Stay Ahead of Covid-19 Financial Scams

BE AWARE THAT SCAMS DURING PANDEMICS ARE A REAL PROBLEM

From information I recently gathered from Interest.com 1 in 10 people fall for a financial scam, and now that we are in the middle of a pandemic, those numbers could rise considerably with people being focused and worried about their livelihood. Here are some scams that you should be watching out for, and where you can go to get more valuable helpful information.

• REAL ESTATE SCAMS
• STOCK MARKET SCAMS
• FAST MONEY SCAMS
• GET HEALTHY QUICK SCAMS
• WORK FROM HOME SCAMS
• TAX SCAMS
• CHARITY SCAMS

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME BY USING THESE SIMPLE STEPS

1.  Never disclose any sensitive information to anyone who contacts YOU via phone or email.
2. Set up two-factor authentication on accounts that have a login.
3. Make it a point to regularly check your credit report for fraudulent activity.

IF YOU'VE ALREADY FALLEN FOR A SCAM HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

1. Stop all contact with the scammer immediately.
2. Contact all of your financial institutions. If you've disclosed your personal information, the scammer may try to target your other financial accounts. If you've used a service like PayPal or Venmo, you should make sure and contact them as well.
3. Change all of your passwords to newer, more complex ones. I know it's a paiin. How do you keep track of them all? You can use a password keeper online. I've tried this and I couldn't remember my password to get in. The best way to do it, is to write them down. Start with the email address you have listed in your most crucial accounts.
4. Finally, don't forget to report the scam to authorities.

CONSUMER PROTECTION ORGANIZATIONS

• FINRA Investment Complaint Center for Investment scams
• FBI: For financial crimes involving high dollar amounts
• The US Securityies and Exchange Commission SEC for securities fraud
• The Federal Fraud Enforcement Task Force for Fraud committed by companies and their employees.
• The Internet Crime Complaint Center for internet Fraud
• Econsumer.gov for international scams

LISTEN TO KELLY CORDES WEEKDAYS FROM 5:30-10 AM 

https://thefw.com/how-much-food-do-you-need-to-shelter-in-place/