Asian-American woman with concerned expression looking at smartphone and holding credit card
Asian-American woman with concerned expression looking at smartphone and holding credit card

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The fraud and online safety resource center

At First Financial, we’re here to help you protect your personal information and money. We stay on top of the latest fraud trends and will keep you informed about what to watch for. With our guidance, you’ll be well-equipped to spot and avoid fraud, making us all experts in keeping your finances safe.

Get fraud protection FAQs

Watch out for these five text or email red flags:

  1. You're asked to click on a link from an unfamiliar email address or phone number.
  2. The message uses urgent or fear-inducing language.
  3. There's an attachment in the email.
  4. The sender requests personal info like PINs, passwords, or Social Security numbers.
  5. You feel pressured to send money to someone you've never met through a payment app, wire, or other payment method.

Report fraud immediately

If you suspect fraudulent activity on your account, your identity has been stolen, or if you notice other suspicious online activity:

  1. Change your password immediately.
  2. Call us right away at 877.322.9530. We're here to help.
  3. Don't click any additional links.
  4. Report the scam to the government via the FTC's fraud reporting website.You can also contact the FBI directly as well.
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Information and account security tips

The most important thing you can do to protect yourself from account fraud is practice good cyber security skills. These skills include things like using a secure username and password, not clicking on strange links from unknown contacts, and remaining vigilant to situations that seem strange. Check out our blog for the full rundown. 

We are glad you asked! Here are some tips to help you keep your information secure:

1. Create strong passwords (and don't reuse them) - at the very minimum you should have a different and hard to guess password for each financial account you have. 

2. Use a unique username - People forget that a hard to guess username that isn't used for other accounts is a great way to increase your security online.

3. Secure your data - Firewalls and antivirus programs help keep your computer secure. 

4. Surf the web responisibly - Always make sure you are on a legitimate site before you enter any sensitive information. 

5. Stay vigiliant - Check your credit scores consistently and avoid carrying sensitive documents like your Social Security card. 

For more tips, check out our blog! 

Protecting yourself from account fraud and text scams

Keep your information and accounts safe

Text and phishing scams

It's important to know the common signs of phishing so you know what to watch out for. Here are some redflags:

  • an unfamiliar greeting (Dear sir/madam)
  • atypical wording and possible spelling/grammar mistakes (kindly instead of please, party instead of person, datebook/diary instead of calendar)
  • an inconsistent/long email address (bestbuy@paypal4540.com or info@news.bestbuy.com)
  • requests to click on links or suspicious attachments
  • messaging seems too good to be true or overfriendly/overly formal
  • messaging requests login credentials, payment, or other sensitive information
  • messaging urging immediate action

Do you know the specifics of 5 of the most common forms of phishing attacks? Click here to find out more about 5 phishing scams you may not recognize.  

Text scams start off with a text message from a fraudster pretending to be your bank. The message typically looks like an account alert or a fraud warning and may include a link to a website that is similar to your bank's legitimate website. Four our full guide of what to look out for and what to do if you think you clicked a fradulent link, our article can help. 

How to recognize text scams

5 phishing scams you might not recognize

Check, card, and peer-to-peer payment fraud

Check-related scams are growing in frequency despite the increase in use of digital payment systems. There are three key rules to avoiding falling victim to a check related scam:

  1. Never accept a check that exceeds the price of a product (if selling online, consider a peer-to-peer payment service like VenmoTM or ZelleTM or other payment option). Some scammers use peer-to-peer services as well, so never take money from people you don't know and don't give excess funds back in the event of overpayment until you know the funds are good. 
  2. Never send money to someone who sent an unsolicited check.
  3. Never be embarrassed to report if you’ve been scammed – it happens to 500,000 people a year, and you could help protect others.

For the full scoop on protecting yourself from check scams and what to look out for, visit our blog. 

Card cracking scams are a form of fraud where a scammer attempts to gain access to a person's debit card information in exchange for a fast, easy money opportunity. Once the scammer has access to a person's bank account information, they'll deposit a fradulent check and withdraw the funds. Eventually, the check gets returned against the person's account, leaving them wiith a negative balance and potentially in trouble with the law. 

To protect yourself from this type of scam, here are 3 key tips:

  1. Think to yourself, how? Trust your gut. If a direct message or online ad promotes a quick and safe way to make money, think through how it could be legal. No need to respond to these solicitations – these are not your friends.
  2. Keep strangers out of your stuff. It’s not likely you’d give your PIN number to anyone who asked for it, so why provide it to an online stranger? Sharing may be caring when it comes to cookies, but with bank accounts, sharing can be scary.
  3. Don’t let them get away. If you see or receive a suspicious offer via social media, report it to the site and your bank. Most have drop-down menus to make this easy.

Want to know more? Get the full scoop here.

Peer-to-peer payments services like Venmo(R) are a great way to make splitting an expense or dinner bill with friends and families easier, but these services come with added risk. Because peer-to-peer payment systems enable consumers to send and receive money from their mobile devices or computers through linked bank accounts, you should treat them the same way you'd treat your online banking apps. 

Are you ready for peer-to-peer payment services? What to know

4 ways to spot a counterfeit check

Identity theft protection tips

Identity theft happens when someone uses information about you without your permission. It's important to safeguard your personally identifiable information (PII) to avoid becoming a victim. There are many pieces of PII you should protect including:

  • Name and address
  • Credit card or bank account numbers
  • Social Security number
  • Medical insurance account numbers

Not sure how to protect yourself or want a refresher on some best practices? We have you covered here. 

Unemployment identity theft scams are tough to detect because you typically don't find out you've been victimized until you need to file for unemployment. One of the best ways to catch this type of identity theft early is if you recieve a 1099 form at the end of the year for unemployment benefits you didn't receive. 

Think you might have been a victim? Here's what to do. 

Tax identity fraud is a form of identity theft in which a thief uses someone else’s personal information to file a fraudulent tax return and get a refund. Many people don’t realize this type of fraud has happened until they file their taxes and learn someone else has already filed under their name.

The best way to ensure you don't become a victim of this type of identity theft is being proactive about securing your information. Here's how. 

 

Identity theft protection tips

7 steps to handle unemployment identity theft

Student loans scams

While you are paying off your student loans, it is tempting to try to find ways to make the process easier. It's important to avoid companies that claim they can entirely eliminate your debt if you hand over your personal information and pay them a fee. These offers are fraudulent offers from scammers trying to defraud you of your money and information. 

There are legitimate companies that can help you make a plan to pay off your loans or consolidate them, so here's how to tell the difference between fact and fiction. 

As student loan balances continue to swell, more and more people seek out ways to make keeping up with the payments easier or to get debt forgiveness entirely. This presents an opportunity for scammers to try to cash in. Here's how to know if a debt relief company doesn't make the grade:

  1. The company asks for an up-front payment
  2. They ask for your identifying information 
  3. There's a promise to make the loan go away immediately
  4. The sales representative at the company makes the offer to help seem urgent or only available for a limited time. 

Ready to learn more? Check out our blog on detecting these scams. 

 

How to avoid common student loan scams

4 ways to spot a student loan cheat