While you are enjoying your decorating and cookie-making, keep an eye and ear out for those humbug holiday scammers. They are rife this time of year with all kinds of ingenious schemes and hacking plans to catch you off guard and “relieve” you of your cheer.
Fraud is an ever-growing force among consumers. Perpetrators have a singular way of “knowing” what to say, saying it fast and friendly and tricking you unaware. From fake charities to “phishing” for details, be mindful of a potential free-for-all.
3 ways you could be attacked
One of the cleverest hacks has to do with “updating” a troubled computer system. A caller from an obscure location claims to represent a major company which you have heard of or recently used. The caller, armed with partial personal information, who says he or she has recognized you are having trouble with some computer operations, promises to fix it like new. Once he gets your login and password, he can do all manner of “work,” and you will be none the wiser.
A second scam pertains to your credit card’s magnetic strip, which is easier to hack than the chip and pin readers now replacing the swipe system. Since Target’s massive data breach last December in which over 100 million had their card info and data stolen, the new system is a welcome deterrent.
What remains the most successful scam? Email phishing is still tops, especially fraudulent ones from shipping companies. These schemes try to get your passwords as most people will use the same one for several if not all accounts. If these phishers get the right one, they could be in your finances before you can say “pumpkin pie.”
3 ways to thwart an attack
Regarding a computer update scheme, get the individual’s real name, direct phone number, company name and supervisor’s name. Then offer to call him back at a more convenient time. This gives you time to verify whether he is who he says.
For credit cards, be sure to follow the prompts for the chip and pin reader. Keep receipts and review your account online daily to make sure all charges are accurate. Question any you don’t understand.
For emails, look at the email address first. If it is not the right domain name, chances are it is not legitimate.
During this holiday time, Data Screening wants to make sure you enjoy your shopping as well as your celebrations. These warnings might help you bypass some of the schemes and frustrate the fraudulent.
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Data Screening is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise that has offered business-to-business employment and tenant screenings to human resource professionals and business owners, including staffing companies, for two decades. Among other organizations, they are members of the New Jersey Staffing Alliance, the Society for Human Resource Management and the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. How may we help you today?