The end of the year is a busy time for most people, and this year there's even more going on to worry about. With a pandemic, election, and holidays taking up most people's focus, scammers are taking this opportunity to increase their schemes.
Criminals use a variety of methods to get a hold of personal information to steal identities, credit card information, and/or money. Stay vigilant when you are asked for private information through online forms, email, phone calls or text messages.
Sometimes fraud attempts aren't blatantly obvious. It might not just be a form asking for one's name, social security number, birthdate, and credit card information. Sometimes fraud comes in the form of a phishing phone call to collect information to allow the criminal to hack into personal accounts.
Popular scam topics right now revolve around voting, polls, or donation requests for candidates. As we move into November beware of online shopping scams which will increase in presence during the holiday season.
Safeguard yourself by following these tips before giving money or personal information:
- Verify authenticity of a website before providing any payment information (look for a lock to the right of the URL)
- Hover over links to see the full URL to confirm they're from legitimate sources
- Verify the FROM address in emails asking for personal information. You can do this by clicking on the from name to see the actual email address
- Keep your software on computers, smart phones, and tablets up to date to make sure you have the latest security patches
- Use two-step verification wherever possible to prevent unauthorized logins to your accounts
radius uses top of the line security to keep your information safe and secure while you're working with us. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out and we would be happy to verify any requests for information that you are unsure about.
