Avoiding being scammed involves knowing what to look for and honing your cyber security skills. New scams are constantly emerging. This means that keeping an eye on your digital accounts and staying aware of potential scams that may be associated with them is a must. Here are six scams that are new or becoming much more common to be aware of in 2023!
Emerging Scams to Be Aware of in 2023
Scammers constantly change their strategies to keep up with modern technology. They move away from older methods as more people become aware of them. This means that staying on top of the latest scams is an important step in protecting yourself. Here are six scams that are quickly gaining traction to be aware of in 2023!
Student Loan Forgiveness Scams
The recent announcement that a portion of some borrowers’ student loans may be forgiven has come to an onslaught of scammers pretending to be student loan providers. They attempt to convince students and graduates to give them their personal information. This can be a particularly easy scam to fall for. Even for otherwise savvy individuals that can spot most other potential scams. This is due to the real details surrounding what the loan forgiveness process might look like and who students might need to give what information to are unclear and constantly changing.
Zelle Scams
Zelle can be a helpful payment tool, but it has also become the target of recent scams. Scammers may access their target’s money by pretending to be a representative of their bank or credit union’s fraud department. They will then convince the target that they need certain information to secure their account from another source of fraud. They will also use that information to gain unauthorized access to their account.
Paypal Scams
Scammers can target a PayPal user’s account by making a real request for a large amount of money, which the recipient must physically decline through their PayPal account. Accidentally accepting this request can result in significant lost money that can be difficult to recover.
Romance Scams
The recent increase in online dating has led to scammers infiltrating these sites. This is a new type of scam that many people who want to find a partner may not know to be on the lookout for. With this type of scam, a scammer poses as a potential romantic partner. The scammer starts to build a relationship with the target through the site’s messaging feature. These conversations will eventually turn into sensitive financial questions. The scammer will use that information to attempt to convince the target to send them money.
Grandparent Scams
Seniors are often more prone to falling for scams than younger adults. They are less aware that they exist and do not always know what to look for. Scammers that target these individuals may pretend to be their grandchildren. They often claim that they are stranded or in trouble and need them to send them money.
Phishing Scams
Although phishing scams have been around for quite some time, they are quickly becoming the most prominent cyber threat for both individuals and businesses to be aware of. They attempt to get recipients to click on a dangerous link in an email, text, or social media post. It will then install malware on the user’s device or hack into their account.
Common Signs of Scams
Many scams work by creating a sense of urgency that attempts to get the recipient to believe they will lose a service or otherwise be negatively impacted if they do not respond immediately. They often have poor or unusual spelling and grammar. Scammers may also claim you won something of high value or present another scenario that seems too good to be true in an attempt to get you to provide personal information to claim your prize. If you think of calling the scammer, the number they give you will not match the company’s real number that you can easily find online.
What to Do if You Suspect a Scam
First and foremost, never click on any questionable links you receive in emails or text messages. Instead, contact your bank or other supposed source yourself to find out if they sent you a message. Not by replying to the email or calling the phone number the email wants you to call. You should immediately change the password associated with the account that was targeted, especially if you clicked on any links or entered any personal information. Avoiding scams is important, but knowing what to look for can go a long way toward minimizing cyber security concerns.