We are assaulted by people trying to access our information for their benefit or trying to trick us into sending a payment fraudulently.  Now, with all the news on artificial intelligence, we will see even more ways we may be assaulted. 

How do you protect yourself?

The first step:  Think before panicking and reacting; careful observation could save you from a scam!

Here are some examples, starting with familiar ones:

• Do you really think you won a lottery you never entered?  There is an old joke about not buying a ticket.
• Do you think you won a gift on Ace Hardware or Walmart when you haven’t been shopping there? Check the e-mail address – if it’s not from the company, then someone is trying to gain access to your information.
• Do you actually think you are the one randomly chosen to receive an inheritance from someone in another country that supposedly has no heirs?  The estate mentioned is often from a country you may never have visited, and the estate is an enormous amount, so probability says it cannot be real.
• If Amazon really thinks there is fraud, why does the person answering the call say “Thanks for calling Amazon” when the call came from them, and why do they know nothing about your account so that they have to ask for your information?  If there was a fraud, they would be telling you about the transaction instead of asking for all your account details.
• No one stole your credit card, and you know you did not buy a MacBook or Airpods, so why is someone calling from the Netherlands to claim a purchase was made on your account?  Often you can tell that the callers are not from the companies they claim. 
• It may look like a Microsoft message or some other legit message, but why do you suddenly need to update your account or sign for a matter you don’t recognize?  Check the source of the message – we have seen official-looking messages from many dubious senders, including some from India, Japan, Russia or somewhere else.  Be wary of e-mails from random accounts rather than the actual vendor.  
• Why is the border patrol in Texas calling you claiming that they opened your mail and need to put a hold on your social security number? What does it even mean to “put a hold on your social security number” anyway and how does that even relate to contraband?

If you receive notice of an unauthorized payment or overdue bill, or even a payment authorization you didn’t expect, don’t click on the link, go to the vendor’s website to access via a browser you trust to check before responding.  The link in a text or e-mail may appear okay but close examination reveals some flaw.  

The same applies if you receive a DocuSign notice:  make sure the sender is legitimate.  Clicking on the link could allow them to install malware and gain access to your financial information. 

Here’s another example:  We recently had someone claim to have seen our website and want to hire us for tax work.  When we asked for more information about their situation, including the state in which they filed, the response was a message asking to click on links to their information.  The fact that they did not respond to questions about hiring a tax professional was a tip-off.  The IRS warns:

Thieves take time to craft personalized emails to entice tax professionals to open a link embedded in the email or open an attachment. Tax pros have been especially vulnerable to spear phishing scams from thieves posing as potential clients. Thieves might carry on an email conversation with their target for several days before sending the email containing a link or attachment. The link or attachment may secretly download software onto tax pros’ computers that will give the thieves remote access to the tax professionals’ systems.

IRS

You can avert risks by being very suspicious, as well as being cautious. 

More steps:  you will also want to monitor your credit, even freeze your credit accounts, make sure your computer and smartphone software is up to date, use two-factor verification, run your malware and antivirus scans frequently, and respond to any alerts.  For more ideas such as getting an PIN from the IRS, see our post on Phishy Phone calls.  Here is good reminder from the IRS:

• The IRS will never contact a taxpayer using social media or text message. The first contact from the IRS usually comes in the mail. Taxpayers who are unsure whether they owe money to the IRS can view their tax account information on IRS.gov.
• For more on scams, see the annual IRS dirty-dozen list.
• IRS warns of a new scam for non-existent self-employed credit so be wary!

This New York Times article How to Avoid Online Scams and What to Do if You Become a Victim had more good ideas on avoiding scams and what to do if you are scammed.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments and stay cautious! You can always call me if you are not sure what to do.

Steven