{"id":13293,"date":"2024-11-20T13:06:09","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T21:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/?p=13293"},"modified":"2025-10-27T12:23:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T19:23:11","slug":"common-scams-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/common-scams-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Scams to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"co-flex_row co-flex_row__blue co-flex_row__long-form-text co-flex_row__next_row__blog-contributors\" >\n\t<div class=\"co-flex_row--row co-row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form--block co-long_form--block__nomedia prow items-start \">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form--text pcol-md:8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-long_form--content\"><h2>Common Scams to Avoid<\/h2>\n<p>An online\u00a0scam is any scheme designed to\u00a0trick people out of money or steal\u00a0their personal information that\u00a0uses, or is delivered via digital\u00a0communications.\u00a0It\u2019s important to be aware of any scam that can impact your business, yourself but especially your employees. Below are some common scams to be aware of.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Cold Calling Scams<\/h3>\n<p>When someone calls you on your phone, they may be trying to sell you a fake product or service or pretending to be from a legitimate organization or a government agency. These scammers are trying to get business payment or personal details from you and have various tactics to do this such as they may:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be overly friendly, making you think they\u2019re local by commenting on local events and weather.<\/li>\n<li>Intimidate and\/or threaten if they\u2019re requesting payment of an \u2018overdue\u2019 bill.<\/li>\n<li>Know specific details about your business gained through public or stolen data sources.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your accounting staff to pay an administration or delivery fee up-front for the business to receive a tax refund or product.<\/li>\n<li>Pressure you into making a quick decision either by threat like legal action, or saying the offer or deal expires soon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ensure your staff on the front line taking queries on the phone know what these scams look like to prevent any loss.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Tech Support Scams<\/h3>\n<p>These scammers use the names of familiar brands such as global software or telco companies to get \u2018remote access\u2019 to a device so they can access your business computer or network from another location.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the reasons provided include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A virus infection harming\u00a0others on the network.<\/li>\n<li>A free assessment to upgrade your operating system.<\/li>\n<li>Help check your computer\u2019s security.<\/li>\n<li>The disconnection of your internet if you do not give access.<\/li>\n<li>Problems with your router or internet connections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At times these scammers may also reach out using \u2018pop up\u2019 messages on your screen instead of calling on the phone. They will try to make you believe your device is infected or needs cleaning to speed it up or sell you free\u00a0security software. At worse they\u2019ll install rogue software like Trojans or keyloggers to record your computer use and gain your login information for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/personal\/online-banking\/\">online banking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Email Phishing Scams<\/h3>\n<p>Phishing is when a scammer sends an email that looks like it\u2019s coming from your lender, a government department, USPS, or US Customs. The email looks genuine but a key letter or number may be missing or added.<\/p>\n<p>The sender may request payment to release a package, claim a refund, or report fraudulent activity on your account.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Fake Invoice Scams<\/h3>\n<p>A fake invoice scam is when someone sends a false invoice to your accounts email, hoping that the person paying the monthly invoices will pay it without checking the goods have been received.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Receiving Unsolicited Goods<\/h3>\n<p>This scam works by sending your business products or services that you haven\u2019t ordered, along with an invoice, then a phone call to demand payment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Unwanted Subscriptions and Trials<\/h3>\n<p>Scammers can also subscribe your business to software services without your knowledge. It could be when you\u2019ve signed up to a free trial, but are unable to cancel their subscription once the payments kick in.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Government Grant Scams<\/h3>\n<p>Government grant scams are when scammers call businesses claiming to be from a department such as the \u201cUS Government Grant Department\u201d and your business has been chosen to receive a grant. They\u2019ll then ask for personal details in order to process the grant payment or for an \u201cadministration fee\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>What To Do<\/h3>\n<p>Create standard external contact rules of engagement, such as any contact from a business, customer or agency that is not known to you, contact that organization to check. Make sure that everyone uses the phone number or email they have on their official website and do not use the one given by the person or in the email they have sent you.<\/p>\n<p>Also consider:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Providing training to your team to spot suspicious transactions, calls, emails or any approach, especially those that are unsolicited.<\/li>\n<li>Making sure your team are aware of the consequences of fraud.<\/li>\n<li>Double-checking all invoices for accuracy and legitimacy before making payments.<\/li>\n<li>Verifying any new customer credit agreements, ask for referees, conduct a credit check and if they are online, review their social media profiles.<\/li>\n<li>Carefully reading all contracts and agreements before signing. Consider having a legal professional review the documents to identify any potential red flags.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Next Steps<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If you, your friend, or your business experiences an online incident, report it to your local IT provider.<\/li>\n<li>Contact your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/contact-us\/field-offices\" rel=\"noopener\">local FBI field office<\/a> to report the crime and file a complaint with the FBI\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/default.aspx\" rel=\"noopener\">Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a>\u00a0(IC3).<\/li>\n<li>Get in touch with us immediately.<\/li>\n<li>Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/service.govdelivery.com\/accounts\/USDHS\/subscriber\/new?topic_id=USDHS_722\" rel=\"noopener\">Homeland Security email updates<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"co-flex_row co-flex_row__last co-flex_row__blog-contributors\" >\n\t<div class=\"co-flex_row--row co-row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor--img_wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300.jpg\" class=\"co-blog_contributor--img\" alt=\"Charlene Homan Sound Credit Union Risk Management &amp; Compliance\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/files\/HomanCharlene_scu-86_300x300-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor--content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"co-blog_contributor--name\">Charlene Homan<\/h3><div class=\"co-blog_contributor--title\">VP Risk Management &#038; Compliance<\/div><div class=\"co-blog_contributor--bio text-component\"><p>Charlene Homan serves as the Vice President of Risk Management and Compliance at Sound Credit Union, where she leads compliance initiatives and oversees risk management strategies, including BSA compliance, fraud prevention, quality assurance, and enterprise risk management. With over 15 years in the credit union industry, Charlene has advanced from an entry-level position to her current leadership role, demonstrating comprehensive understanding of credit union landscape that supports Sound Credit Union&#8217;s values while ensuring a strong commitment to regulatory compliance and risk management.<\/p>\n<p>As Sound&#8217;s appointed Compliance Officer, Charlene ensures adherence to all relevant laws and regulations while providing essential oversight on compliance issues, with the overarching goal of effectively serving members. She actively engages in professional development by attending key industry conferences and training programs. She is passionate about supporting her teams to create awareness to the membership and surrounding communities, with the intent to empower individuals to protect themselves from common scams and other fraud activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-blog_contributor--social\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Connect<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/charlene-homan-1a856662\/\" class=\"co-social_share--link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"LinkedIn\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"icon-svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Icon LinkedIn\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-content\/themes\/soundcu-theme\/images\/sprite-icons.svg#linkedin\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An online\u00a0scam is any scheme designed to\u00a0trick people out of money or to steal\u00a0their personal information.\u00a0It\u2019s important to be aware of any scam that can impact your life. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/common-scams-to-avoid\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49,50],"tags":[64,397,120,121],"class_list":["post-13293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-commercial","category-life-finances","tag-fraud","tag-fraud-awareness","tag-scams","tag-security"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13293"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17392,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13293\/revisions\/17392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}