Our hunkering down during the Covid crisis has made us a sitting target to scams. Here are a couple of common ones and tips on how to handle them
Tech support scam
You may get a call alerting you to a problem with your computer, or a message may pop up on the screen saying your computer is infected with a virus. If you follow the instructions of the caller or the screen message, your computer may be taken hostage and your personal information stolen. You are then asked to pay a fee to restore access to your computer or data.
What to do:
Prevention is the best medicine. Don't click pop-up ads or attachments from unknown senders. ...
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How to Correct An Error on Your TransUnion Credit Report
Did you know that one in every five Americans has an error on their credit report, according to the Federal Trade Commission? If you're one of the unlucky ones with an error, you could be denied credit when you apply, pay more for loans, or face other problems with employer background checks, utility companies, or cell phone service providers who check your credit.
You don't want omissions or inaccuracies on your credit report to cost you financial opportunities or to make your loans more expensive. To avoid this, you need to keep tabs on your credit. If you spot a problem, such as inaccurate information on your TransUnion credit report, ...
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How Other People Can Affect Your Credit Score
Here are a few of the most common ways that other people can affect your credit score, along with some ways to protect yourself.
1. When you're an authorized user on someone else's credit card
You may think that being added as an authorized user places all the responsibility on the primary cardholder, but in fact, your authorized-user status will also be reported to credit bureaus. While you aren't primarily responsible for repaying the debt, all activity associated with the account will show up on your credit report.
This is why becoming an authorized user is sometimes recommended as a way to build credit. If the primary cardholder ...
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Senate Passes Bill Providing for Free Credit Freezes – Possible Expansion of VantageScore
The Senate has passed a bill that would roll back some banking regulations. Indirectly, the bill addresses Equifax’s historic data breach in which Social Security numbers and other personal data of 150 million people were exposed — a number that comprises well over half the U.S.’s adult population.
Though Sens. Mark Warner (D-Virg.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) had put forth a bill in January that would hold credit reporting agencies responsible for breaches, it did not progress and Congress had failed to issue a legislative response to the Equifax breach.
In a move meant to benefit consumers, the new Senate bill, which was introduced ...
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How to Avoid Telephone Scams
No doubt you have received a call from someone you don’t know who would tell you that you have just won a contest for a free Caribbean cruise or a call that they are from the IRS (or some other government agency) and that money is owed to you. Let us state right from the start that most of these calls are fraudulent. (Regarding the IRS, they will never call you on the phone).
Scammers can call either your home phone or your cell phone and there are many variations of these schemes . The following video below illustrates one of them*.
Let's break down the components of these calls, so that you can easily identify their tactics:
They ...
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Email Scams and Phishing
Mary is 77 years old, but she is an avid email user and loves to communicate with others. She recently received a message that told her the sender was stranded in at a London airport because someone stole his wallet, which contained all his money, checks and credit cards. Now, he has no way to get home to the United States. The sender continues on that he needs to get back to America soon because his mother is in the hospital with cancer. He asks Mary if she could click the link below where she could put in her credit card to pay for his trip back.
John is 55 years old and not that computer literate. He recently got an email that said a ...
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Preventing Financial Loss Due to Internet Spyware
Spyware is one of the leading causes of identity theft across the United States and they are getting more sneaky and more sophisticated each day.
It is important for the consumer to know how to identify spyware, stop it from spreading and eradicate it; otherwise, you stand the risk of possibly having cyber criminals access your bank accounts and have your money stolen. In addition, your credit cards can be illegally used, as well as many other factors of fraudulent activity that can be acted against you.
Sounds scary? It is, but there are easy preventative methods that can be utilized to stop spyware from entering your PC or Mac.
What ...
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ATM Scams Can Leave You Penniless
When people think about ATMs and crime, they usually are looking at a scenario where a criminal would follow you into the bank and demand you give him the money via a threat of some kind. Although this type of robbery does occur, there are more sophisticated methods that criminals use whereby you could have your entire savings withdrawn, yet you would never be aware of it at the time you were in the bank.
In 2008, more than $1 billion was stolen in ATM related crimes
One of the most popular of these is the use of a skimmer. A sophisticated electronic device that reads your bank card. How does it do this? Hard to believe, but these devices are ...
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How to Prevent Identity Theft
Did you know that every passing minute, about 19 people across America become a target of identity theft? That is an astounding 27,360 people who are affected by identity theft each and every day! Online scams, data breaches, and lost or stolen wallets/purses all contribute to this crisis that is plaguing our society. The consequences of these scams often result in substantial financial losses to the victims.
The good news is that there are preventative techniques that you can do to stop thieves from obtaining your money.
Stop Identity Thieves in Their Tracks
You may feel that there is no way to save yourself from identity theft, ...
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