Better Business Bureau’s 3 Tips to Avoid Fraud in 2014

Statistics Reveal Consumers’ Areas of Vulnerabilities

Scammers seeking to take advantage of the unsuspecting are constantly devising new ways to carry out their fraud, but one of the best ways to avoid victimization, is to draw from recent experience and apply those lessons to existing behavior.

2013 was marked by scams that exploited technology to deceive consumers online, whereas other, low tech scams relied on more traditional methods. 

To help consumers better recognize scams in 2014, Connecticut Better Business Bureau offers 3 tips to keep you protected.

Be Discerning on Social Media - Social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great for connecting with friends, family and colleagues—but don’t be too liberal about who you accept as a ‘friend.’

Recently, there has been an increase in theft of people’s online identities by scammers who create fake profiles in your name by learning valuable information about you, your habits, interests and friends on social media. This information can be used to more accurately target you for subsequent scams.  Just as marketers and advertisers mine your personal information to learn how to best target you—so can criminals.

Connecting to new ‘friends’ with whom you have no history on social media and other networking sites can open up a Pandora’s Box of trouble.

Technology has made it easier and provided new options for scammers.  Avoid connecting with people you don’t know, protect personal information by keeping privacy settings high and don’t broadcast confidential information.

Check It. Twice - A simple ‘fact check’ or extra steps often can be enough to avoid the headache and consequences of common scams.

Last year, the use of scam texts, or “smishing” were a common tactic used to send fake bank alerts requesting consumers to verify account information to reactivate a debit card.  In a case like this, the smart thing to do is simply contact your bank directly, through a verified phone number, to ensure the request is authentic and to complete the requested action.

Another example from 2013 was the targeting of sellers on auction sites, like eBay.  In the Auction Reseller Scam, sellers received fake emails appearing to be from PayPal confirming payment for a purchase and directing them to ship the same day before the seller received payment.  The lesson is, always take the extra step to log in to PayPal or eBay to confirm payment has been made before shipping, especially to an overseas address.

Your Phone is Still a Target - As online fraud and data breaches continue to dominate the news and the focus is largely on online safety, it has become easier to overlook the fact that scammers are still targeting consumers by way of tried and true means: phone calls.  That means it has also become more convenient for crooks to catch you off-guard.

As we learned last year from the widespread ‘Affordable Care Act Scam,’ ‘Do Not Call Scam’ and ‘Medical Alert Scam,’ telemarketing scams are still alive, well and more timely and convincing than ever.

One recent phone scam has even cost consumers money without them having to say a word or divulge personal information.  The ‘One Ring’ cell phone scam, features perpetrators who program their computers to call random cell phone numbers, ring once, and then disconnect.  If the victims see they missed a call and call back, they are reportedly connected to a paid international adult entertainment service or other premium service outside the country, and billed a $19.95 international call fee.

Caution on social media, due diligence in ensuring requests for personal information are legitimate and not overestimating the safety of your ‘smartphone’ are all surefire ways to decrease your chances of being victimized this year.  Use common sense and trust your instincts.

-By Howard Schwartz, Executive Communications Director, Connecticut Better Business Bureau

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