• How Scammers Tell You to Pay - Scammers often say you've won a prize, you owe a debt, or a family member is in an emergency. READ ARTICLE
• Social Security Scams - Scammers pretend to be calling from Social Security and aim to get you to tell them your social security number. READ ARTICLE
• Phishing Scams - Scammers send emails or text messages to fool you into giving them your personal information. READ ARTICLE
• IRS Scams - Scammers pretend to be calling from the IRS, and say they're filing a lawsuit against you for owed taxes. READ ARTICLE
• Fake Check Scams - Scammers ask you to deposit a check for more than the owed amount and send some of the money to another person. READ ARTICLE

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1. Spot imposters - Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, or a charity.
2. Do online searches - Type a company or product name into your favorite search engine with words like "review," "complaint" or "scam."
3. Don't believe your caller ID - Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information, so the name and number you see aren't always real.
4. Don't pay upfront for a promise - For things like debt relief, credit and loan offers, mortgage assistance, a job, or a prize.
5. Consider how you pay - Credit cards have significant fraud protection built in, but some payment methods don't.
6. Talk to someone you trust - Before you give up your money or personal information.
7. Hang up on robocalls - Hang up and report it to the FTC.
8. Be skeptical about free trial offers - Research the company.
9. Don't deposit a check and wire money back - If a check you deposit turns out to be a fake, you're responsible for repaying the bank.
10. Sign up for free scam alerts from the FTC at ftc.gov/scams.

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• Banks will never ask for your password or pin number in a text message.
• Banks will never ask you to click a suspicious link or provide confidential info in an email.
• Banks will never ask you to verify your pin over the phone.
• Banks will never ask for the following in an email, text, or phone call for any of the following:
  • Your account number
  • Your user name or password
  • Your Social Security Number
  • Your Pin
  • Your Birthday
  • Your Address
  • Share a One-Time Code
  • Fill Out a Form
  • Download an Attachment
  • Reveal a Security Question Answer

Any of the above is a definite RED FLAG. End the call, delete the text, or trash the email.

Pro Tips

• Look for misspelled words
• Call the phone number on your card
• Protect your confidential info
• Beware of scare tactics
• Beware of links

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Having a conversation with the seniors in your life about common scams and staying involved in their lives is a great way to start. Check out this link for some more great info on how to help protect our seniors from scams and fraud:

READ ARTICLE

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During the past four years, the FTC has logged more than 378,000 reports from veterans - and nearly 161,000 were fraud-related.

FTC Website Info

Set transaction limits, location limits, and merchant limits for your debit card right on your smartphone using our mobile App. Watch a tutorial on how to download the App and how to set card limits. It's easy and a wise thing to do in these stressful times.

Think you left your debit card behind and want to instantly block it so no new transactions can be made? No problem. You can do this with one click right from your smartphone.

Download our App today!

• FTC.gov
• IdentityTheft.gov
• DoNotCall.gov
• eConsumer.gov
• AnnualCreditReport.com

If you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft, please CONTACT THE BANK IMMEDIATELY!

After that, visit www.IdentityTheft.gov. It's the federal government's one-stop resource for identity theft victims. The site provides step-by-step guidance, streamlined checklists and sample letters to guide you through the recovery process. If you prefer, you can download the entire kit, or ask a Martha's Vineyard Bank Customer Service Representative to print it for you.