Be Vigilant, A Reminder

Published On: July 27, 2023

Written by: Ben Atwater and Matt Malick

We continue to see and hear about a variety of frauds that can impact clients. These cons are increasingly convincing, but the best ways to prevent these hacks have not changed. Therefore, we thought a reminder was in order.

• Never send money, even a small amount, to yourself or anyone you do not know well, at the request of any caller, emailer, texter, or pop-up message.
• Do not respond to anyone, via phone, email, pop-up message, who claims they are helping you with a compromised account.
• If someone calls purporting to be from a government agency, they are not, and it is a con.
• As we learned as kids, “don’t talk to strangers” in any capacity on the phone or online.
• Do not buy “crypto” currency unless you are familiar with the platform and have confirmed its legitimacy with appropriate due diligence.
• If you get a call, email or text from an unknown source, do not disclose any information. Instead, if you believe the call is legitimate, then independently find the caller’s contact information and get back in touch with them. Be highly suspicious of any solicitations, even when they sound like someone is trying to help you.
• Do not allow remote access to your computer, phone or other device, unless it is for technical support you solicited from your business, employer or other information technology help desk.
• Always use unique and complex passwords for each account, website, app.
• If possible, set up two-factor authentication anywhere you login, especially financial applications.
• Never click on any links in any emails unless you are positive the link is legitimate. In other words, the link should come from someone you know, and in the correct context that the person or entity would send it. Again, be highly suspicious of all email links, just like you should be of any caller, texter, or pop-up message.

A variety of simple steps can help prevent fraud, but in stressful situations, it can still be easy to fall prey to scammers. If you need assistance as the result of a compromise or if you simply want to ask us our opinion on the legitimacy of an inquiry, please do not hesitate to call on us.