Consumer Alerts

There has been a recent uptick in phishing emails from well-known online services, like Office 365 and Zoom. The emails received direct victims to click on a fake link and provide their usernames and passwords. Victims that receive these emails and click on the link are sent to a CAPTCHA verification page, which is used to make the scam seem legitimate. Once “verified,” a fake error page appears asking the victim to log in to their account, giving the cybercriminal instant access to their username, password and ultimately their online accounts. Where many people use the same login credentials for […]

Community members are reporting a recent increase in fraudulent calls regarding Amazon refunds.  Victims of the scam have indicated that an “Amazon representative” contacted them by telephone to issue a refund that they were not expecting. In some instances the representative states the refund is a result of fraud on their Amazon account and other times the customer is told they were overcharged for a previous purchase. To address the issue, the fraudster instructs the victim to sign into their computer and allow remote access. They ask them to log in to their Amazon account and show them a fake […]

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is currently offering Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans via local banks through May 31st as part of the the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. This Act allows new loan applications to the program, originally set to expire on March 31, for two more months and give the SBA 30 additional days to process loan applications made by the new May 31 deadline.

Our Fraud Management Team offers the following tips to protect yourself from criminals looking to steal your identity and/or your money: Review your credit and online banking regularly. Contact your bank immediately if you notice anything unexpected. Do not open emails you are not expecting. Do not click on pop-ups or gift ads. If you’re not sure a phone call you received is legitimate, hang up and call them back on a confirmed number directly. You’ll likely find their contact information on their website or on your account statement. Do not provide personal or financial information over the phone unless you […]

It’s no secret that companies capture information about what you are looking at online and use it to target advertising messages.  This includes what you click on, how long you are on a website, your social media activity, and demographics, as well as what you search for.  But did you ever wonder if the apps you are using could be watching too? Seeing an ad for a product you were chatting with a friend about probably isn’t just a coincidence. The apps you use day-to-day often require consent to access pictures, videos, and the microphone on your phone. While this […]

The National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF) has issued an alert warning the public about the issuance of erroneous 1099-G forms. 1099-G forms are issued to recipients of certain government payments, including unemployment compensation. Since unemployment insurance (UI) is taxable income, the State Workforce Agency (SWA) issues 1099-G forms to UI and Internal Revenue Service recipients to report the amount of taxable unemployment compensation received. If you receive a 1099-G form you are not expecting, it might mean that an identity thief fraudulently received benefits using your identity. Taxpayers who receive a 1099-G form for benefits they did not […]

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently issued an advisory regarding fraudulent COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments (EIP). U.S. authorities have identified numerous EIP-related fraud schemes such as: Fraudulent Checks: Fraudulent checks are mailed to victims, instructing the recipients to call a provided number to cash the fraudulent relief checks. Victims are asked to provide personal or banking information to speed up their relief payments. Altered Checks: Fraudsters have begun depositing altered EIP checks, often via ATMs or by mobile deposit. The altered checks often have the payee chemically altered to enter a new payee, or the payee line is left […]