HOW TO AVOID THE SWINDLE CONTACT INFORMATION

 Never provide personal information such as TAKE ACTION AND PROTECT YOURSELF CONS, social security, credit card and bank account numbers to anyone over the phone, Get a free copy of your credit report every 12 especially if they called you. months from each credit reporting company AND  Beware of anyone who wants you to wire money instead of sending a check. www.annualcreditreport.com SCAMS  In most scams, if you are given a phone number to call, it’s probably a disposable — To “opt out” of receiving pre-screened credit and untraceable — cell phone. card offers Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT  If you’re not sure of the legitimacy of an In- or call 1-888-567-8688) ternet message from your financial insti- tution, contact the business by some means NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY: OTHER than the instructions given on the www.donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222 Internet.  Review credit account statements regularly : to ensure all charges are correct and that To file a complaint with the FTC visit there aren’t purchases you didn’t make. www.ftc.gov/complaint or call 877-FTC-  Do not be intimidated by any messages that HELP (866-653-4261 TTY) suggest dire consequences if you do not immediately provide or verify financial information. To report identity with the FTC visit  Legitimate lotteries and sweepstakes do not ftc.gov/IdentityTheft or call 877-ID-Theft require you to pay something upfront or to buy something to improve your chances of CREDIT BUREAUS: winning.  Sponsors of legitimate contests will readily Equifax — www.equifax.com identify themselves and will send you To place a alert: 888-766-0008 information if you ask.  Fraudulent e-mail or fax scams will most like- Experian — www.experian.com Bloomington Police Department ly contain spelling errors and poor gram- To place a fraud alert: 888-397-3742 305 S. East Street mar. Bloomington, Illinois 61701  Scammers will try to convince you that they TransUnion — www.transunion.com are not out to rip you off and might claim that To place a fraud alert: 800-680-7289 they are working in your best interest. Public Affairs Unit  Some scammers will become pushy and nas- SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: (309) 434-2355 ty on the telephone if you resist their offers. To report fraud: 800-269-0271 Hang up on them. [email protected] (866-501-2101 TTY)  Do not rush into making important financial SSA Fraud Hotline decisions just because you are told that if Learn more on BPD’s at you don’t act NOW the offer will be P.O. Box 177685 withdrawn. Baltimore, MD 21235 www.cityblm.org/police  Watch out for phony charities using names that sound a lot like legitimate charities. Follow us on Facebook at  If an offer purports to offer something “for free”, it might end up costing you a lot. www.facebook.com/cityblmPD DEFINITIONS* “PHISHING” SCAM “BOT-HERDING”

Con: Something (as a ruse) used deceptively You receive an e-mail or a “pop-up” window Some computer hackers aren’t satisfied to gain another’s confidence; swindle on a website that appears to come from a rep- stealing from one user at a time. They prefer to Fraud: Intentional perversion of the truth in utable company. In many scams, it of- direct the unsuspecting to phony web sites or order to induce another to part with something of ten appears to be the financial institution with links within e-mails that will allow the hacker to value or to surrender a legal right which you do business. In other cases, the gain control of hundreds or thousands of Scam: Fraudulent or deceptive act or - message appears to come from a government computers across the country. By going to the tion agency or from a well-known credit card phony web site or clicking on the links (for *Merriam-Webster Online company. The message warns of a serious electronic greeting cards, for example), users problem that requires your immediate attention. unknowingly release malicious software onto Cons, frauds and scams can occur over the You are then instructed to click on a button to go their computer. The hacker then uses that telephone, through the mail, over the Internet or to the institution’s website. In reality, you are computer and many others to create a “”, a in person. No one would fall for a scam if it being directed to a phony website that may look remote-controlled robot network that can be used looked like a scam, so perpetrators are very very legitimate. The fraudulent website instructs to launch massive spam campaigns, cripple careful to make their con games appear you to enter personal and account information in legitimate computer networks, or steal identities. legitimate. Criminals tend to look for easy order to “verify” the account. Often, the Many times, computer owners don’t even know targets. You can take a few precautions to make instructions will be accompanied by a that their computer has been infected. Do not open yourself a harder target. A good place to start is failing to comply will result in suspension of the unsolicited e-mails, especially those with to heed this advice: “If it appears too good to account. Information provided is used by the attachments. Maintain current virus be true, it probably is!” scammer to make purchases or open new protection programs on your computer. accounts in your name. Legitimate businesses Many of the most modern scams, especially will never use the Internet to obtain personal those that use the Internet, originate in foreign or private information. LOTTERY/CONTEST SCAM countries and are virtually impossible to solve. It is also very difficult to identify and prosecute the It begins with a letter, phone call or e-mail scammer. Much more certain is the fact that “VISHING” ATTACKS claiming you have won a lottery or contest. You most people who fall victim to them never are told to contact a claims agent to collect your recover their losses. Vishing is similar to phishing in that “winnings”, using a telephone number or e-mail consumers are persuaded to divulge personal or address. The claims agent sends you a form to NIGERIAN SCAM private information for the purpose of identity return, along with copies of your driver’s license, theft. Vishing involves e-mails or text messages, passport and/or other documents to “verify your It’s an old one, but it continues to circulate. supposedly from a financial institution or credit true identity”. Often, you are also instructed to You get an e-mail, letter or fax from someone card company, directing you to a telephone wire (again, as opposed to sending a check) purporting to be a government or business official number to re-open your account or reactivate money to cover taxes and fees. The scammers stating that he has millions of dollars that can not your credit card. Upon making the call, the now have some of your hard-earned money be accessed because of “rules and regulations” recipient is greeted with “Welcome to the Bank (which you will never see again) and enough in his country, usually in Africa. He wants you to of…” (the same one they mentioned in the e-mail personal information to steal your identity. help transfer the money to the U.S. (to your bank or text message!) and instructed to provide card Sometimes, you will actually receive a check, but account) and for your trouble, he’ll give you a big numbers and other personal information. The it will be counterfeit and have no value. You will chunk of the money. What he really wants is frauds even make their e-mails appear more be promised more checks, but they will also be your account number so he can raid your authentic by advising recipients to never provide phony, if they arrive at all. In addition, your account. Most often, you are asked to trans- sensitive information when requested to do so in financial institution might hold you responsible for fer (by wire as opposed to sending a check) mon- an e-mail. Always call financial institutions or any cash taken by you when depositing the ey to cover all sorts of things, such as paying off credit card companies using a number you worthless check(s). Keep this advice in mind: “If government officials, having documents certified obtained yourself or the one on your you did not enter a lottery or contest, how or hiring a courier service. You are also asked to monthly statement. could you win?” keep the plot a secret. People who fall for this scam never see their money again and the promised bounty never existed in the first place.