Criminals use cunning and deceitful tactics to gain your trust and once gained, the con begins in an effort to steal your hard-earned money. It’s very important to educate yourself about scams so you can keep you and your family safe.
What is a Scam?
Sometimes the terms scam and fraud are used interchangeably to describe any type of financial wrongdoing. Ultimately, fraud refers to a broader criminal offense, whereas a scam represents a specific type of fraudulent scheme.
A scam is a sneaky or dishonest plan that’s meant to con an unsuspecting individual. It involves one or more people pretending to be a person or organization that’s familiar to their victim. Scammers trick innocent victims into giving out personal information and taking their money.
Recognizing the Warning Signs
Scammers have figured out countless ways to cheat hard-working people out of their money. They rely on using panic and fear as ways to cloud their victim’s judgement, getting them to act immediately. In some cases, they act friendly and helpful. In others, they might use threats or other scare tactics to intimidate. If you feel any sort of pressure to respond or act quickly, there’s a good chance someone is trying to trick you into falling for their scam.
How You Can Protect Yourself and the Ones You Love
While not all fraud can be avoided, it is possible to take a few extra precautionary measures to help keep your information out of harm’s way.
Keep Your Personal Information and Documents in a Safe Spot
Personal information like financial account statements, Social Security numbers, credit cards and online account login information should never be shared and kept in a safe place. Be sure to properly destroy credit card offers and account statements from your financial institution that contain sensitive information by using a shredder.
Protect Your Information Online and On Your Phone
Always use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for an added layer of protection. A strong password is one that contains a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. If you’re worried about forgetting your password, consider using unique phrases instead of birthdays and pet names. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security when accessing accounts and we encourage you to add it when it is offered. We also recommend frequently changing your passwords.
Everyone loves social media, but do you know who loves it more? Cyber criminals. Criminals use social media as a way to learn more about their victims from the things they post. Sometimes, information like your favorite color, name of the street you grew up on or mother’s maiden are used in fun, trivia-like online questionnaires. When you participate and post your answers, criminals can use this information to answer security questions for your online accounts.
While we love to share things on social media, it’s best to use caution with what we share online.
Monitor Your Accounts Regularly
It’s always best practice to monitor your accounts on a regular basis. This habit is not only helpful for tracking spending, but you’re also more likely to catch something that looks out of the ordinary.
If you notice unusual activity on your Peach State accounts or don’t recognize a charge, contact us immediately at 678-889-4328 or toll-free at 855-889-4328. Downloading our Mobile Banking app will give you quick and easy access to monitor your account(s). For an added layer of security, you can set alerts for low balances, large transactions and more.
At Peach State, your financial well-being is our top priority. This includes taking the necessary measures to keep your personal and sensitive information safe. Keep yourself in the know and learn more a helpful fraud protection tips.
