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Protecting Yourself From Financial Scams

A scam is an attempt, through deceit or trickery, to intentionally mislead you, usually with the goal of financial gain. Traditional scams play upon the vulnerability of people by exploiting human virtues such as compassion and trust.

It would be impossible to list all of the different types of scams that are prevalent today, but here are some general guidelines to avoid becoming the victim of a scam:

• Be very skeptical of unsolicited letters, calls or emails informing you as a winner of any lottery.
• Don’t give out personal information over the Internet, telephone or mail, especially critical information such as social security numbers or account numbers.
• Shred all personal and financial information before disposing.
• Review your credit scores at least once a year.
• Resist pressure to “act now.” 
• Only communicate with or do business with people you know.
• Remember, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
• Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and keep them up to date.  Learn more about keeping your computer safe by visiting this FDIC sponsored site.