Category identity theft

Nov 8 2025

A FINANCE COLUMNIST SCAMMED FOR $50,000

No one is exempt from being a victim of fraud, not even a financial advice columnist.  Charlotte Cowles, a writer for New York Magazine, had reported about the scam experiences of others but then she became a target.

In October of 2023, as Charlotte began her normal weekday routine, she received a phone call at about noon. The caller, who was professional and articulate, was contacting Charlotte about suspicious activity on her Amazon account.  Charlotte was told that thousands of dollars of electronic equipment had been bought through her Amazon business account. When Charlotte told the caller she didn’t have a business account, the caller said, “it looks like one has been opened under your name.”

Next, Charlotte was introduced to a person who claimed to be an investigator from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This person established credibility by providing Charlotte’s address, social security number, and names of family members. The alleged FTC person indicated that Charlotte was being investigated for fraud, money laundering, and other criminal activity since her identity was stolen and being used by others. Dangers to Charlotte and her family were also mentioned.

While Charlotte thought she was being conned, there were no red flags such as asking for money or buying crypto.  Next, she was told her assets would need to be frozen but first to withdraw enough to live on for a year ($50,000).  The bank teller was surprised at the amount but completed the transaction.

She was next told that she would be met by a “CIA colleague” to make sure she and the money were safe. She was assured that the money would be deposited into a new bank account for her. The entire process took place over a six-hour period.  Throughout the ordeal Charlotte felt increasing fear for herself and her family, which is why she followed the instructions of these alleged government officials. The next day she was to have an appointment at the social security office, which never occurred. This is when Charlotte realized she was conned.

She then contacted her brother, a lawyer, and filed reports with the police, FBI, and FTC. Charlotte contacted her bank to secure her other assets but won’t be getting her $50,000 back. She also ran anti-virus software to check for malware on her computer and changed the locks on her apartment door.

Despite her previous knowledge of scams and fraud, these circumstances seemed different and real to Charlotte.  When telling her story publicly, people were shocked since Charlotte was far from the “typical” victim. Her online persona and easy access to personal information by scammers was the basis of the scam. Charlotte noted “the psychological aftermath of being scammed is devastating. It’s such a violating experience and a lot of people have real anxiety and paranoia afterwards. They also feel ashamed, so these scams are wildly under-reported as a result. But if telling my story helps lift the guilt and shame for others, that’s also very gratifying.”  We are all vulnerable.

For additional information on this scam story, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to learn about any experiences with fraud or scams.
  • Have students create a podcast or visual proposal (poster or slide presentation) with suggestions for avoiding identity theft and scams.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What actions might have been taken to avoid this scam?
  2. Describe actions you might take to avoid identity theft and scams.   
Apr 19 2025

Detect Immigration Scams  

Scammers are impersonating attorneys and law firms, offering immigration services on social media. The posts on Facebook and other platforms might be in English or your preferred language. If you press like or leave a comment, they’ll contact you and guarantee you’ll get a work permit, green card, or citizenship — but it’s a scam. How do you spot and avoid the scammers?

The elaborate scam often starts with an offer to help you with immigration paperwork. Next, scammers ask you to send them money using Western Union or Zelle. In return, they say they’ll supposedly get you an appointment with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). People who paid scammers report having virtual appointments on Zoom or WhatsApp with a “USCIS officer” in uniform — all part of the scam. The truth? Some immigration proceedings are now virtual, but applicants get their appointments by mail or through their MyUSCIS account, never on messenger apps.

To protect yourself and others from immigration scams:

  • Go to USCIS.gov for legitimate immigration information. If you have a pending application or petition, check your case status online.
  • Recognize fake government websites. Even if a page looks legit, if the address doesn’t end with .gov, it isn’t a government website.
  • Know what types of payment USCIS accepts for filing fees. Anyone who asks you pay USCIS a different way is a scammer.
  • Share what you know. Forward this alert to people in immigrant communities. Tell them to check out ftc.gov/immigration for advice on how to find real immigration help and avoid scams targeting immigrants.

Have you spotted an immigration scam or think you may have paid a scammer? Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov — or in Spanish at ReporteFraude.ftc.gov. To report in other languages, call (877) 382-4357 and press 3 to speak to an interpreter in your preferred language. 

For more information, click here:  

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Make a list of actions one should take to spot and avoid the scammers.
  • What would you do if you spot an immigration scam?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do scammers want you to send them money using Western Union or Zelle?
  2. How can you recognize fake government websites?
Mar 15 2025

Protect Your Social Security Number

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Scammers use your Social Security number (SSN) to get other personal information about you. They can use your SSN and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, when they use the credit cards and don’t pay the bills, it damages your credit. You may not find out that someone is using your SSN until you’re turned down for credit, or you begin to get calls from unknown creditors demanding payment for items you never bought.

 Your SSN is confidential.  The agency protects your SSN and keeps your records confidential and it does not give your number to anyone, except when authorized by law. You should be careful about sharing your number, even when you’re asked for it. You should ask why your number is needed, how it’ll be used, and what will happen if you refuse. The answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give out your SSN.

How might someone steal your SSN? Scammers get your personal information by:

• Stealing wallets, purses, and your mail (bank and credit card statements, preapproved credit offers, new checks, and tax information).
  • Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured site online, from business or personnel records at work, and personal information in your home.
• Rummaging through your trash, the trash of businesses, and public trash dumps for personal data.
• Buying personal information from “inside” sources. For example, a scammer may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services, or credit.
• Posing by phone, email, text, or direct messages in social media as someone who legitimately needs information about you, such as employers, landlords, or government agencies.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students to make a list of actions they can take to protect their Social Security number.
  • Ask students if they or their family members have their Social Security number stolen.  What was the outcome and how they might be protecting their number now?

 Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to protect your Social Security number?
  2. How most people discover that their Social Security number has been stolen?  What should they do?
Dec 21 2024

How to recover from identity theft

   You hoped the day would never come when you learned someone used your personal information to open new credit accounts in your name. But it did. So now what? Act fast. It can help reduce the damage identity theft can cause. Here’s how to get started.

Step 1: Call the companies where you know fraud occurred.

  • Call the fraud department. Explain that someone stole your identity.
  • Ask them to close or freeze the accounts. Then, no one can add new charges unless you agree.
  • Change logins, passwords, and PINs for your accounts.

Step 2: Place a fraud alert and get your credit reports — even if you already have a credit freeze in place. (If you haven’t frozen your credit, do that, too.) When you have a fraud alert on your credit report, a business has to verify your identity before it opens a new credit account in your name. A fraud alert lasts one year, but you can renew it.

  • Place a free, one-year fraud alert by contacting one of the three credit bureaus. That company must tell the other two.
  • To get your report, call Annual Credit Report at 877-322-8228, or go to AnnualCreditReport.com. Federal law gives you the right to get a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus. The three bureaus also let you check your credit report once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Review your reports. Looks for accounts or transactions you don’t recognize.

Step 3: Report identity theft to the FTC. You’ll get a free personal recovery plan with next steps.

  • To report in English, go to IdentityTheft.gov
  • To report in Spanish, go to RobodeIdentidad.gov
  • If you’re more comfortable reporting in another language, call 877-438-4338 and press 3 to report in your preferred language. Interpreters are available from 9:00am – 5:00pm ET.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • List the steps you should take to prevent an identity thief to steal your personal information.
  • Ask students to get their free credit report from Annual Credit Report, or call 877-322-8228. Review your reports to look for accounts or transactions you don’t recognize.

Discussion Questions:

  1. If someone has stolen your identity, what are the three actions you must take immediately?
  2. What is the difference between a credit freeze and a fraud alert?
Aug 19 2023

10 Ways to Protect Your Personal Information

Identity theft affects millions of people each year and can cause serious harm. Protect yourself by securing your personal information, understanding the threat of identity theft, and exercising caution.

Here are 10 things you can start doing now to protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft: 

  1. Protect your Social Security number by keeping your Social Security card in a safe place at home.
  2. Be careful when you speak with unknown callers.
  3. Create strong, unique passwords so others can’t easily access your accounts.
  4. Never give your personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited call or message, and never post it on social media.
  5. Shred paper documents that contain personal information, like your name, birth date, and Social Security number.
  6. Protect your mobile device from unauthorized access by securing it with a PIN, adding a fingerprinting feature, or using facial recognition.
  7. Regularly check your financial accounts for suspicious transactions.
  8. Avoid internet threats by installing and maintaining strong anti-virus software on all your devices—including your mobile device and personal computer. Use a virtual private network (VPN) to stay safe on public Wi-Fi.
  9. Protect yourself on social media by customizing your security settings and deleting accounts you no longer use.
  10. Never click on any link sent via unsolicited email or text message—type in the web address yourself. Only provide information on secure websites.

The Social Security Administration encourages you to create your own personal my Social Security account to track your earnings record. For more information, read Social Security Administration (SSA} publication, Protecting Personal Information. Contact SSA if you see suspicious work activity on your record–you could be a victim of identity theft.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students if they, their friends, or relatives have been a victim of an identity theft? If so, what was their experience?
  • How often do you check your credit reports and why should you check your credit reports at least once a year?

Discussion Questions

  1. What actions have you taken to protect your personal information from being stolen by scanners?
  2. Why is it not advisable to carry your Social Security card in your wallet or your purse?
Jun 24 2023

Stop the Robocalls

Tired of getting endless robocalls? Robocalls aren’t just a pain to get, they’re often pushing scams for bogus services such as fake extended auto warranties and debt relief. But robocallers can’t do it alone. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Stratics Networks, a company that supplied the technology for telemarketers to make tens of millions of robocalls. But that’s not all — the FTC is also suing the debt relief companies that hired Stratics to make robocalls for their illegal debt relief services.

According to the FTC,  Stratics delivered illegal robocalls for telemarketers promoting offers for credit card and student debt relief, home buying, health insurance, and cable TV discounts. Many robocalls were “ringless voicemails” — where your phone doesn’t ring but you get a voicemail with a robocall message.

Here’s what to know: a robocall trying to sell you something is illegal unless the company has your written permission to call you. Scammers use robocalls to get your money or your personal information so they can steal your identity. They might try to convince you the call is from the government, tech support, or your auto warranty company. Don’t buy it. Even if the name or number on the caller ID looks real, it could’ve been faked.

If you get an illegal robocall:

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Make a list of common scams that target personal information and discuss how to detect and stop illegal robocalls.
  • Ask students what they do when they receive unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that are annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams?

Discussion Questions

  1. Why should one think twice before buying an extended auto warranty from a robocaller? Or, a debt relief service?
  2. What actions can you take to minimize the number of robocalls you receive from scammers? How can you fight back and lower your risk of being a victim?
May 13 2023

Consumers Lost Nearly $8.8 Billion to Scams in 2022

Newly released Federal Trade Commission data show that consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022, an increase of more than 30 percent over the previous year.

Consumers reported losing more money to investment scams—more than $3.8 billion—than any other category in 2022. That amount more than doubled the amount reported lost in 2021. The second highest reported loss amount came from imposter scams, with losses of $2.6 billion reported, up from $2.4 billion in 2021.

The FTC received fraud reports from 2.4 million consumers last year, with the most commonly reported being imposter scams, followed by online shopping scams. Prizes, sweepstakes, and lotteries; investment related reports; and business and job opportunities rounded out the top five fraud categories.

The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network is a database that receives reports directly from consumers, as well as from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the Better Business Bureau, industry members, and non-profit organizations. Sentinel received more than 5.1 million reports in 2022.

The FTC uses the reports it receives through the Sentinel network as the starting point for many of its law enforcement investigations, and the agency also shares these reports with approximately 2,800 federal, state, local, and international law enforcement professionals.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students what actions they have taken to keep their security software, internet browser, and operating system up to date.
  • Suggest that students use multi-factors authentication for extra security when they log into their accounts.

Discussion Questions

  1. What is the purpose of Consumer Sentinel Network  and why does it provide free data to any federal, state or local law enforcement agencies?
  2. Do you know how to lock down your smart phones, network, and information? 
Mar 12 2022

Gift Card Scams

Someone might ask you to pay for something by putting money on a gift card, like a Google Play or iTunes card, and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card. If anyone asks you to do this, they’re trying to scam you. No legitimate business or government agency will ever insist you pay them with a gift card. Anyone who demands to be paid with a gift card is a scammer.

What Gift Card Scams Look Like

Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments. But these cards are popular with scammers because gift cards are easy for people to find and buy, and cards have fewer protections for buyers compared to some other payment options. Gift cards are more like cash: once you use the card, the money on it is gone. Scammers like this.

If someone calls you and demands that you pay them with gift cards, you can bet that a scammer is behind that call. Once they have the gift card number and the PIN, they have your money. Scammers may tell you many stories to get you to pay them with gift cards, but this is what usually happens:

  1. The caller says it’s urgent. The scammer says you have to pay right away or something terrible will happen.
  2. The caller usually tells you which gift card to buy. They might say to put money on an eBay, Google Play, Target, or iTunes gift card. They might send you to a specific store — often Walmart, Target, CVS, or Walgreens. Sometimes they tell you to buy cards at several stores, so cashiers won’t get suspicious. And, the caller might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. These are all signs of a scam.
  3. The caller asks you for the gift card number and PIN. The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card. And the scammer gets it right away.

 For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • How do scammers convince you to pay with gift cards?  Make a list of common gift card scams and schemes, and share it with others.
  • Ask if anyone has paid someone with a gift card.  If so, what was their experience?

Discussion Questions:

1.  What are signs of a gift card scam and how can one spot a gift card scammer?

2.  What steps should you take if you paid a scammer with gift cards?

Jan 1 2022

Tips To Avoid Internet Scams

Each day, more and more scams surface through computers, tablets, cellphones, and other smart devices. To protect your personal information and to avoid being a victim of fraud, the following actions are recommended:

  • Keep operating systems, browsers, programs, apps, and security components up to date.
  • Be aware of the latest scam techniques being used by fraudsters. Search online to learn about current scams.
  • Enable firewalls for your computer and router.
  • Install an antivirus program for your computer, tablet, and smartphone that updates automatically.
  • Create a guest network for visitors to your home to use, to avoid them having to access your home network.
  • Don’t click or respond to emails, phone calls, or text messages from strange addresses and those with unusual subject lines.
  • Update passwords often with a random, complex series of letters, numbers, and symbols; don’t use the same password on different sites. Consider use of a password manager. 
  • Use only reputable sites when shopping online. Use a credit card instead of a debit card for greater financial protection. Don’t click on links or pop-ups, which can be a fake, look-alike website; instead, go directly to the shopping website.
  • Adjust privacy settings on your devices, and for websites you visit for your best protection.  
  • Regularly back up your data in case of a malicious attack, so you don’t lose access to your information and files. If you encounter a ransomware attack, file a report with the FBI.
  • Avoid use of public Wi-Fi to prevent potential fraud and identity theft.
  • Be cautious with your social media posts, especially information about children and teens. Don’t post personal information, vacation plans, work and home schedules, address or other contact information. Don’t “check in” at the locations you visit. 
  • Be cautious about online gaming, which can result in identity theft, bullying, harassment and online predators. Children should use an avatar or nickname.

For additional information on avoiding online scams, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students search online for examples of recently-created online scams.
  • Have students create a video, poster, or slide presentation with common email scams and actions to avoid those situations.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are some reasons that a person might become a victim of an online scam?
  2. Describe actions to learn about new online scams. 
Sep 11 2021

How to protect yourself from social media identity theft

If you use social media, you could be a target for identity theft. You can buy identity theft insurance – or it might be included in your homeowners or renters policy. But taking simple steps to protect your social media accounts can help you avoid most scams.

  1. Don’t post ID cards

It might be tempting to post a photo of a new license or ID card, but it may include your birthday and other identifying data.

2. Question quizzes and surveys

Watch out for quizzes that ask for personal information. Scammers ask questions with answers you might use for security login questions, such as the model of your first car, your first pet’s name, or your hometown.

3. Don’t overshare

Most social media sites and apps ask you about yourself, then display that information on your profile. Be careful what you give them. The more a scammer knows about you, the easier it is to create a fake account with your information. If an app allows it, keep your profile private.

4. Limit app sharing

Many apps let you sign in with a more popular app. But when you do, you usually agree to let the new app use data from the old one. If one app is hacked, scammers can get data from every app linked to it.

5. Close old accounts

Scammers look for old, unused accounts with outdated passwords that are easy to hack. If you don’t use an app, delete your account.

6. Protect family members

Teens are the most likely to overshare. They usually have clean credit histories, which makes their identities valuable. Seniors don’t use social media as often but might not know when they’ve been hacked. It’s a good idea to check the accounts of family members in those groups.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students how they protect their social media accounts.  What precautions are particularly useful to protect their identity on the Internet?
  • Why are teens more likely to overshare their personal information on the social media?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can regulatory agencies, such as, the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, do to protect your social media accounts?
  2. Should Facebook, Instagram, Whats App, etc. provide clear guidance on what to post (or not to post) on social media sites?  How it might be done to protect consumers?