DFI is celebrating National Consumer Protection Week in partnership with the Washington State Attorney General's Office and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)!
The FTC created National Consumer Protection Week to increase awareness and information about consumer rights and help people learn how to identify, prevent, and report scams.
Here’s a deeper look into what it means to identify, prevent, and report scams:
- Identify – Some of the most common scams and tactics fraudsters use:
- Advance Fee Scams
- Affinity Fraud
- Charity Scams
- Credit Repair Scams
- Cryptocurrency Scams
- Grandparent Scams
- Imposter Scams
- Investment Fraud
- Lottery or Prize Scams
- Pig Butchering
- Ransomware
- Romance Scams
- Tech Support Scams
- Prevent – Tips on how you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud:
- Be suspicious of ‘too good to be true’ offers
- Avoid opening emails from unknown sources
- Beware of impersonators
- Never send money to strangers or someone you just met
- Be skeptical of someone trying to become a close friend or romantic interest
- Be cautious of requests for money via wire transfer or cryptocurrency
- Don’t feel pressured
- Verify licenses
- Educate yourself and stay informed
- Report – Types of scams you can report:
- Banking scams
- Identity theft
- Investments or cryptocurrency
- Loan scams
- Mail fraud
- Technology scams
Now that you know how to identify, prevent, and report scams/fraud, let’s learn more about some of the most common scams:
- Unexpected call - The scams usually involve someone “supposedly” spotting fraud or criminal activity on one of your accounts, offering to help “protect” your money, sometimes asking you to share verification codes, and always telling you to move money from your bank, investment, or retirement account. Learn more about how to protect yourself from scams like this one and the FTC website.
- Romance scams - Romance scams are becoming more and more common as social media, dating apps, and other websites are popping up, which means the scammers are too. It’s important to know what to look out for when using platforms that can make you vulnerable to scams. When talking to someone online who you do not know, here are some things to watch out for:
- They say they can’t meet you in person.
- They ask you for money.
- They tell you to send them gift cards, wire transfer, use a money transfer app, or cryptocurrency. Learn more about romance scams on the FTC website.
Learn how to identify, prevent, and report fraud on DFI’s $10B website.
Visit the FTC website to learn how to get free consumer education materials — including information in multiple languages — and learn from consumer protection experts.