KENNEWICK, Wash.– International Fraud Awareness Week is a timely reminder for everyone to be vigilant against scams and frauds, especially as we get closer and closer to the holiday season.
Phishing attempts are on the rise, where scammers send personalized texts, emails or phone calls using your name to extract sensitive information.
Avoid clicking on any links in these communications and refrain from responding, as this could verify your contact information to the scammer.
Card skimming, although less common, involves devices attached to ATMs or card payment machines to steal card information.
Always inspect any point of service you use and cover the screen when entering your PIN.
Counterfeit checks are another concern. These checks can look as though they have real account and routing numbers but are still fraudulent. Regularly reviewing bank statements for suspicious activity is a good practice.
GESA Credit Union also advises verifying the identity of anyone contacting you. Fraud schemes often involve impersonators claiming to be law enforcement or representatives of banks and federal/state institutions.
Always ask for identification, the agent’s name and an official contact number to confirm their identity. Be cautious with caller ID, as it can be manipulated to display false information.
Lastly, ensure your passwords are stored securely and avoid simple combinations that include your email, your name, or strings of identifiably patterned sets of numbers.
Wake Up NonStop Local spoke with Doc Compton, a content creator and scam victim advocate with over a million followers across multiple social media accounts, who is dedicated to exposing scams.
Compton, known for playing characters to bait scammers, has learned their tactics by engaging with them from the perspective of the scammed.
Compton explained how he began his career in this field. “I just saw a need. I have a background in fighting robocalls, and this was just a natural progression into protecting– ideally, older folks and younger folks,” he said.
He highlighted a common scam tactic involving unsolicited calls or emails from scammers posing as major companies or customer service offices. “If people are receiving unsolicited calls or emails from what they believe to be service providers like PayPal, Norton, McAfee, Geek Squad, Best Buy, etc., that’s usually something that these scammers use because they are trusted brands and names that people recognize,” Compton said.
Compton engages with scammers daily, streaming and posting these interactions online. When asked about the key takeaway for Fraud Awareness Week and his perspective on dealing with scammers, Compton emphasized prevention.
“Prevention is everything in this game. It is infinitely easier to prevent these things from happening than it will ever be to fix them once they have,” he said. “I think that when people are exposed to the internet and all of the perils that come with it: there is an inherent danger, and I don’t think it’s any bigger than it has been in the past. I think the pattern is simply changed.”
Compton advised checking on older family members who might not have the same internet literacy and monitoring younger people’s internet usage as they gain earlier access to smartphones and the internet.
For Compton’s socials, head to his website here.
For Gesa’s Fraud Prevention Services, head to this website here.
