Beware of Common Scams
Protect yourself from scammers.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
BEC, also known as email account compromise, is one of the most financially damaging crimes. It exploits the fact that so many businesses and individuals depend on emails to conduct business.
In BEC Scams criminals send an email message that appears to come from a known source, making a legitimate request. For example:
- A common BEC scam would be what appears to be an email from the company's CEO requesting a large dollar wire to go out immediately.
- Another common BEC scam would be what appears to be an invoice with the payment instructions updated.
A best practice for all email inquiries is to perform a call-back verification to the requestor, using a known phone number to verify information. Even if it's the CEO.
Spoofed Calls
Spoofed calls happen when bad actors manipulate caller ID information to disquise their identity, making it appear as if the call is coming from a known number. Be careful when answering the phone, especially if the caller asks for personal information or banking information.
Utilize call blocking services from your carrier. If you are unsure of a call/caller, allow the call to go to voicemail. You can delete and report the call as spam/junk. You can also report these calls to the Federal Communications Center (FCC).
A best practice for important phone calls is to make the call yourself by using a known phone number of the person or business.
Grandparent Schemes
This happens when a bad actor disguises his/her voice to sound like your grandchild and asks for money because they have been in an accident and need the money to get their car repaired. The caller will say to the grandparent to 'please keep it a secret', because parents will get upset.
A best practice is to hang up the phone and call your family directly. Verify that everyone is ok. You can also setup a 'family code word' that you can share with your closest family members to ensure you are actually speaking with your true family.
