Protect the Good Life: Nebraska Scams and Fraud Education (2024)
Lincoln East Rotary club learned a lot about scams and fraud from Ryan Sothan. Ryan talked about Imposter Scams, Identify theft, and technology scams.
Nebraska was 44th overall in 2023 and today we are 38th overall among the states for the lowest risk of exposure to Fraud.
What Are Imposter Scams? – Imposter scams are one of the largest categories of scams facing Nebraskans today. Imposter scams rely on your trust. This type of scam can be your trust in a tech support workers, a government official, or even a family member. The imposter scammer knows you are willing to make a payment or share personal information with someone you trust. This type of scam can be evolving and become more sophisticated. With all our new technology, scammers can spoof caller ID, search social media for information about you, or even mimic the voice of a family member on the telephone using artificial intelligence.
How can you protect self from an Imposer Scam? – Ask a family member or friend for help if you are concerned about a friend. Trust your gut if you see something on a website, email, text or phone call seems suspicious. Resist the urge to act quickly when someone requests money, even if they say it is an emergency. Never pay via a gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or by mailing cash. Read review online of companies or individuals before sending money. Make sure your bank is set up to alert you of unusual activity.
What is Identity Theft? – Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal identifying information to take a loan, open accounts, obtain credit cards, get a tax refund or do other things that involve impersonating you. This type of scam can cause severe damage to someone’s financial well-being and personal reputation if not taken care of promptly.
What type of information is used? – Full name, address, email address, social security number, driver’s license number, credit/debit card numbers, bank account number, insurance information, birthday, passport number, IP address and location information. The Federal Trade Commission receives over one million identity theft reports in a single year. They estimate as many as 1 in 3 Americans could face identity theft in their lifetime.
Steps you can take: Create and place complex passwords on your bank, credit card, and phone accounts. Set up two-factor authentication on your accounts. Secure your Social Security Card, and don’t give out the number unless absolutely necessary. Check your mail every day to protect against that theft. Pay attention to billing cycles and make sure your bills and financial statements arrive regularly. Review your credit card and bank account statements frequently. Don’t give out personal information to anyone over the phone, internet, or mail unless you initiated the first contact. Be aware of phishing schemes, and don’t click on links from pop-ups or suspicious-looking emails. Look for “https” at the beginning of the URL to verify a web address has a secure connection.
Technology – Today there is an APP that you can put on your smartphone that will help you and protect you from people getting into some of your personal information, accounts, etc.
Other type of scams are: Online shopping, prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries, home repair, improvements and products, auto-related, health care, internet service, debt collection, and travel, vacation and timeshares.
For further information you can contact: ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov