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Scams, Frauds, Swindles and Connivances: SPOTTING THEM AND PROTECTING YOURSElF

ACADEMY FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

MARCH, 31, 2025

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SCAMS AND IDENTITY THEFT ARE GROWING

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Reported consumer losses from fraud

2024

2025

$10.0B

$12.5B

Sources: Federal Trade Commission, Insurance Information Institute

Percentage of people reporting losing money to scams

2024

2025

27%

38%

Reported identity thefts

2024

2025

370,000

1,400,000

Massachusetts was #6 in reported identity thefts per 100,000 in 2023

AARP reports a much higher number of $43B

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THE IMPACT FEELS GREATER AT A PERSONAL LEVEL

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  • A local Mashpee woman recently lost nearly $1 million in life savings to a "pig butchering" scam, a long-term scheme where a scammer builds a relationship with their victim to gain their trust before extorting them. 
  • 77-year-old widow lost $661,000 in a common tech scam: ‘I realized I had been defrauded of everything’
  • Woman in Chicago northwest suburb loses nearly $1.6 million in phone scam
  • Woman loses nearly $1M in romance scam, shares red flags she missed
  • Man sounds alarm after parents lost over $1 million in crypto scam

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What do scammers want?

  • #1 Your Money
  • #2 Personal information or identity theft:
    • See #1
    • For future scams with you or someone else
    • For other nefarious purposes, e.g. money laundering
  • #3 Other items of value
  • #4 Disruption

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Scammers have many different ways to reach us

They’re growing more sophisticated, especially with Generative AI

Modern scams come in many forms

  • Email (phishing)
  • Text (smishing)
  • Phone calls
  • QR codes
  • In person, at your door or over the shoulder
  • Sniffers and skimmers
  • Other?
  • Spoofing a phone number
  • Including a realistic logo
  • Emails from someone you know
  • Well-researched personal information scraped from social media
  • Voice replication of a loved one

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Watch for red flags – Pressure and secrecy

    • Sense of urgency – “You have to act now!”
    • Pressuring behavior; name calling; insistence; vulgar language
    • Use of scare tactics, e.g. telling you a loved one is in danger, that your computer has been hacked or threatening arrest if you don’t act now
    • A request to obtain gift cards, or to pay by wire transfer, Western Union, Venmo, Zelle, crypto
    • Need for secrecy - “Don’t talk with the police.”

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More red flags – Something feels off

    • You have no idea who is contacting you
    • Spelling mistakes, gmail email address, nearly brand name (e.g. Viza)
    • Attachments in an email from a company/institution you work with
    • “I have a cold” or “I have a bad connection.”
    • Any request to provide or confirm a password, PIN, Social Security number, account number or similar financial information

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And some more red flags – too good to be true

    • Get-rich-quick and similar promises
    • You’ve received a large check. “We’ve overpaid you. I just need you to send a small portion back.”
    • “I only need a $20 shipping fee in advance.”
    • Being asked to pay money in order to receive a prize or get a job
    • “You can make $500 an hour.”
    • “I’ve admired your resume and would like to offer you a position.
    • I know we’ve just met but I think I love you.”
    • An unbelievably low price for something

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Some examples – deliveries, fees and accounts

    • “Your package cannot be delivered”
    • You receive an Amazon package and didn’t order it
    • “We need you to re-verify your information”
    • “Your account is about to expire on [today’s date].”
    • “This is X F I N I T Y. Please confirm your service address.”
    • “You have been charged a toll in the amount of $x. Click here to pay.”
    • An example of “whaling” from real experience

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More examples – imminent personal disaster

    • “Grandma, I’ve been arrested.” Or “Grandpa, I’ve been in an accident.”
    • You have a lien pending/the IRS will prosecute you
    • There is an officer on the way to your house
    • Fake tech support - “I see you have a problem with your computer. I just need to update it.”
    • Fake fraud report

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More examples – preying on your good nature

    • Please donate to the policeman’s benevolent fund/fund for a recent disaster
    • A romantic emergency from a new online friend or love interest you’ve not met in person
    • “Here are some pics I took this morning”

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A live example from two weeks ago

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Identity theft

    • Data leaks have grown very common
    • Two different categories - PII and PHI
    • How worried should I be about a data breach?

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Protecting yourself: On-line

    • Password management
      • Use secure passwords – e.g. first letters of words in a song lyric
      • Maintain different passwords for different sites, especially financial
      • Periodically change passwords
      • Enable two-factor authentication
    • Establish a “family password” for phone emergencies, or ask a tough question
    • Don’t open, answer or click what you don’t know
    • Check sender e-mail address to see if legit
    • Consider a separate e-mail or computer
    • Antivirus scans
    • Open for other suggestions from audience

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The 15 Most Common Passwords. Is One Yours?

    • 123456
    • 123456789
    • admin
    • Qwerty
    • welcome
    • Password
    • Password1
    • p@ssw0rd

​

    • 12345
    • Qwerty123
    • 1q2w3e
    • 12345678
    • 111111
    • 1234567890
    • Q2w3e4r5t

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Protecting yourself: Over the phone

    • Get on a do not call list
    • Screen calls; let an unknown caller go to voice mail
    • If you must answer, ask “Who’s calling please?”
      • Don’t confirm your identity until you’re sure who it is
      • Don’t answer the phone with the word “Yes.”
    • Reverse number look-up or area code confirmation can help eliminate some calls
    • Open for other suggestions from audience

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Protecting yourself: Other considerations

  • Contact credit card company with the number on the back of the card, not an email link
  • Be sure a charity is legit and familiar
  • Look for small unidentified purchases on credit card statements
  • Credit monitoring; credit freeze
  • Identity theft protection like LifeLock (Norton)
  • Consider Reputation Defender or similar
  • Don’t post on Facebook or other site pictures of you while on vacation
  • Have someone watch your house during a funeral
  • Nothing financial/personal on public WiFi
  • ATMs – be aware of surroundings
  • Watch over your shoulder when using a card or entering a password
  • Don’t leave a password list lying around next to the computer
  • Look closely at a gas station pump or ATM
  • Buddy up when walking any place that might feel unsafe

What else?

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Credit cards vs. debit cards

    • Credit cards
      • Have limits of loss (but review your statement monthly)
      • Don’t charge you in advance for a hotel stay
      • Can help you build credit
      • Can be addictive
    • Debit cards
      • Have greater liability with fraud
      • Can provide easier access to cash

vs.

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Some entertainment recommendations

Local author from Falmouth – Spencer Quinn aka Peter Abrahams

Amazing older actress