January 2, 2025 • By William Bardin, Acting Associate Commissioner for the Office of Program Integrity
As we welcome in the new year, let’s make protecting ourselves against scams a top priority. Ring in 2025 with some smart resolutions to protect your personal information!
Safeguard your social media profiles
Take some time to review the privacy settings on your social media platforms and limit the amount of personal information you share publicly.
Fraudsters may use your social media posts to personalize scams or get access to your accounts without your permission. Regularly check your friends list and remove any unfamiliar or suspicious accounts.
Be savvy with QR codes
Quick Response codes, better known as QR codes, are becoming increasingly popular. The scannable codes are commonly used to share links to websites, view restaurant menus, pay for public parking and make other mobile payments, and retrieve digital tickets and boarding passes.
Scammers have noticed the increase in QR codes! They are placing fake QR codes on top of legitimate codes or creating fake QR codes on social media ads to get access to your personal information. If a QR code looks odd or altered, do not scan it.
Use strong passwords and passkeys
Create strong, unique passwords that use numbers, upper and lowercase letters, and special characters. Avoid passwords that are easy to guess like birthdays and names.
Consider using a password manager to generate unique passwords and securely store them for each of your online accounts.
Try using passkeys when they’re available. Passkeys – including face scans or fingerprints – allow you to sign in to websites and accounts without a username or password. They are more secure than passwords, faster to use, and resistant to phishing attacks over the phone, email, and social media.
Think before sharing personal information
Phishing is one of the main ways that scammers attempt to trick people into providing personal information. Pay close attention to emails or messages asking for your username, password, or other details about yourself.
Scammers pretend to be from familiar organizations to gain your trust. Be wary of unsolicited calls or emails that claim to be from government agencies, financial institutions, or other trusted companies.
When in doubt, contact the organization directly through official channels to verify that the request is real before sharing any personal information or making a payment.
Stay informed of the latest scam trends
Fraudsters continue to change their tactics. Stay informed by:
- Following reliable news sources.
- Subscribing to scam alert resources, such as Fraud.org and Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alerts.
- Paying attention to scam and fraud warnings from local law enforcement agencies.
The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to identify and avoid scams. Learn more about protecting yourself and your loved ones on our website.
