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The Simple Dollar: How to Protect Yourself From COVID-19 Financial Scams
Scamming attempts are on the rise as more people seek financial assistance online, due to the Coronavirus. Data from the Federal Trade Commission shows Americans have already lost nearly $70 million to pandemic scams since the beginning of the year.
“Many have been filing for unemployment benefits, so when a call or email comes in pretending to respond to your inquiry, it might be harder to differentiate between who is real and fake,” says Jade Hickton, Private Investigator at Smith Training Centre. Learn how to detect the warning signs to avoid falling for these fraudulent crimes.
CreditCards.com: Credit card scams in the time of coronavirus
As if coronavirus hasn’t done enough to ravage people’s financial lives, consumers also must beware of new fraud schemes that have developed with the pandemic.
Scammers always keep up with the times, and this is no exception.
Keep reading to learn about the newest scams related to the pandemic – and most important, how to protect yourself from them.
INSIDER: Teens are looking for total strangers to be their 'Internet Best Friends' and creating dramatic meet-up videos once they make a match
A best friend is wonderful, but a bff who you meet online, AKA an Internet Best Friend (IBF), is the end goal for many tweens and teens these days.
Turning to TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, tweens and teens who have been trapped at home are looking for fast friendships with other young users who aren't already paired with an IBF. Deprived of IRL friends, they're finding new besties online, despite safety concerns.
Digital Privacy News: Wearable Devices Bring Many Privacy Issues
You have your Fitbit, Apple Watch or whatever wearable serves as a personal trainer of sorts. Kudos for your quest for fitness.
You have good intentions, but others see opportunity in that band on your wrist: It’s loaded with data.
VPNRanks: Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees: Tips and Best Practices
The greatest tragedy with scientific and technological advancement is that it advances at a much faster rate than does society’s collective wisdom. This is what Isaac Asimov essentially said a few decades ago when commenting on the relationship between science and society.
Fast forward to today, the internet has become an essential component of pretty much every aspect of modern life from the personal sphere to the professional. Despite our increasing dependence on the internet, it is surprising that cybersecurity awareness remains largely ignored.
Best Company: 10 Expert Tips to Help You with Password Management
Unfortunately, not everyone practices proper password management.
And, in this digital age, how you manage your passwords can be the ultimate determining factor between staying safe and falling victim to identity theft and other serious cybercrimes.
HuffPost: 5 Census Scams To Watch Out For In 2020
This year, Americans will be asked to participate in the 2020 census, a process that occurs every 10 years. While you should expect to be contacted by the U.S. Census Bureau in the coming weeks (and maybe you already have), it’s also a time to watch out for scammers pretending to represent the census.
Reader's Digest: Facebook Messenger Scams Are on the Rise—Here’s How to Protect Yourself
Facebook Messenger scams are "rare," according to Facebook. Our experts say otherwise. Whichever is true, falling for one can be devastating. Here's what to look for and how to avoid falling for them.
Reader's Digest Canada: 18 Secrets to Steal from People Who Never Get Hacked
Cybercrime is a massive problem that doesn’t look like it’s going to get better anytime soon. Cybersecurity Ventures’ latest annual report estimates that cybercrime will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021.
Smart Social: Why Every Family Needs a Password Manager
A password manager creates and stores unique passwords across every website or account you have. When you use a password manager, like Dashlane, you create a single “master” password (that you remember) to access the manager and then the manager creates and stores the rest.
Thrive Global: Female Disruptors: Whitney Joy Smith Is Shaking Up How We Think Of Private Investigators
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Whitney Joy Smith, President of The Smith Investigation Agency and Smith Training Centre.
BeenVerified: What Are Lottery Scams? Protect Yourself From Fraud
Maybe you get a letter, email or phone call telling you that you won a massive prize, like tens of thousands of dollars, a luxury yacht or merchandise for life. You’re excited and ready for the next step.
Forbes: Don’t Fall For These New Social Security Phone Scams
A troubling new report suggests that a dreaded strain of phone scam targeting Social Security numbers is on the rise.
How-To Geek: How to Protect Your Identity Online
When Sandra Bullock starred in The Net in 1995, identity theft seemed new and unbelievable. But the world has changed. Starting in 2017, nearly 17 million Americans are victims of identity fraud every year.
Huffington Post: What To Do If Your Email, Passwords Or Bank Info Were Found On The Dark Web
These days, data breaches are nothing new. It seems like only a matter of time until a hacker gets their hands on your credit information, passwords and other sensitive data that can be used to steal your identity.
MSN: The 12 Most Sought-After Items on Every Burglar’s Hit List
The most popular items that burglars are looking to steal are typically cash, jewelry, and electronics. However, more recently, prescription drugs have become valuable,’ says Patricia Vercillo, Vice-President of Operations at The Smith Investigation Agency.
Cosmopolitan: The 7 Wildest Cheating Stories, from a Private Investigator
Whenever a celebrity’s cheating pics are plastered all over tabloids, the internet implodes. But for a private investigator, capturing an affair on tape is just part of a normal workday.
Reader’s Digest: 18 Sneaky Signs You’re Actually Reading Fake News
While a wise man once said, “there’s a sucker born every minute,” you don’t have to be the sucker when it comes to fake news if you follow these tips from our savviest media experts.
Bustle: 11 Fascinating Ways To Tell If Your Partner Is Cheating, According To Private Detectives
If you think your partner is cheating, it’s always a good idea to trust your gut so you don’t end up getting hurt. Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to assume the worst or jump to conclusions. But you still might want to do like private investigators do, and gather more information.
American Express: How Business Owners Can Help Prevent Workplace Discrimination
Having a plan against workplace discrimination can help avoid issues from occurring at your company, according to these business owners.
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