Cupid has some competition this Valentine’s Day: Scammers are taking aim at your heart and pocketbook with scams that can lead to identity theft and more.
Beware of these five sweetheart swindles and follow our expert tips to protect yourself:
Infected e-cards. Online greeting cards are an easy way for scammers to infect your computer with malware that gives them remote access to your files, online banking accounts and passwords. Or it can enlist your computer as a spam-sending “botnet.”
Tip: Don’t click on embedded links from incoming e-cards, especially when they’re from an unnamed friend or secret admirer. Steer clear of names you don’t recognize and senders likewebmaster@hallmark.com. Legitimate e-cards provide a notification message with a confirmation code that lets recipients open cards at those sites.
Google gotchas. Many gift-giving sweethearts begin their online shopping on search engines such as Google instead of a specific retailer website. Scammers take advantage by creating bogus websites. Posing as legitimate vendors, they sell counterfeit goods or nothing at all while collecting customers’ credit card information that can be fraudulently used.
Tip: You’re safer shopping for a sweetheart’s gift from a reputable retailer’s website. Type the address instead of relying on keyword searches via search engines.
Facebook fiends. Beware of poems, love letters, quizzes or other messages on social media websites purported to come from friends. They may be scammer-sent ruses that get you to download malware or make purchases on unsafe websites. Also beware of Valentine’s Day’s teasers or apps that lead you to survey websites that generate commissions for scammers or, depending on the information provided, put you at risk for identity theft.
Sale-related spam. Expect an in-box littered with offers for deals on chocolates, jewelry, roses and other Valentine’s-themed trinkets.
Tip: Carefully read the address. For example, look for “www.tiffany.com” vs. “www.tiffanyco.mn” (suggesting a Mongolia-based website). Try this neat trick: Without clicking, point your mouse to hover over the link to see its full address. Copy and paste (again, without clicking) that link into a Microsoft Word document. By right-clicking on the pasted link and selecting “Edit Hyperlink” from the menu that appears, a pop-up window should appear that shows the web address to which the link directs in the “Address” field.
Romance ruses. The most despicable sweetheart swindle of all costs the typical victim more than $10,000. These scams go like this: Smooth-writing Romeos scroll dating websites and chat rooms. Stealing photos from legitimate modeling websites, they invent fake identities tailored to their victims’ interests. After weeks or months of online wooing comes the inevitable request for money via a wire transfer for some emergency—or a plane ticket to meet you. Or they send you checks for you to cash and forward back, but what’s sent is usually counterfeit, leaving you liable for forwarded funds and possible arrest for check fraud.
Tip: Before giving away your heart and money, investigate your new sweetie at www.romancescams.org. If his or her photo is posted, know it’s a scammer who stole that picture. Signs you’re headed for a rip-off: Your new cyber companion is too quick with declarations of love and claims a hard-luck or feel-good personal story, such as working for an animal rescue or orphanage.
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Article sponsored by Altra Federal Credit Union, serving 91,000+ members in all 50 states and around the globe, including two locations in Clarksville. This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice.
Searcy, Victor. “Top 5 Valentine’s Day Scams.” Idtheft911.com. N.p., Feb. 2014. Web. Feb. 2016.