Older adults are frequent targets for fraud. Scammers often assume they are trusting, polite, or less familiar with new technology. But these schemes don’t just affect individuals—they impact entire families. By learning the red flags, you can protect yourself and help safeguard the people you love.
The winter months bring family gatherings, gift shopping, and more than a little busyness — which is exactly why scammers increase their activity this time of year. Their goal is simple: rush you into reacting before you have time to think.
Fraud tactics continue to evolve, and 2026 is already bringing new scam trends that are more sophisticated and harder to spot. Criminals are using advanced technology and social engineering to make their messages, calls, and requests look more legitimate than ever.
Romance scams are no longer just fake profiles and dramatic stories. Today’s scams are more sophisticated, more convincing, and often powered by new technology. Around Valentine’s Day, scammers increase their activity, knowing people are more open to connection, conversation, and trust.
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Tax season is busy enough without scammers making it worse. But every year, fraudsters ramp up their activity during filing season, impersonating the IRS, stealing refunds and tricking people into handing over sensitive information. Knowing what to look for can protect your money and your identity.
Spring is one of the busiest times of year in real estate, and one of the busiest for wire fraud. As more people buy and sell homes, scammers are working overtime to intercept transactions. The results can be devastating, and recovery isn’t guaranteed.
Paper checks haven’t gone away, and neither has check fraud. In fact, it’s growing. Scammers now use artificial intelligence, high-quality printing technology, and stolen personal and account information to produce counterfeit checks that can closely mimic legitimate ones. What once looked obviously fake may now appear nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
Scammers have always relied on trust to do their damage. But a growing tactic takes that to a new level—impersonating your actual banker. By using publicly available information from LinkedIn profiles and bank websites, fraudsters can call or message you using a real employee’s name, title, and even office location. The goal is to create enough familiarity that you let your guard down and share sensitive account information.
Put yourself to the test. Fraudsters are getting more sophisticated every day, and knowing what to look for is one of the best ways to protect yourself.
From fake emails and texts to computer viruses and malware, outsmart the scammers with these fraud prevention tips and best practices.
Falling for an impersonation scam could lead to significant money loss, fraud and identity theft. But with the these tips, you have the power to shield yourself.
Scammers like to go phishing. That is, they like to impersonate your bank to trick you into sharing your personal information. These scam text messages are called smishing and are often very convincing, very scary and very urgent. But don’t take the bait. Take a minute to assess the situation for fraud. Or else, you could be on the hook for some serious financial trouble.
Payment apps, like Venmo, CashApp, PayPal and Zelle, are popular because they make it easy to send a gift to a loved one, pay for an item on community marketplace sites or reimburse a friend. Unfortunately, these apps are also popular with scammers.
It’s normal to want to help those in need. Unfortunately, scammers know this and try to exploit your generosity. To protect yourself and your donations, keep in mind these charity scam red flags and smart giving tips.
Online shopping scams have a hefty price tag. Picture this: You find exactly what you’re shopping for online, and the price seems like a steal! Turns out, it is a steal—for the scammers. Don’t let scams break the bank. Check out these tips for shopping online safely.
Everyone dreams of a free vacation, but scammers are out to turn that dream into a nightmare. If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. You can keep the scammers at bay with these financial safety tips.
Debit card skimming and cloning pose significant threats to your financial security. Keep reading for ways to keep your cards safe.
Cryptocurrency scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated. So, even if you’re a seasoned crypto investor, you still could become a target.
In a HELOC scam, fraudsters commit check fraud to gain unauthorized access to a homeowner’s equity line of credit. Fraudsters can use information available in public records to create fake checks that draw on HELOCs.
Every year, thousands of people like you lose money to phishing. If a hacker were pretending to be your bank, would you be able to tell?
From fake emails and texts to computer viruses and malware, outsmart the scammers with these fraud prevention tips and best practices.
Understanding the different strategies scammers use is the first step in outsmarting them. Here are more ways to protect yourself and your company from wire fraud.
Falling for an impersonation scam could lead to significant money loss, fraud and identity theft. But with the these tips, you have the power to shield yourself.
