Scam Warning: Unemployment Claim Fraud
A Guest Post by Shannon Slaughter, Banking Industry Anti-Fraud Professional
Shannon is a SCARS Advisory Board Member
I’ve had several folks reach out to me lately for advice on steps to take after they were notified of fraudulent unemployment claims.
The information on your state website likely has a checklist that advises notifying your financial institution(s) and the credit bureaus.
There is one very important thing missing from this list though: YOUR WIRELESS CARRIER.
Why?
Because fraudsters with all your personal identifying information (PII) who know what they are doing can convince your wireless company they are you and switch service to a phone in their possession.
If they’ve figured out where you bank and are good enough to social engineer their way into an online banking password reset (remember they already have your PII), they can then use that phone to verify the code your financial institution sends to you, and BOOM! They control your accounts!
Now they have access to your money.
It’s called SIM swapping and I’ve seen it happen.
Even if you haven’t been notified of a fraudulent unemployment claim, call your mobile carrier and get yourself set up with a PIN only you would know.
Our phones are the keys to the kingdom in many cases, and cleaning up the mess caused by #SIMswapping is a nightmare.
SCARS Note:
Thank you Shannon for this insightful warning. Additionally, everyone who has been touched by fraud or scams would immediately change their email password. Your phone and your email are not the way to verify your identity – keep them safe no matter what!
Here is an example: https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/jobs/colorado-unemployment-fraud-claims-victim-resources/73-e4f6cc64-13f5-4c59-bfe0-1b20ba5883ab
TAGS: SCARS, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Scams, Scammers, Fraudsters, Cybercrime, Crybercriminals, Scam Victims, Online Fraud, Online Crime Is Real Crime, Scam Avoidance, Unemployment Fraud, Financial Institution, Passwrod Reset, Mobile Phone Safety
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