Embedded Files
I was the Victim
I was the victim of a phishing exploitation last June, resulting in the loss of all information on my phone, including passwords. It took me the entire summer to work with fraud departments at every financial institution with whom I did business to reset my phone number and email address and establish new passwords.
My hope is to be sure this happens to no one else!
Teaching others about fraud has become very important to me. I organized a presentation for our Age-Friendly Sullivan meeting. This was followed by a FOX News interview.
Our A-F meeting was extraordinary. By teaching the definitions of scam, spam, and phishing, we encouraged the participants to share personal experiences and those of others that they had heard about. That exercise built the community's knowledge exponentially.
So, what does all this mean?
So, what does all this mean?
SPAM is unsolicited commercial advertising or promotions sent out in bulk. It entices you by saying that you have won a prize or gotten a special deal. This is how they entice you in.
PHISHING is the malicious attempt to deceive you into revealing personal or sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers, bank account info, or Social Security numbers.
A SCAM call is an unwanted, unsolicited phone call designed to trick or defraud you. Scammers often spoof caller ID numbers to appear legitimate, and they use various tactics, including pretending to be from a known organization, to deceive you into revealing personal information.
People lose a lot of money to phone scams - sometimes their life savings. Scammers have discovered countless ways to cheat you out of your money. They act friendly, helpful, and concerned to entice you to share information. Their caller IDs may appear to be from Social Security or Medicare, but they can be calling from anywhere in the world. The danger is that money lost from a call from another country cannot be protected from fraud.
What can you do to protect yourself?
What can you do to protect yourself?
Trusted Resources
If a scammer gets your information (like a Social Security number), go to:
IdentityTheft.gov and learn how to monitor your credit reports.
If you think that you have been the victim of fraud, report it at Reportfraud.ftc.gov.
To learn about other common frauds, contact https://consumer.ftc.gov.
If you didn’t lose money but want to report a call, go to www.donotcall.gov/. Important to note, all robocalls are ILLEGAL and should be reported.
If you believe you have been defrauded: FREEZE YOUR CREDIT REPORTS IMMEDIATELY
These are the major credit reporting agencies:
A great preventative measure to take: FREEZE YOUR CREDIT REPORTS TODAY
No one will be able to access the information in any of your accounts, and they are easy to unfreeze when you need access.
I lost nothing!
I froze my credit!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse