Cybercriminals – Cybercriminals use a variety of techniques to gain access to your personal information and financial records.
Social Engineering – Fraudsters pose as someone or some business you know or trust and trick you into doing something you should not do. They send emails or text messages that appear to be legitimate. They may ask you to act quickly, or threaten you with legal action, creating a sense of urgency, fear, or curiosity.
Ex: A bank or credit union member received an email that looked like it was from your bank or credit union, complete with official logos and branding. The email claimed there was suspicious activity on the debit card, and they needed to act quickly before more debits came out of the checking account. They provided a link for them to verify their identity and charges. When the member clicked on the link, it led them to a fake website that captured their online login credentials when they entered them.
Malware – Malware is malicious software that infects your device. Once infected, cyber criminals can do whatever they want. Keyloggers (sometimes called information stealers) is a type of malware that record every keystroke made on a device, including your login, passwords, and other sensitive data.
Ex: A bank or credit union member was applying for a new apartment and downloaded a rental application. Hidden within that application was a keylogger that installed itself on their computer. Over time, it recorded their login details for their bank or credit union account, their Amazon account, and their PayPal account. The fraudster now has the ability to access those accounts. They even locked them out of their own accounts.
Data Breaches – When a website gets hacked, it can affect everyone’s accounts that may be stored on the server.
Ex: A popular social media platform experienced a data breach. A bank or credit union member had an account with that social media platform. Since they used the same password elsewhere, attackers were able to access their other accounts using those leaked credentials.
• Step 1:
Use long, unique passwords for each of your accounts.
• Step 2:
Use a password manager to securely store and manage passwords for you.
• Step 3:
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) whenever possible for all accounts and never give out those codes when received.
• Step 4:
Use extreme caution when asked to click on links or open attachments.
Find the tools to identify fraud and
steps to take if you become a victim at
DuTrac.org/support/fraud or
email fraud@dutrac.org