Have you ever received an unexpected call about your money being at risk or that an account has been hacked?
Here are some tips from the FTC on how to protect yourself:
Get some basic details, then hang up. What company or bank are they calling from? What’s the problem? Then hang up. Yes, hang up.
Verify the story by contacting the company or bank yourself. Do you have an account with the company or bank the caller says they represent? Contact the company directly to find out what’s going on:
Do use the official app or website to get in touch with the fraud department
Do call the phone number on a recent statement or the back of your card
Do not rely on top search results to find a company’s contact information—scammers often buy paid search ads so their fake numbers appear at the top of the listings\3. Always talk to a trusted friend or family member. No legitimate fraud department will tell you to keep the call a secret.
And no matter who says they’re calling, never share your personal or account information, don’t grant anyone remote access to your phone or computer, and keep account verification codes to yourself. If you think it’s a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps stop the scammers.
To sign up to receive consumer alerts from the FTC, go to ftc.gov/ConsumerAlerts