Fraud attacks are a growing occurrence in the United States. They can happen at any time of the day over a phone call, through email, on the Internet, a text message, and even the mail that we receive at home. Recent studies show that 9 out of every 10 Americans experience a fraud or phishing attack each year.
At PODERcard Debit, we are working to keep you safe. Learn how to spot the most common red flags for fraud and what to do if you are a victim of a scam or scam attempt.
Look out for the 5 most common red flags of a scam or fraud
Here are five of the most common red flags for any suspicious fraudulent or scam activity:
1. Requesting orivate information
Never share your Social Security number, driver’s license number, credit card or debit card information, bank information, passwords, or any other personal information about yourself or your family. If someone you don’t know is requesting this information, verify the source before taking action!
2. Paying for prizes
You should never have to pay for a prize. If you are told that you must pay fees or taxes to receive a prize or other financial windfall, it’s likely a scam!
3. Creating a sense of urgency
Scammers will do anything they can to pressure you into acting fast. They will create intense situations that will prompt an immediate response from you, such as “today only” deals, posing as an authority figure, threatening you, or even scaring you! It’s important to stay cool and collected when recognizing this intense situation. Never agree to give out any money or personal information without doing proper research!
4. Using unconventional payment forms
Fraudsters may request unconventional forms in a fraud attempt. A few examples include, but are not limited to gift cards, Pay Friends app payments, money transfers, wire transfers, etc. No government or business organization will request an unconventional form of payment. As a general rule, the federal government, IRS, law enforcement agencies, debt collectors, or utility companies will NEVER ask you for your card number over the phone to make a payment.
5. Claiming unrealistic offers
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t be tricked into making a quick decision without validating the source and information!
Enhance your fraud protection system
Protect yourself against phishing attacks
Phishing emails and text messages are meant to trick you. They may appear to be from a reputable bank, credit card company, social networking site, online payment website or app, or online store. Follow these tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help prevent a phishing attack.
- Protect your computer by using security software. Set the software to update automatically so it can deal with any new security threats.
- Protect your mobile phone by setting software to update automatically. These updates could give you critical protection against security threats.
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Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication. Some accounts offer extra security by requiring two or more credentials to log in to your account. This is called multi-factor authentication, and it makes it harder for scammers to log in to your accounts if they do get your username and password. The additional credentials you need to log in to your account fall into two categories:
- Something you have — like a passcode you get via an authentication app or a security key.
- Something you are — like a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face.
- Protect your data by backing it up. Back up your data and make sure those backups aren’t connected to your home network. You can copy your computer files to an external hard drive or secure cloud storage service. Don’t forget the data on your phone!
Use trusted websites
There are several ways you can verify the trustworthiness of a website. Here are a few things you can do to further protect your Internet browsing and activity:
- Install browser safety tools into your preferred web browser settings.
- Hover your mouse before clicking on a URL. You will see the true URL destination appear on the bottom left side of your computer screen.
- Use websites that have “HTTPS:” in their address. The extra “s” stands for security and will help protect your personal information.
- Avoid websites with lots of pop-ups or spammy content.
- Use the “whois” lookup to research who the actual owner of a URL is.
Know SABEResPODER’s trustworthy numbers
If you’re a part of the PODERcard Debit or SABEResPODER community, it’s important that you can recognize all the important email and text message content that is officially from our team! Here is how you can make sure that it is really us.
If you are part of the SABEResPODER Rewards Center, you can confirm that a message is, in fact, from our community and NOT a scammer by confirming the numbers or the email through which you received the message. SEP Rewards Center text messages will always be sent from one of the following numbers: 55280, 72237, 52749. Emails will be sent from info@saberespoder.com.
As a PODERcard Debit cardholder, you will receive important email information from info@podercard.com.
Welcome Tech dba SABEResPODER is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. The PODERcard Visa Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. PODERcard account opening is subject to identity verification by Thread Bank.
Your deposits qualify for up to a maximum of $3,000,000* in FDIC insurance coverage when placed at program banks in the Thread Bank deposit sweep program. Your deposits at each program bank become eligible for FDIC insurance up to $250,000, inclusive of any other deposits you may already hold at the bank in the same ownership capacity. You can access the terms and conditions of the sweep program at https://go.thread.bank/sweepdisclosure and a list of program banks at https://go.thread.bank/programbanks. Please contact customerservice@thread.bank with questions regarding the sweep program.
*See more here: https://go.thread.bank/sweepdisclosure.
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