Fraud Identification and Prevention

Fraud and identity theft can appear in numerous forms and can happen to anyone. Whether it be a suspicious text message that you receive, or a phone call from someone claiming to be from an institution like the IRS, scammers are constantly finding new tricks to take advantage of others.    

Identity Theft Awareness Week is an excellent opportunity to learn and talk about identity theft and ways to protect yourself, family, and friends.   

Below are some helpful tips to utilize to best avoid or navigate around a potential scam: 

Identifying and preventing a scam

Scammers pretend to be from organizations that you may be familiar with. Some examples include, but are not limited to PG&E, the IRS, Social Security, Amazon, United States Postal Service, etc.  They will almost always say that there is either a problem or a prize. Whether it be that you are in debt and owe money or have a family/friend who is in trouble that needs help. They may also say that you’ve won a free item that needs to be claimed.   

You will likely be pressured to act immediately. Scammers will push you to do something for them before you have the chance to think about what you’re doing.  They will ask that you pay in an oddly specific way. Whether it be using a payment application on your phone such as Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle to send money or asking you to purchase a gift card followed by giving them the card’s information.   

What to do if you’ve fallen victim to a scam

• If you paid using credit/debit, reach out to your bank and let them know the charge was from a scam.
• If a scammer made a transfer or has access to your bank account, reach out and let your bank know that your account has been compromised.
• If you paid using a gift card, reach out to the gift card company and let them know the payment was from a scam.
• If you sent cash through the mail, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at   (877)-876-2455. Let them know about your situation and ask that they intercept the package.
• If you gave a scammer your Social Security number, go to https://www.identitytheft.gov/ and follow what steps you must take on their website.

Learn more about how to best protect yourself from identity theft:  

This week, the Federal Trade Commission and its partners will host free webinars and other events to talk about how to spot, avoid, report, and recover from identity theft on their website.    

To report suspected scams or fraud, call the Federal Trade Commission at  
(877)-382-4357, from 9 AM-5 PM ET. Or visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.    

If you are interested in learning more about protecting yourself against Identity theft-related scams, speak with a Community Resource Specialist: (408)-350-3200, option 1.