Skip to login

Fraud and identity theft.

How to detect fraud and identity theft.

Often the victim is the first person to discover fraudulent activity. The sooner fraud is detected, the lower the financial impact.

Top warning signs of fraud.

  • Unrecognizable accounts on your credit report or inaccurate information 

  • Bills or statements unexpectedly stop arriving by U.S. mail, which could mean someone has taken over your account and changed your billing address

  • Checks are significantly out of order on your bank statement

  • Unreasonable denial of credit

  • Banks and financial institutions freeze accounts unexpectedly

  •  Receiving credit cards without applying

  • Notification that you’ve been denied credit that you didn’t apply for

  • Debt collectors contact you about merchandise you didn't buy

  • Notifications about address, password or information changes that you didn’t make

A few tips to help you stay ahead.

Monitor your accounts.

Check your online accounts and activity often for anything unusual to find fraud earlier and call your financial institution right away if you notice anything suspicious. Also, keep an eye on accounts that belong to your children, parents or other family members.

Use a credit monitoring service.

Opting in to notifications to stay updated on changes to your credit report is one of the fastest ways to find out if someone has opened new accounts in your name.

Take advantage of online alert tools and services.

Sign up for email or text alerts that notify you when certain activities happen like low account balances, unusually high account transactions, ordering checks and reissuing debit or credit cards. Alerts like these can help signal fraudulent spending, so you can quickly put a stop to it.

Be on the lookout for common scams.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Know that scams aren’t only limited to the internet. Criminals also use phone, text, social media and email scams to gain personal information and commit fraud and identity theft.

Wire transfer email scams.

Criminals are actively using email schemes to defraud financial institutions and their customers by deceiving them into authourizing wire transfers that seem legitimate but changes payment instructions to allow scammers to use closing funds for themselves.

Common targets.

  • People purchasing real estate

  • Other parties involved in real estate transactions like brokers, title agents, attorneys, buyers or sellers

Be cautious of making any transactions online or with unknown third parties and always verify your wire instructions with the intended recipient before sending any money.

Unusual requests for money

  • Someone pretending to be your friend sends an urgent request for money by email or social media, asking you to make a wire transfer immediately

  • Another scam asks you to pay administration fees or taxes in advance before getting a prize or money

  • Receive an email that you’re entitled to a long, lost relative's inheritance, but you have to send money to claim your portion

  • Someone requests an advanced fee to stop foreclosure, modify a loan or receive advice from a company or individual about stopping mortgage payments

The ’too good to be true’ scam

Watch out for possible scams where you don't remember entering a lottery or contest, but are notified by phone, text, email or letter that you’ve won. Other types of scams lead you to believe you’ll receive a huge sum of money for transferring funds (often internationally) or you’ll earn extra money working at home if you send or receive money using your bank account.

Shady buyers or sellers

Be catious when shopping for and selling a car online and never trust a seller or buyer who refuses to talk on the phone or meet in person. A shady buyer or seller could ask you to transfer money or pay by mail using a cashier’s check or money order. In another instance, the buyer could overpay you with a check and ask you to refund the difference. Then the check bounces when you try to cash or deposit it later. Always make sure checks have cleared before paying off loans and delivering items to a buyer.

More helpful resources.

Get tips on how you can protect your personal information, secure your computer and guard yourself against internet fraud and the latest scams by visiting Onguard Online  or  Federal Trade Commission's website .

Learn more at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s   Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and their public service announcement  about wire transfer email scams.

If you think you Ally account has been compromised, call our fraud hotline at  1-833-226-1520 .