Online Banking Safety For ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Victims
After A Scam, You Should Assume That Your Banking Has Been Compromised
A SCARSSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Insight
Insights on Mobile & Online Banking & Banking FraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim.
From our SCARS Advisory Board
How to Protect Yourself:
Safeguard your Online ID and password. Never share your Online ID or password with anyone. Do not save your password in your browser.
Use trusted devices. Avoid using public computers or public wireless access points for online banking and other activities involving sensitive information when possible.
Never share your security questions and answers. If your bank detects any unusual pattern with your login, you will be prompted with one of these questions.
You must answer correctly before logging in, which helps to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing your account.
Keep antivirus software up to date and install regular system updates. This will help protect your computer from being vulnerable to viruses that might compromise your information. Read more on this topic.
Review your account statements every month. Better yet, every day in your app. If you find a transaction that you did not authorize, you must tell us within 60 days of the date that your statement was delivered.
Contact your bank if your login credentials have been lost or stolen. If you believe that your Online ID and password have been lost or stolen. Also, if you receive an email asking you to provide your Bank’s Online ID, password, Social Security number or any other personal information, please contact them immediately.
They will never ask for your personal information through an email.
Mobile Device Precautions
No mobile or online banking platform or wireless data transmission system can be guaranteed to be absolutely secure and invulnerable to breach or compromise. However, following these tips can mitigate risk and help protect you against fraudulent activity.
Understand today’s reality. Mobile devices are essentially small computers that need to be secured like a PC or laptop. Read and stay up to date on risks – such as on www.RomanceScamsNOW.com and other tech magazines.
- Keep it safe. Maintaining physical control of your device is the first way to prevent abuse.
- Keep it updated. Set your device to install app and system updates automatically if possible. These updates often include security fixes.
- Use your security features. Use a passcode or PIN to help protect your device. Enable remote wipe and location features to help ensure that your personal information is protected if your device is lost or stolen.
- Beware of malicious applicationsApplications Applications or Apps An application (software), commonly referred to as an ‘app’ is a program on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or device. Apps are designed for specific tasks, including checking the weather, accessing the internet, looking at photos, playing media, mobile banking, etc. Many apps can access the internet if needed and can be downloaded (used) either for a price or for free. Apps are a major point of vulnerability on all devices. Some are designed to be malicious, such as logging keystrokes or activity, and others can even transport malware. Always be careful about any app you are thinking about installing.. Use banks’ dedicated appsApps Applications or Apps An application (software), commonly referred to as an ‘app’ is a program on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or device. Apps are designed for specific tasks, including checking the weather, accessing the internet, looking at photos, playing media, mobile banking, etc. Many apps can access the internet if needed and can be downloaded (used) either for a price or for free. Apps are a major point of vulnerability on all devices. Some are designed to be malicious, such as logging keystrokes or activity, and others can even transport malware. Always be careful about any app you are thinking about installing. for secure financial transactions and download apps only from trusted sources like the Apple® App Store or Google® Play.
- Avoid links from unknown sources. Don’t click a link from sources you don’t trust, including emails and social media posts. Malicious links could direct you to websites or install applications that compromise your device.
- Use trusted networks. Connecting your device to unknown wireless networks can expose your data. Avoid accessing sensitive information, like banking, if using an unsecured or unknown network. If possible, switch to your cellular data plan for banking and then back to wireless when complete.
- Turn off unnecessary services. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location apps, NFC (near field communication) apps and other connection abilities can be disabled to protect your device when you’re not using them.
- Avoid putting your device at increased risk. Gaining system-level access — known as “rooting” for Android™ and “jailbreaking” for Apple® — may provide access to untrusted software or apps not intended for your device that can expose you to greater security risks.
- Encrypt your data. If your mobile device supports it, use encryption to help protect sensitive information.
- Be cautious when granting elevated privileges. When installing applications or external accessories, always inspect the permissions. They will tell you what access the apps/accessories need to function and will also tell you if the application is asking for more permissions than needed.
- Clear data from your smartphone frequently. With Text Banking, your phone will only store the information provided via text message, including your account nicknames, account balances and transaction history. As an extra measure of caution, you can delete the text messages when they are no longer needed.
Social Media Danger
Your Facebook profile contains – for most people – everything needed to guess your password, security pin, and secret questions!
Secure your social media profiles, or better yet to not post anything that can be used to compromise you!
When In Doubt
Call the security or fraud department of your bank. They will change your account numbers and replace cards free of charge if you are concerned.
EVERY SCAM VICTIM SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS!!!
Report Fraud Help & FAQs
Your bank is committed to helping you protect yourself from fraud.
Should you encounter fraud, phishing scamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost., or identify theft, they provide guidance on how to notify them and the necessary steps to take toward resolving the issue quickly.
Dispute a Transaction
If you’ve noticed a suspicious or unauthorized charge on your account numbers, it’s a good idea to contact your bank quickly to dispute the transaction.
In the case of debit cards you only have a couple of days to dispute a charge, so act fast!
Lost or Stolen Cards
Report a lost or stolen card by immediately by calling your bank or visiting your local branch. You may also use most Online Banking apps now to report a lost or stolen card. Your bank will provide options to report a lost or stolen card and to order a replacement card. They will ensure that your current card is canceled and that a new card is sent to you.
Identity TheftIdentity Theft Identity theft is when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. In both the U.K. and the United States it is the theft of personally identifiable information. Identity theft deliberately uses someone else's identity as a method to gain financial advantages or obtain credit and other benefits, and perhaps to cause other person's loss. The person whose identity has been stolen may suffer adverse consequences, especially if they are falsely held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. Personally identifiable information generally includes a person's name, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, bank account or credit card numbers, PINs, electronic signatures, fingerprints, passwords, or any other information that can be used to access a person's financial resources.
As soon as you realize that you may have been a victim of identity theft, it is important to take immediate action. An aggressive response on your part may help reduce your exposure to financial loss.
Review all of your financial accounts. You should first review all of your account transactions for any suspicious activity. If you have determined that any specific accounts have been compromised, or you suspect that an account exists that you did not open, please contact your bank immediately.
Should you become a victim of identity theft, or if you believe your bank account information may have been compromised, talk to your immediately. Most banks offer free services that can help their customers restore their financial identity.
Contact your local policeLocal Police The Local Police is your first responder in most countries. In most English-speaking countries and in Europe report to them first. In other countries look for your national cybercrime police units to report scams to. In the U.S., Canada, & Australia, you must report to the local police first. department. In the event of identity theft, it is important that you notify your local police department and file a report. Be sure to request a report number or a copy of the report for your records and, if necessary, to include any affidavits you may need to provide.
Contact the Identity Theft Clearinghouse. The Federal Trade Commission (FTCFTC The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) U.S. antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC can also act as a clearinghouse for criminal reports sent to other agencies for investigation and prosecution. To learn more visit www.FTC.gov or to report fraud visit ReportFraud.FTC.gov) maintains the Identity Theft Clearinghouse — the federal government’s centralized identity theft complaint database. We encourage you to contact them and report your identity theft. Visit the website or call toll-free at 1-877-438-4338.
In their continuing efforts to help resolve identity-theft-related problems, this information is shared with other government agencies, consumer reporting agencies and companies where the fraud was perpetrated.
Notify Credit Bureaus
It is highly recommended that you contact the three national consumer reporting agencies if you believe you have been a victim of identity theft. Ask each agency to place a “fraud alert” on your credit report and to send you a copy of your credit file.
In the U.S:
- Equifax — 1-800-525-6285 or equifax.com
- Experian — 1-888-397-3742 or experian.com
- TransUnion — 1-800-680-7289 or transunion.com
Document everything.
Email Fraud, Phishing or Spoofs
Fraudulent emails and websites designed to elicit your personal information can be very sophisticated and deceiving. Fraudulent emails, known as “phishing,” can look very similar to Regions communications.
If you see suspicious emails or online requests asking for information or actions regarding your financial information, do not click on the links or reply to the message.
If you believe that you have received or replied to a suspicious email and provided private information about your bank account, please contact your bank’s fraud department immediately.
Look at your bank statements or website to see if they have a reporting email that you can use to forward phishing emails to them.
To Learn More Also Look At Our Article Catalogs
Essential Tools For Every Scam SurvivorSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com From SCARS Publishing
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Each is based on our SCARS Team’s 32 plus years of experience.
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SCARS GREEN BOOK
Self-Help Self-Paced Recovery Program Guide
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN
This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. counselingCounseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. They may also work with "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists". SCARS does not provide mental health counseling. or therapy, qualified support groupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers., or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
SCARS SLATE BOOK – Let Us Explain What Happened!
A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scams work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
SCARS RED BOOK
Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Organizer
ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION TO MAKE THE REPORTING PROCESS SIMPLE!
Helps you get and stay organized. This publication is to help Scam Victims organize their crime information. Complete this information before reporting to the police then bring this book with you
Before or after reporting to the police the RED BOOK gives you a dedicated tool to record all the essential facts of this crime. The Victim, the Scammers, the Money, and your Police interactions. Everything that really matters can be easily recorded for your immediate use and for the future!
As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
The Official SCARS RED BOOK is your way of recording all the important facts of this crime so that you do not lose essential information, Complete the RED BOOK then put it away with the confidence that you will have it if or when it is needed.
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Your generous purchase allows us to maintain our scam avoidance, support, and recovery services. Please help SCARS and stand proud.
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By the Society of Citizens Against Relationship ScamsSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Inc.
A Worldwide Crime Victims Assistance & Crime Prevention Nonprofit Organization Headquartered In Miami Florida USA & Monterrey NL Mexico, with Partners In More Than 60 Countries
To Learn More, Volunteer, or Donate Visit: www.AgainstScams.org
To see ScammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. Photos visit www.ScammerPhotos.com
Contact Us: Contact@AgainstScams.org
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