May is here, spring is springing! And the scammers are coming out of the woodwork!
The Federal Trade Commission reports that Americans lost $10 billion to scams and fraud in 2023. The FTC received a total of 2.6 million fraud reports last year.
There were 1 million reports of identity theft in 2023. Fraud cost the military community $477,000,000. Email was the most common way scammers approached victims in 2023, followed by the phone. Victims lost $1.4 billion to fraud originating on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) The biggest losses were through bank transfers and cryptocurrency.
These are scams where a criminal asks you to pay them in gift cards for “back taxes” or “warrants” or to “keep your utilities on.”
These are scams where a criminal meets a victim online through a dating site or messenger app on social media and starts a romantic relationship.
These are scams where an email, text or phone call is used to deceive people into revealing personal information.
Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim
If the person won’t let you get off the phone, or becomes increasingly aggressive…HANG UP! Never allow someone to take over your computer unless you have vetted them as legitimate tech support. If you didn’t call them, chances are it is not legitimate. Monitor your credit cards and bank account regularly for strange or improper charges. Keep in mind that often criminals will make small charges to “probe” your account before making larger ones. Keep the customer support numbers for your bank, credit cards, and any retirement funds on hand…the faster you contact them, the less you may lose.
To learn more about scams, how to spot them and how to avoid them, join us May 16 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at North Central Texas College (NCTC), 1200 Parker Square, Room 203, Flower Mound. We have a representative from the Denton County Community Relations Deputies speaking about the above scams and others. To RSVP go to www.SeniorTalkDFW.com or call or text 469-616-0561. A great resource is www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Edwena Potter, Certified Senior Housing Professional, Certified Probate Expert, Keller Williams Realty – You go love on your loved ones, let us handle the details.
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