Tag: imposter

Planning to pay a bill online? Before you start searching for a company’s payment site, know that dishonest companies sometimes use paid search ads to trick you into paying them instead of the company or agency you’re looking for. Here’s how it happens.

Your phone rings and what the caller says next sends you into a panic. They claim there’s fraud on your credit card, someone hacked your bank account, you owe a tax debt, or your benefits will end today. Your adrenaline is pumping, and your mind races a hundred miles an hour. They sense this—and they say they can help. Should you trust them? No.

Scammers posing as government agencies or well-known businesses are increasingly going after retirees’ life savings. They weave a web of lies about some bogus crisis. Then they trick older adults into giving them tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

No one likes waiting in airport security lines. To speed things up, some people opt to get TSA PreCheck. Scammers know this and send emails that look like they're from TSA PreCheck — but they’re not. The emails want you to click a link that takes you to a scam website that only looks like the official site — but it’s not. If you pay to “enroll” or “renew” your TSA PreCheck, you may not even realize you’ve paid a scammer until you get to the airport for your next trip. But there are ways to spot these scams.

Missing jury duty can come with real consequences. You could face a fine, go to court, or even get arrested. Scammers take advantage of that to get your money or sensitive information. But their story is a lie.

Scammers pretending to be from the government tell convincing stories to steal your money or personal information. But now they’re taking a new, layered approach — and here are some clues to spot it.

Many impersonation schemes start with a call about a routine problem, like suspicious activity in your Amazon account. But in a new twist, the story quickly takes a more serious turn when you’re told someone is using your information to commit crimes and all your money is at risk.

If you’ve been scammed, someone might promise to help you get your money back –– if you pay in advance. That’s another scam.

Voice cloning technologies can generate a near-perfect voice clone based on a short audio clip or snippet of someone’s voice. The technology has potential to help people—for example, people who've lost their ability to speak, offering them a powerful and valuable means of communication. But, in the wrong hands, voice cloning technologies can do harm.