Tips for Avoiding Online Scams

March 31, 2022
Business

Fraud is a year-round activity, but tax season brings an uptick in calculated schemes to steal money and personal information through spoofed messages and other means. Cybersecurity firms have also reported an increase in fraud attempts that exploit the conflict in Ukraine — a situation that has increased fears of potential cyberattacks on American companies. Our Tech Tip columnist, J.D. Biersdorfer, reports that you can better protect yourself if you know what’s out there. Here’s a guide.

Avoid the tax scam: The Internal Revenue Service doesn’t make first contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information — including bank-account or credit-card numbers, passwords, or PIN codes. Messages asking for that information are deceptive “phishing” attempts to steal money and identities.
Donate wisely: Opportunistic scammers are quick to take advantage of natural disasters and humanitarian crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Be leery of messages from unfamiliar organizations requesting donations by credit card or cryptocurrency. Crowdfunding campaigns should be avoided or heavily scrutinized unless you know the organizer.
Report a scam attempt: If you get unsolicited email pretending to be from the I.R.S., you can report it by forwarding the message to phishing@irs.gov. You can make a general fraud report on the Federal Trade Commission’s site. Gmail and Outlook.com include menus to report phishing attempts, while Yahoo has a form to fill out.
Be wary: As the Federal Trade Commission notes, the common signs of a scam usually include someone who impersonates a familiar organization and tells you there’s a problem (or, sometimes, a prize). The scammer pressures you to act immediately and demands payment in a specific way.