Scam and Fraud Prevention

A scam becomes fraud when a scammer gets someone's personal or financial details and uses them for their own gain, or receives money from their target under false pretenses. Fraud is a criminal offense. While some scammers will simply ask their target directly for money, others will be more subtle about what they want. Here are some links to resources with valuable information you can use to protect yourself from being scammed.

We live in a world where email, online shopping, social media, and many other of our day-to-day activities are conducted online. And it can be a great tool of convenience, but like anything else, criminals have infiltrated cyberspace with online scams targeting unsuspecting victims. Relentless in their crimes, these people target their victims with emails or text messages that appear to originate from trusted or legitimate sources. The messages are designed to trick you into believing your account has been compromised, your software is infected, or someone has hacked your account(s). These messages seem professional and these people can be quite intimidating. Their methods are always changing, but typically, their methods are:

• Emails or text messages providing you an opportunity to track your package by clicking on a link. These links direct you to websites that ask for your account credentials, personal information, or payment details in order to view the tracking information.
• Emails or text messages stating your package could not be delivered and you are asked to click on a link. These links direct you to the same types of websites stated above.
• Emails or text messages that warn you of a large online purchase or a suspicious payment on your account. You are then directed to call a phone number or visit a malicious link to confirm details.
• Messages that attempt to extort you for citizenship issues, photos and/or videos.

SIMPLE TIP: DELETE THEM.

Don’t respond. Don’t click on the links. Don’t open the attachments. Don’t respond to the text.

Here are some links to websites you CAN trust:

• Federal Trade Commission
• Oregon Consumer Protection
• Oregon Scam Alert Network
• Six Signs It’s a Scam
• Wise Giving
• Top Ten Consumer Tips
• Do Not Click
• Just Hang Up
• Do Not Call