It’s that time of the year again, when we’re all online looking for presents to give and receive. Gift cards are an increasingly popular choice, which means you might well be buying or receiving them during the festive period. In fact, they’ve become a huge global market projected to grow at a rapid clip overContinue reading “5 Common Gift Card Scams and How to Spot Them”
Author Archives: virginiasmp
Make your donation count by avoiding end-of-year charity scams
The season of giving is here. If you celebrate Christmas, you might be about to fill some stockings. But, for many, holiday giving includes supporting charitable causes. Charities in need of support will be making year-end appeals by phone, mail, email, and social media. Scammers know that, too, and every year try to trick peopleContinue reading “Make your donation count by avoiding end-of-year charity scams”
10 Telltale Signs of a Romance Scam
When it comes to romance scams, Patrick Wyman, a 13-year veteran of the FBI, has seen it all. He’s investigated, helped on or supervised about 300 romance fraud cases. Wyman, a supervisory special agent in the Washington Field Office, says two things are critical to preventing a smooth-talking criminal from breaking your heart and emptyingContinue reading “10 Telltale Signs of a Romance Scam”
How to tell if your password has been stolen in a security breach
Following the revelation that a list containing millions of stolen usernames and passwords had appeared online, we tell you a few different ways to find out if your credentials were stolen in that—or any other—security breach. In mid-January, researcher Troy Hunt revealed that a list was floating around in the storage space of the MEGAContinue reading “How to tell if your password has been stolen in a security breach”
10 Worst Things to Carry in Your Wallet
In an episode of “Seinfeld,” Jerry’s neurotic friend George Costanza has so much stuff jam-packed into his wallet that it’s ridiculed as a “filing cabinet.” The wallet bulges with everything from Irish currency to a coupon redeemable at Orlando, Florida-area Exxons to filched packets of Sweet’N Low. Walking down the street, Costanza the pack ratContinue reading “10 Worst Things to Carry in Your Wallet”
Scammers Are Tricking More People Into Buying Gift Cards
According to the newest Data Spotlight, 40,000 people reported losing a whopping $148 million in gift cards to scammers during the first nine months of 2021. Those are staggering numbers which have increased each year for the past several years. Since 2018, gift cards have been the most frequently reported payment method for fraud. ButContinue reading “Scammers Are Tricking More People Into Buying Gift Cards”
Identity Theft Can Happen to Anyone
Many of us access our online accounts — credit cards, investments, insurance, or checking and savings accounts — nearly every day. In our digital world, bits of our personal information are everywhere. Identity thieves know this and look for ways — both high-tech, like lifting our passwords, or low-tech, like stealing our mail — toContinue reading “Identity Theft Can Happen to Anyone”
Welcome to Identity Theft Awareness Week 2022
Today we’re kicking off Identity Theft Awareness Week 2022. Identity thieves have been busier than ever during the pandemic, with scammers and identity thieves after people’s information to apply for credit, unemployment benefits, file taxes, buy things, or get medical services. But there are some things you can do to protect yourself, and this week,Continue reading “Welcome to Identity Theft Awareness Week 2022”
Technology Tools to Help Guard Against Elder Financial Abuse
As people get on in years and perhaps experience cognitive decline, they may become vulnerable to elder financial exploitation: theft or fraud perpetrated by someone they know, even someone close to them. It may be a shady lawyer, accountant, caregiver or family member who drains their bank accounts, keeps their benefits checks or buys extraContinue reading “Technology Tools to Help Guard Against Elder Financial Abuse”
The Virginia SMP 