Disclosure:  This is a Fashionista Event and a promotional item was provided to me by Coupons.com. Hosts for this event are Still Blonde after all these Years and ModlyChic.
I recently attended a seminar where an attorney from my state’s Attorney General Consumer Protection Division gave some helpful tips that I’d like to share with you. Â The Attorney General monitors fraud and stays on top of new schemes that criminals use for stealing money and information. Â From their information, here are some of the most common scams happening right now:
1. Â Former Foreign Government Officials
People claiming to be officials, businessmen or surviving relatives of former government officials in countries around the world send you offers via email. Â They say they will transfer thousands of dollars to your bank account if you will help them access their money.
2. Â Tech Support
A tech support person may call or email and claim they are from Windows, Microsoft, or another software company. Â They tell you your computer is sending out error messages and is infected with a virus. Â From here they ask for remote access to “fix” it, meanwhile they are stealing personal information. Â They may even ask for a wired payment or credit card information.
3. Â Lottery Scams
You may receive an email saying you are the winner of a foreign lottery. Â All you need to do to claim your prize is to send money to pay the taxes, insurance, shipping, etc. Â You should never have to pay anything to claim a prize.
4. Â Phishing
Phishing, also known as carding or brand-spoofing is a type of deception designed to steal your identity. Â Have you received an email from a brand you know that includes their logo and looks very official but something just seems a little off? Â If you think it may possibly be legitimate, go to the companies website or contact them through independent means, not through the email.
5. Â Disaster Relief Scams
Every time there is a natural disaster, millions want to help. Â Scammers take advantage by setting up fake charity institutions or soliciting your personal information to make a “donation”.
What can you do to protect yourself online?
Advice from the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency at OnGuardOnline.gov, “The good news, there’s a lot you can do to protect yourself and your computer. One of the most important steps you can take, install security software from a reliable company and set it to update automatically.”
Secure all your transactions online with a comprehensive security solution such as Norton by Symantec. With anti-phishing technology, this blocks fraudulent phishing sites designed to steal your information. Norton actively protects you from viruses, spam, identity theft and social media dangers.
- Spam BlockingÂ
- Download Insight and IP Address Insight
- Live 24×7 Threat Monitoring
- Scam InsightÂ
- Anti-phishing TechnologyÂ
- Intelligent 2-way FirewallÂ
Those are just a few of the features 0f Norton by Symantec. Â For a full listing, description, and more information, go to the Norton site. Â And because we never like to pay full price, make sure to check Coupons.com! Â Right now, you can save $40 off the Norton by Symantec using a coupon from Coupons.com.
This sounds like a great item to have. I have MacKeeper and it helps me with a lot. I will have to check this one out!