If you are someone who believes you could spot a scam a mile away, you aren’t alone. A new Citi survey found 90% of U.S. adults think they could detect a financial scam. But since 27% of those same people have fallen for a scam at some point, our confidence may be bigger than reality shows.
The Federal Trade Commission reports people lost $10 billion to scams in 2023, with a median loss of $500 per person. Email was the No. 1 contact method for scammers, but they also used text messaging, phone calls and even snail mail to tempt people to divulge personal information.
While we may feel we’re becoming smarter when it comes to avoiding online scams, criminals are constantly changing their strategies, making it difficult to stay on top of all the dangers. Here are details on five newer scams, what they look like and how to protect yourself.
QR code scams
We all grew accustomed to scanning QR codes during the pandemic to access contactless menus. But QR codes aren’t something people should scan any time one presents itself.
Criminals are placing fake QR code stickers over legitimate ones, tampering with existing codes and even sending codes to redeem a fake prize. It’s called quishing.
And if people scan a fraudulent code, it can direct them to a fake website asking for bank details or could download malware.
Check for tampering or stickers before you scan a QR code and only scan codes that are expected and from trusted businesses and people. You can also download an app from a company like Kaspersky that will check to make sure a QR code is legit before it allows your phone to scan it.
Student loan forgiveness scams
With the back-and-forth news about the government granting student loan forgiveness, any promises of debt relief are tempting. Bad actors are taking advantage of people’s curiosity by tricking them into clicking on phony application sites. These sites often ask for a hefty application fee or demand bank account or Social Security information.
The Department of Education has said legitimate emails will come from only three addresses: noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com. Official texts will only come from 227722 or 51592 and they will never ask for log-in information or ask for your studentaid.gov account details outside of their official website.
Peer-to-peer payment scams
The Cash App, Venmo, Zelle and other platforms have made it easy to transfer money to friends and businesses. But criminals are often finding it easy to get money from you, too.
These scams can work a few ways, but they often involve a fake call from one of the companies saying there is a problem with your account they need to walk you through. They then trick you into sending money.
Another fake call may come from a supposed retailer or bank asking you to confirm payment info, but they acquire the information to take money from your account.
Yet another common tactic is for someone to contact you claiming they paid you by accident and ask you to refund the money to them. But, the initial payment sent to your account is fraudulent, so you end up sending your own money to the criminal.
To avoid these scams, only send money to people and businesses you know and trust, never fall for forced urgency and keep your app updated.
Virtual celebrity scams
Anyone would love to get a direct message from their favorite celebrity, but the chances of that actually happening are low.
Scammers are setting up fake accounts and reaching out to fans. Posing as the celebrity, they ask those fans for money to invest in an opportunity, help them with a lawsuit or to take advantage of some sort of limited access event.
To protect yourself, avoid commenting on celebrities’ posts, always look for verified accounts and don’t fall for anything that sounds too good to be true.
Wondering if scammers are using your favorite celebrity’s likeness to con people? Security firm McAfee reports the celebrities most-used in 2023 to create online scams were Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and Kevin Costner.
Paris Olympics scams
Any big event is a ripe environment for scammers. Be aware of an email from someone you know that may have a message saying they are in Paris, but have lost their wallet. They may ask you to send money to help them out. AARP is warning of this upgrade to the classic grandparent scam.
Olympics officials are also warning of ticket scams. If you get a message from someone needing money, always verify with the person through another form of communication. If you can’t reach them, contact someone who would know whether that person is traveling.
Officials with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games say if you are trying to buy tickets for events, or already have them, just know they will never ask for your login details or bank account information anywhere other than on its official ticketing website.