How to outfox financial scammers

CNN

3 hours ago

While financial scams have always been around, the variety of schemes that scammers employ to steal money are easily proliferated these days with the internet, social media, AI and crypto.
Frauds and scams ranked No. 6 on the list of top consumer complaints last year, according to a recent report from the Consumer Federation of America.
And the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center found that financial losses from cybercrime alone last year reached $16.6 billion – a 33% increase over 2023, with the vast majority of those losses coming from fraud. The average reported loss was $19,372.
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission noted that there was a more-than-four-fold increase between 2020 and 2024 in the number of reports of older Americans (age 60 and up) who said they'd been scammed out of $10,000 or more. The increase among those reporting that they'd lost over $100,000 was nearly seven-fold.
Some people 'reported emptying their bank accounts and even clearing out their 401(k)s,' according to the agency.
How can that happen? Any number of ways.
And it's not just those over 60 who are susceptible. 'Any type of scam can happen to anyone,' said Emma Fletcher, senior data researcher in the consumer response division of the FTC.
Imposter scams, where criminals masquerade as a trusted government agency or business, are among the most common.
Whereas in the past a lot of scams tried to trick you into giving out your financial account numbers, many now seek to persuade you to move your money from one of your accounts to another type of account the scammers can access.
'The scams generally involve someone contacting consumers to alert them to a fake and urgent problem and then proceeding to try to persuade them to transfer their money to 'keep it safe' or for some other false reason,' the FTC said.
Among the lies they might tell: Your Social Security number is linked to serious crimes. They're calling about suspicious activity on your account. Or you're in trouble with the law and have to post bond.
Or they may offer something that is too good to be true, like easy money for a simple task. In exchange, they will ask you to pay something up front.
Among other types of imposter scams are:
Tech support scams: These can take the form of a pop-up security alert or audible alarm on your computer, purporting to be from Microsoft or Apple. The message might be that your computer has been hacked, and it will include a number to call for help.
Sometimes the criminals will tell you they need to get remote access to your computer to fix something.
Prize and sweepstakes scams: It's never the victim's lucky day when a scammer, posing as a representative of a sweepstakes or lottery entity, contacts you and tells you that you have to pay money to get your big prize.
To help spot a potential financial scam, keep an eye out for common red flags:
A government agency or company contacts you out the blue and makes threats and demands. There are currently imposters even pretending to represent the FTC itself. The FTC notes it 'will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize.'
The same is true of any reputable business or government agency.
You're told to go to a bitcoin ATM or make a bank transfer. Last year, the FTC found that 33% of older adults who reported losing $10,000 or more to an imposter scam said cryptocurrency was the method of payment requested, while 20% said they were asked to make a bank transfer and 16% said they were told to pay in cash.
The most typical crypto payment involved sending someone to a bitcoin ATM, which some scammers may refer to as a 'safety locker,' Fletcher said.
A case reported by CFA, for instance, involved a scam caller telling a consumer they were 'under arrest for failing to appear in court and was in contempt for missing jury duty. They insisted that the consumer needed to post bond, and the sheriff could not accept a check or credit card. Instead, the scammer directed them to a federal kiosk, specifically a Bitcoin ATM.'
You're told to buy gift cards to pay the scammer: Another type of scheme has victims go to one or more stores to buy gift cards and then share the unique numbers and pin with the scammer.
There are several ways to reduce your chances of being swindled.
Do not engage. When you get an unsolicited call, text, social media message or email – or you get a strange warning alert on your computer – don't respond. Do not call the numbers suggested nor click on any links offered.
Instead, if you're concerned it may be legitimate, call the actual entity the person contacting you claims to be from and do so by looking up that entity's real number and website yourself.
'Stop and verify. If it feels urgent, if they're rushing you and creating alarm, and you weren't expecting that contact, go directly to the company or agency that they're claiming to be and check it out,' Fletcher said.
Never move money on demand. If you do end up engaging, a clear sign something is wrong is that you're told you have to move money fast. You may be told you have to transfer money out of an account that has been compromised in order to 'protect it.' Or to send money to get yourself out of some sort of (fake) trouble. No legitimate business, government agency or law enforcement entity would require this.
Never pay money for the promise of getting more money. Anything financial that sounds too good to be true usually is. And that's especially the case when you're being told you need to pay something upfront to get something desirable in return (e.g. a commission, a job, prize winnings, etc.)
Don't assume you're too smart to be duped. A scammer can catch anyone at a particularly vulnerable moment.
For example, you might already be in a heightened emotional state when you get a call or text; or the focus of the scam may pertain to something you were just dealing with – e.g., you may have recently driven through a number of tolls when a scammer sends you a text about unpaid tolls.
'For each of us there is a scam that can get us at just the wrong moment,' Fletcher said. 'The scammer hijacks your ability to think things through clearly.'
Make liberal use of the 'Block Caller' and 'Report Junk' functions on your phone: Getting a call or voicemail from a number you don't recognize should be blocked. The same goes for unsolicited texts and social media messages. And, the FTC warns, don't necessarily trust your caller ID function either, as scammers have been known to 'spoof' it – meaning they can falsify the information sent to your caller ID display.
It can happen to anyone. If it happens to you, take steps to minimize your losses and help stop the scammers from victimizing others.
Here is an FTC resource page that offers steps you can take if you think you paid a scammer or if the scammer has access to your personal information or to your computer.
But, generally speaking you'll want to let your bank and/or other relevant entities such as the credit bureaus or gift card issuers know immediately.
To minimize your losses, 'Time is of the essence,' Fletcher said.
You also might want to consult a consumer law attorney who specializes in consumer rights and consumer fraud to see what your next best steps are.
Then report your scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
To prevent others from falling prey to the same type of scam, share your story with people you know. 'Pass on what you know. Research supports that word of mouth is the top way people hear about scams,' Fletcher said.