The rise of impostor scams steals millions from unknowing Americans
According to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, an “impostor scam” is an attempt to steal money by pretending to be a trusted authority, such as a sheriff, local, state, or federal government employee, or charity organization. They may offer a wide range of stories to alert you into taking action, ranging from claiming to find “fraudulent activity” on your account and working to prevent issues, to threatening to arrest you for not following detailed instructions.
Whatever the story, the end result is usually the same: The scammers on the other end will try to coerce their customers to send them money either through UPS or FedEx, or in the form of gift cards and cryptocurrency. While it may sound easy to spot, these attacks are becoming a major issue. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission said imposter scams were their second-most pressing fraud issue, costing consumers $2.7 billion in losses.
The woman in Florida is sharing her story as a warning to other older adults. She’s hopeful that although she lost a significant amount of money, others will learn from her mistake and avoid this scam altogether. “It’s tragic, I can’t believe this still goes on today, but people don’t realize it and they have to know,” she told News Channel 8.
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How to spot an imposter scam
The Federal Trade Commission says there are several ways to identify a fake caller. The first thing you should know is how you will be contacted by government authorities or a bank when there’s a real issue. In the case of the Florida woman, her trouble began with a call, conveying an urgent warning about her bank account. The FTC emphasizes that government agencies will never call, email, text message, or otherwise electronically contact you about a problem. If there’s an issue, you’ll be contacted by mail first.
Depending on your bank, you may be contacted by text message to ensure your credit or debit card isn’t compromised, or that you aren’t being attacked with fraudulent charges. In this situation, you need to look closely at who is texting you. Banks will only text from a six-digit short code, and never from a 10-digit telephone number (even if it is their official 800 number). Moreover, a bank will never call you and ask you to read off a code sent to your phone or e-mail to verify your information.
In both of these situations, the best thing to do is to not respond to the scammer — simply hang up, or delete the text entirely. Not engaging is the best way to not become a victim. If you do answer a call from someone claiming to be from your bank or government agency, hang up and call them back directly on a trusted number to ensure they are in fact attempting to contact you.
Above all, never offer to “transfer” or send money to solve a problem like a compromised account or fine for a crime you didn’t commit. You can also report scams directly to the Federal Trade Commission. Reports are shared with thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide to help them stop scammers and protect the community.
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