Scam advisory: Job hoaxes, deposit scams and tax fraud

It can feel like cybercriminals develop new scams and ways to steal your personal and financial information every day. Caution is wise, but don’t let these digital threats overwhelm you. With preparation and education you can help protect yourself and others.

Tax season is one of the most opportune times for cybercriminals to steal your personal information, with the increase of transactions requiring the sharing of your sensitive data online (and offline). So, be on alert. If a would-be fraudster is able to access sensitive, personal data (like your social security number or personal tax identification number) they could file a tax return in your name, and fraudulently claim your tax refund.

Your best defense? File your taxes as early as possible. When you file early, you decrease the chances that a criminal could file on your behalf. Also, be extra vigilant about how and with whom you share your personal information. If you’re physically filing, do not leave tax forms lying around and shred paperwork you don’t need before throwing it away.

When filing digitally, remain suspicious of any email claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), even if it has the appropriate logos. Remember: According to the IRS website, the IRS will never reach out to taxpayers via email for personal information. And always log off completely when finished with each transaction. Finally, however you choose to file, request your refund as a direct deposit, so criminals cannot redirect it or steal it from your mailbox.

The rise of digital payment platforms like Venmo®, Zelle® and Apple Pay® have given scammers another opportunity to prey on unsuspecting app users. The good news is the tell-tale signs of a deposit scam are usually easy to spot.

As is the case with many phishing schemes, you may receive a spoofed text message, appearing to come from your bank warning about a suspicious Zelle or app transfer. Scammers also often send emails that may look like they’re from your bank or another legitimate organization. If you respond to this fraudulent outreach, you typically will receive a phone call from a scammer pretending to be from the financial institution’s fraud department.

If you receive a call from someone warning about fraud, keep this mantra in mind: Hang up, look up, and call back. Hang up, confirm the call was legitimate by independently looking up the number of the organization supposedly calling you, then, call them back at the number you found.

Employment scammers take a different route but have the same goal as most scam artists: access to your financial accounts and personal information. But don’t worry, like other online criminals, their patterns can be predictable. Be suspicious of any job that sounds too good to be true or offers significantly more money than similar positions. And never give out any personal information (like your driver’s license or bank account numbers) before an interview or a formal, official job offer.

Cybercriminals have fine-tuned their approaches to snatching targets, but just like technology evolves, so do their methods. You can  protect yourself and others against new and trending scams  by always staying alert, asking questions, double checking information and keeping yourself informed.