Can I get scammed over the phone?

Telephone Scams. Telephone scammers try to steal your money or personal information. Scams may come through phone calls from real people, robocalls, or text messages. Callers often make false promises, such as opportunities to buy products, invest your money, or receive free product trials.

What to do if you are the victim of a fraud?

If the fraud you’ve been a victim of violates federal law, as is often the case, there’s probably a government agency that handles it.

Can a criminal spoof a local area code?

The ability for criminals to “spoof” caller IDs has only made matters worse, as people are typically more likely to answer a familiar-seeming number with a local area code.

Where can I find information on Financial Crimes?

For financial crimes, finra.org (the website of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which is not a government agency) has a useful listing of groups that specialize in investment fraud and a discussion of possible ways to recover losses, including arbitration.

Where did criminals steal money from in 2017?

Residents wade through flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Houston, Texas, U.S., on August 28, 2017. Some criminals use the devastation caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, tropical storms, and other disasters to steal money from unwitting do-gooders.

What to do if you are a victim of mobile phone fraud?

This extends to any of your personal information as well. If you think you’ve been a victim of subscriber fraud contact your mobile phone carrier. According to the FCC, subscriber fraud costs mobile phone companies more than £100 million each year. They accounted for 442,000 thefts in the UK in 2015.

What should you do if you get scammed by someone?

At the very least, notify law enforcement, and do so immediately. The longer you wait to inform the proper entities, the harder it will be to minimize the fallout and successfully recover. Share this with your friends and family so they will learn the importance of bringing attention to both successful and attempted scams.

How are people falling victim to elder fraud?

Elder Fraud Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or confidence scheme, including romance, lottery, and sweepstakes scams, to name a few. Criminals will gain their targets’ trust and may communicate with them directly via computer, phone, and the mail; or indirectly through the TV and radio.

What to do if you are a victim of subscriber fraud?

If you think you’ve been a victim of subscriber fraud contact your mobile phone carrier. According to the FCC, subscriber fraud costs mobile phone companies more than £100 million each year. They accounted for 442,000 thefts in the UK in 2015.