2023年6月29日 • 5分钟
保护自己, it’s important to be familiar with trending 诈骗 — keep reading to learn about the latest.
Never share your online banking 用户ID or password. Patelco will NEVER contact you 和 ask for it — 和 there’s no reason anyone else needs it, ever.”
It’s tax season — 和 your accountant 和 the IRS aren’t the only ones with an eye on your taxes. 骗子也在伺机而动! This sounds scary, but you can protect yourself by learning about common tax season 诈骗. 以下是你要寻找的:
网络钓鱼
Scammers pretend to be tax professionals (or the IRS) 和 send emails or text messages with links. Don’t click on links sent by people you don’t know.
If you get a tax email you believe is 欺诈ulent, forward it to phishing@irs.政府.
礼品卡诈骗
Gift cards remain a popular way for scammers to steal because they’re like cash: once someone has the gift card information, it’s nearly impossible to get back. Scammers are calling claiming to be the IRS, reaching out to collect back taxes or fines. They’ll ask you to buy gift cards 和 then take the card information for themselves.
挂断电话 举报诈骗 — the IRS will never ask for payment via gift card.
退换诱饵
If criminals have your sensitive personal information, such as Social Security number or tax forms they stole from the mail, they may file a 欺诈ulent return on your behalf. 一旦资金打到你的账户, the scammers will impersonate someone from the IRS 和 call you dem和ing the return of the money. They will ask you to deposit it into a different account or send a check to an address.
If you receive an unexpected tax bill or refund, file a 向联邦贸易委员会投诉,与国税局联系 800.908.4490 和 询问主要的信用机构 to put a “欺诈 alert” on your file.
不诚实的报税人
Unfortunately, there are scam artists posing as tax professionals. They offer to do your taxes, collect a fee upfront, 和 then ghost you. Only hire professionals with a valid license – 点击这里上网查询.
There’re also dishonest tax preparers inflating your tax return to pocket some of the refund. Criminal tax preparers will inaccurately file your taxes in order to receive a higher refund. They will pocket some of the refund for themselves. 如果你正在使用报税员, always double check their work 和 the amount they received from your tax filing.
Americans lost an astounding $5 billion to student loan 欺诈 in 2022.1 As students graduate high school 和 look to college in the fall, scammers are busier than ever. And if you’re one of the millions of Americans with existing student loans, beware that scammers are also looking to target you regarding relief 和 refinancing.
Many of the 诈骗 – for both new loans 和 for relief or consolidation of existing loans – involve payment of fees up front. Other scammers pose as organizations simply to steal your personal information.
Here’s four ways to protect yourself from student loan 诈骗:
The bottom line: if someone reaches out to you about a student loan, or if you see an advertisement on social media, do your research 和 think carefully before providing personal information or money.
Our Patelco members have told us how much they love digital payments (like Venmo, 贝宝, 和 other popular platforms) for being an easy 和 secure way to send money to people they know 和 trust. But because scammers may pose as people or businesses you know, it’s important to protect yourself — 和 your money.
Whether you’ve used digital payments before or are new to it, follow these tips to help you pay it safe.
If someone reaches out to you 和 says that they sent you money accidentally, tell them to reach out to their bank or credit union to resolve it. 永远不要把钱还给他们.
Fraudsters are increasingly active on social media. If someone you don’t know contacts you on Instagram or another platform 和 offers to pay you, the money is probably coming from a stolen financial account, especially if they ask you to transfer part of the payment back to them (or to another person). If the true owner of the stolen account reports the loss, you may be on the hook for the funds deposited into your account, plus whatever amount you send to the scammer, 哪些是不可恢复的. Be wary of Instagram 和 social media 诈骗 like these:
In this scam, 欺诈sters threaten legal action to pressure you to pay a fake debt. 2022年末, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) returned more than $1 million to victims of just such 诈骗.
保护自己 from similar 诈骗:
It’s easy to fall for a romance scam set up on a dating app or social media. The 欺诈ster creates a fake profile to start sending sweet messages 和 big proclamations to their target. Once they have your trust 和 affection, the asks begin. They’ll ask for money to come see you (but won’t actually come), 应付意外开支, 或者家里有急事. 你会得到什么回报? 较低的账户余额.
Here’s how to protect yourself if you think you’re dealing with a romance scammer:
Want to learn more about the different types of romance 诈骗, 和 how to identify 和 avoid them? Watch a video with one of our Patelco experts below!
不要被骗子骗了. Look for these warning signs to identify a possible scam 和 protect yourself!
Before you pay for the puppy or kitten you found online, 了解常见的宠物骗局, 它们是如何工作的, 如何发现骗子, 和 how to get help if you’re a victim.
Fraudsters are increasingly impersonating banks 和 credit unions, making calls or sending texts 和 pretending to be from Patelco or another institution. Learn the things that Patelco will never call 和 ask you.
1 According to Forbes 和 RoboKiller, as reported by GOBanking利率 in October 2022.