Protecting Against Fraud: Recognizing Scams and Staying Safe in a Digital World

Fraud is “wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.” With almost everything nowadays being connected to technology, it is easy for criminals to attempt to target and deceive unsuspecting people.

One type of fraud that is becoming more common is elder fraud. Seniors can be targeted for various reasons, specifically because they are considered trusting and polite, have savings and good credit, and are less likely to report.

Criminals choose to contact victims through various channels, but they typically do this through online schemes, phone calls, mail, TV, and radio.

Typical schemes may include romance, tech support, home repair, sweepstakes or lottery, government impersonation, TV and/or radio. They may pretend to be a grandchild or child who needs financial assistance.

With fraud, it is essential to protect yourself to stay safe. It’s important to recognize scam attempts, look for their contact information and see if it seems legitimate, take your time in responding – do not act quickly, be cautious of any unsolicited contact, do not send any personal information, update anti-virus software, unplug your device if pop-ups won’t go away, be careful of what you download, and monitor all accounts.

If you should ever find yourself in a situation where you believe you have been a victim of fraud, it is imperative to call the local sheriff’s office or the FBI. Any documentation that you may have, including names that you were given, dates of the contact, the method of communication, phone numbers, websites, email addresses, method of payment, where you sent funds, and descriptions of the interactions, is important for law enforcement to know.

If something seems too good to be true, it likely is. If you ever receive a questionable message from CTC, please contact our Member Services Department at 218-454-1234 to verify.