The highest percentage of consumers who were victimized were between 35 and 44 years old. Imposter scams are one of the leading scams used to steal money.
They often start with a simple call, email or message impersonating a person or company you know to trick you into giving them your money. The more you know about these imposters, the safer you and your money will be.
If you hear your “grandchild’s voice” from an unknown number… you should hang up! The grandkid imposter scam is hot right now.
If you receive a call from family saying they’re in trouble, it’s likely the scammers have hacked into your social media. They will pressure you to send money immediately. Hang up and call the family member.
Financial imposters spoof your caller ID number and use bits of your personal information to convince you to reveal your access code to steal your money.
Refund imposters claim they want to deposit a refund into your bank account. The best way to protect yourself… never give your account information to strangers.
Have you heard about tech support imposters? They call or send pop up messages to scare you about the security of your computer. It’s a trick to get you to pay for their tech support that you don’t need.
Caregiver imposters hack into websites offering these types of jobs and then email or text you they want to hire you. They send you a big check and ask you to send money to a supplier to buy medical equipment or uniforms. But the check will bounce and the money you sent will not be returned.
The top five states for fraud and other complaints, are Nevada, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, and Georgia. You can report a scam by clicking here.