How to Identify Fraudsters

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1Preventing Financial Fraud

2Knowing the Signs of Telephone Fraudsters

3Identifying Fraudsters in the Workplace

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Whether you're interrupted by a fishy "charity" representative at home or running your own business, fraudsters are everywhere. And they all have the same goal: to steal your personal information for their own benefit. Luckily, there are plenty of simple preventative measures you can take to identify fraudsters and keep your personal information safe.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preventing Financial Fraud

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   Sign-up for a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your information. VPN clients help keep your data safe by sending information over a private network (as opposed to public). You can find both free and paid forms of this software, with the latter typically offering additional perks. One notable perk is encrypted traffic tunneling, which lets you send private information over a public Wi-Fi network and is crucial if you use mobile bank apps on public networks.

   • Popular free VPNs are TunnelBear, Windscribe, Speedify, and Hotspot Shield Free.
   • Anti-virus software (also important for online security) like Avira Phantom, Avast SecureLine , and Comodo Antivirus come with free VPNs.
2. 2
   Clear all of the cookies from your computer daily. This option is typically available in the "Clear History" section of your browser. Make sure to select all check-boxes (cached image files, download history, passwords, auto-fill data, etc.) and clear all history—not just a certain timeline.

   • The method for clearing history can vary depending on your browser (Mozilla, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc.). If you're having trouble, search the "Help" section of your internet Browser.
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   Setup an account with a credit monitoring service. Register with a credit monitoring service to help you track your credit report for signs of identity theft through various prevention tools. For example, you can use these services to place Fraud Alerts on your credit report anytime you suspect identity theft, which alerts potential lenders and creditors.

   • Credit monitoring services also let you enact a credit freeze. This seals your reports and adds a layer of security that prevents potential thieves from using your identity to establish credit—even if they have access to some of your personal information.
   • Many credit monitoring services offer mobile apps to let you check your credit wherever you are and dispute errors on your credit report.
   • If you were affected by the Equifax data breach, you can sign-up for free credit monitoring on their website.
4. 
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   Follow-up with all fraud notifications from your bank. Most banks will contact you by phone or text message to notify you of any suspicious activity with your account. Either respond to the text or call your bank to confirm or deny the nature of the activity. In many cases, it might be something innocuous, like making multiple payments at the same location in succession.

   • Never respond to emails or texts with personal information, even if they are from (or claim to be from) a bank.
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   Protect your cheques and bank PIN code. Never tell anyone your PIN—even your bank does not know it. This means don't ever reveal it over the phone, by mail, in person, or online. You should also keep your cheques somewhere safe—such as a cheque storage box, file folder, or miniature safe wallet—and never leave them unattended.

   • If you lose your cheques or believe that your PIN has been compromised, contact your bank immediately.
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   Delete emails that exhibit signs of phishing. Phishing refers to emails that contain strange attachments, pressure you to click on unknown links, and ask you to enter personal information. Although they claim to be from banks and might even appear professional, financial institutions will never ask you to give out login or personal information such as your name, address, PIN, password, username, or security question answers.

   • Don't open attachments, emails, or links from people that you don't know.
   • Don't send personal information through email.
   • Report any strange email messages to the official service. For example, if you receive a potential phishing message from Amazon, contact Amazon's customer service through email or phone. When possible, contact the department designated for security and fraud.
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   Check your online accounts, banking apps, and statements monthly. Look out for duplicate payments, payments to unknown companies, and unauthorized secondary contact information. Many banks now have money management applications for mobile devices, meaning you can check your activity all the time, anywhere you are.

   • Report any potentially fraudulent activity to your bank immediately.
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   Deal with online transactions in-person whenever possible. When using sites like Craigslist or Kijiji to purchase or sell items, always meet in-person whenever possible. Never wire funds through services like Western Union, and never give out any of your financial information (social security, bank account, credit card number).

   • Don't agree to credit or background checks.
   • Never accept money orders or certified cheques.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Knowing the Signs of Telephone Fraudsters

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   Write down contact information for alleged charities and fundraisers asking for money. Cold calls asking for contributions to local organizations or fundraiser campaigns should always be treated with caution. Take down the name of the person you are speaking to, the name of the organization, and the organization's contact number. Never provide your financial information over the phone. If you want to contribute, hang up the phone and call the alleged organization's official line.

   • Locate each potential organization's online presence and phone number. Confirm the information that the phone representative provided you with the information on the official website.
   • Always hang up automated calls—the sooner you hang up, the less likely it is that you will receive a call from scam charities in the future.
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   Never give money or personal information to alleged tax service representatives. Remember: most tax requests are through the mail. Scam phone messages are either personal or automated, and they typically "warn" you or claim that a "charge" has been filed against you to get you to make impulsive decisions without thinking. If you're worried, hang up the phone and call your country's tax service to determine if there is a payment issue.

   • Tax services will never contact you by text message, email, or social media. Avoid any communication with people claiming to be tax services via these channels.
3. 
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   Request contact information for alleged technical service companies. These fraudsters typically ask you to confirm personal information so that they can help you install a computer or telephone update. Write down their phone number if you can, hang up the phone, and call the official support line for the company they claimed to work for. If they turn out to be a fraudster, report them to the local authorities.

   • Stay alert anytime you encounter callers claiming to be support staff for well-known technology companies like Microsoft. They will often try to coax you into giving them control over your computer.
   • Never purchase any services or software over the phone.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Identifying Fraudsters in the Workplace

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   Watch for employees that exhibit warning signs of fraud. Always be alert to stressed or disgruntled employees, especially individuals that have admitted to financial difficulties or displeasure with their pay or financial situation. Keep an eye out for unexplained increases in living standards, such as new jewelry. Other signs include secretive behavior, erratic reporting, and pressure to dump past records.

   • Run credit checks on all potential employees—people with financial difficulties are more prone to committing fraud.
   • If a customer complains about not receiving credit for payments, report it immediately to your superior. If you are in a position of power, look into the situation yourself.
   • Check for missing purchase orders, cheques, and invoices daily.
2. 
   2
   Determine the accuracy of each customer's name. Check if the customer's name in your database matches the name on their payment card. Keep an eye out for spelling mistakes or different formatting. If you don't have a database of customer information, as them to provide their name.

   • Another red flag is a name in all lowercase, or missing apostrophes and hyphens.
3. 
   3
   Check the accuracy of the customer's shipping and billing addresses. Most fraudulent transactions have billing and shipping addresses that are far away from each other. Look out for red flags like states, countries, and cities that don’t match. Many fraudsters use a completely different country in their address.

   • For example, "Minneapolis, MN, Indonesia." In this case, Minneapolis is a city in Minnesota, a state in the United States—not Indonesia.
   • Expedited delivery requests are red flags for fraud—fraudsters want their products as soon as possible, and will most likely request the fastest shipping method.
4. 
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   Compare customer information to their email. Many people use emails that are similar to their real name. For example, a customer named Jane Doe is more likely to have an email like [email protected] than [email protected]. Any differences should be considered red flags.

   • Keep an eye out for random characters, such as in the email [email protected]. Any collection of 3 or more characters in a random order should be taken as a red flag.
   • Look out for common or old domains like mail.com, juno.com, outlook.com, and inbox.com. Some fraudsters even use domains that don't exist.
   • Watch out for emails that are a company name, followed by a domain. For example, [email protected].
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