Among Friends

[Marp]

Received this information from my bank this morning.

There’s a new fraud method that uses phishing and fake websites to trick you into installing info-stealing malware on your device.

How it works

Appearing on fake websites or embedded in real websites that have been compromised, this new tactic mimics the “Verify You Are Human” tests like CAPTCHA and tricks you into performing a series of keyboard entries, such as: Win + R -> CTRL + V -> Enter.

This installs a malware program designed to steal your usernames, passwords, and other personal information or to gain access to your device.

What you can do

Perform regular anti-virus and malware scans on your devices.

Never click on unexpected messages or pop-ups.

Programs to prove you are not a robot would not ask you to input a series of keystrokes.

Regularly check your credit report for unusual activity, such as an account you didn’t open.

[TheMemphisVette]

Freeze your credit to prevent identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name, which is a strong measure against identity theft and potential fraud following data breaches. A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report, blocking lenders from checking your credit and approving any new fraudulent or legitimate accounts opened with your stolen information. You can place or lift the freeze at any time, and it's free to do so. 

How it protects you:

• Prevents new accounts: 

  A freeze blocks creditors from accessing your credit report to open new accounts, even if a scammer has your personal information. 

• Protects against data breaches: 

  If your information was compromised in a data breach, a freeze can prevent new accounts from being opened with your stolen data. 

• Stops misuse of identity: 

  It can help prevent someone from continuing to misuse your identity if it was stolen. 

Key facts about credit freezes:

• Free: You can place, temporarily lift, or remove a credit freeze at no cost. 

• Affects your report: A freeze restricts access to your credit report from anyone other than approved entities, like government agencies or creditors of your existing accounts. 

• Doesn't affect existing accounts: It does not impact your existing credit cards or other accounts. 

• You must request it: To unfreeze your credit, you will need to contact the credit bureau to provide a temporary or permanent "thaw" of the freeze. 

• Contact all three bureaus: To be effective, you must contact each of the three main credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) individually to place a freeze. 

[haddon9]

@TheMemphisVette @Marp 

Thank you!  Great information!

[San Antonio Gal]

My credit is frozen with the 3 credit reporting agencies:  Trans Union, Exquifax, and Experian.

[Estellee]

Mine is too!

[KittySoftPaws]

@Marp @TheMemphisVette  Thank you both for this very valuable info. It seems scammers are getting more and more savvy especially with AI in place now. So keeping ahead of it all is critical. 

[JYWilliams]

I also froze my credit with the 3 credit reporting agencies over 15 years ago.

[They CallMe MRWILKES]

I also froze my credit across the board after my bank had a hacking years ago.  No problems whatsoever. 

I check every account 2-3 times a week:  bank, investment,  retirement accounts.

Check Credit Score from 2 different places.

You need to be vigilant and highly PRO-active since you have no control over the data and information everyone has and can be breached. 

You can't wait to be informed about an issue.  You need to go looking for potential problems.   Fortunately,  we all now have these tools.

[RescueLover]

@TheMemphisVette 🌻


Thanks for all that detailed information to help those that do not know !


One of the newest scams - someone buys land in an area they don’t live (but planning on living there) and they find out the land has been sold using their identity (scammer grabs photo of them off of social media) and then someone is building a home on their property ! 2 Victims here (the actual land owner and the land buyer who wants to build their home)







Can you imagine !



Meanwhile someone in another country is long gone with the money!

[roeroe1005]

Great advice here!  Thank you for the reminders.

I also have alerts on my credit cards.  If $1+ is charged, I get an alert, even when I use it.  I know that scammers will charge a crazy amount like 67 cents, to start with. 

I also look at my accounts every day or 2 to try to stay on top of it.