{"id":3061,"date":"2024-10-19T12:48:31","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T12:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lcfcu.org\/wph\/workarea\/?p=3061"},"modified":"2026-03-16T22:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T22:57:14","slug":"how-to-scam-proof-your-online-financial-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lcfcu.org\/wph\/workarea\/how-to-scam-proof-your-online-financial-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Scam-proof Your Online Financial Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Online fraud has become a big problem in the U.S. In 2023, Americans lost $12 billion due to online cons, according to the FBI. Thankfully, there are ways you can protect yourself, your identity, and your finances. We have some solid tips from our partners at BALANCE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Never click suspicious email links<\/strong>: Phishing works in different ways, but in the most common scenario, a scammer emails or posts an appealing link as bait. If you click that link, you\u2019ll be redirected to a shady website that infects your computer with a virus, works to steal your personal info, or locks your computer until you agree to pay the scammer a ransom fee. The simple solution? Think before you click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beware spam-y comments on social media: <\/strong>When you\u2019re on social media, you\u2019ll be exposed to a lot of potential scams. These criminals will drop a dubious link into the conversation in the comments, claiming it connects to a relevant story or thread. Use your intuition and be wary of any user or link that doesn\u2019t quite look right. Additionally, change your passwords regularly, especially those for your financial accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scrutinize online shopping offers you didn\u2019t request: <\/strong>Yes, getting a good deal is nice. But some online retailers will simply take your money and never deliver the goods. Worse yet, they\u2019ll charge you more than you agreed to and then sell your credit card information online. To protect yourself, research the product to see if you could purchase it somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please note: A vast majority of online companies are not scammers. If you have not purchased from a company before, do your due diligence and research customer reviews, check for their contact information, and research the product to see if it is legit. Check to ensure the site URL starts with \u201cHTTP\u201d or \u201cHTTPS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Think twice before taking a survey<\/strong>: Online surveys can be very tempting. Usually, they\u2019re promoted in banners or social media posts and promise deep discounts and giveaways. All you have to do is hand over your info. The problem is that a lot of these surveys are bogus. A legitimate company probably isn\u2019t going to give you a real deal via a flashing banner ad. And if you click, you may be giving up access to things like your bank and credit card info.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Skip perfect dating profiles: <\/strong>Be careful of who you trust on dating websites. Watch out for anyone who wants to move the conversation from the dating site to email. Additionally, ditch anyone who can never meet in person or asks for money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Report All Fraud<br><\/strong>If you worry you have been the victim of a scam, file a report with the FTC &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\"><strong>ReportFraud.ftc.gov<\/strong><\/a>, as well as your local police or law enforcement agency.\u00a0 Additionally, stop by, call or email to let us know and we\u2019ll do what we can to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lcfcu.org\/access\/access-2\/contact-us\/\">stop by<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lcfcu.org\/access\/access-2\/contact-us\/\">call<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lcfcu.org\/about-us\/connect\/connect-2\/\">email<\/a>, to let us know and we\u2019ll do what we can to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stories From the Stacks is Designed for You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Stories from the Stacks blog is for anyone interested in advancing their financial life story. From financial challenges and advice to tips for a better relationship with money, each one is designed for you.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/r\/BlogTopicSurvey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Let us know what topics you\u2019d like us to explore next!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Online fraud has become a big problem in the U.S. In 2023, Americans lost $12 billion due to online cons, according to the FBI. Thankfully, there are ways you can protect yourself, your identity, and your finances. We have some solid tips from our partners at BALANCE. Never click suspicious email links: Phishing works in [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","attr_subtitle":[""],"attr_date":[""],"attr_excerpt":[""],"attr_secondary_image":[""],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11,13,16,15],"class_list":["post-3061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-from-the-stacks-blog","tag-financial-wellness","tag-fraud","tag-personal-finance","tag-top-scams"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Scam-proof Your Online Financial Life - Library Of Congress FCU<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to Scam-proof Your Online Financial Life - Online fraud has become a big problem in the U.S. In 2023, Americans lost $12 billion due to online cons, according to the FBI. 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