Doris Roof, Senior Fraud Specialist at Montecito Bank & Trust shares cyber -crime stats from a USA Today article. Here are some of the findings:
- 84% of Americans have been scammed through social engineering
- Scam victims pay out more money to scams as they get older.
Victims younger than 50, on average were scammed out of $324.00
Victims in their 60's, on average, were scammed out of $426.00
Victims in their 70's were scammed out of $635.00
Victims in their 70's were scammed out of $1,300.00
Doris reviewed the following tips to avoid being scammed:
- Don't click on links.
- Have a 'text check' with your friends.
- Set your social media accounts to 'private'
- Beware that emergencies may be a ploy that scammers use.
- Lock devices and set up passwords and/or use your fingerprints to unlock
your devices.
- Only visit secure sites that start with https.
- Don't use shared wi-fi at airports or coffee shops.
Vicki warned about groups who are luring people over to their cars and then stealing their jewelry. At the end of the episode she shares some Good News. A man who stole $1.6 million in unemployment benefits in several states was convicted of wire fraud and identity theft. He has been ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,611,000.
If you'd like to talk to Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson about a scam or would like to share your story on Scam Squad, call the Santa Barbara District Attorney's Fraud Hotline at 805-568-2442.
