Each year older adults lose billions of dollars to financial exploitation. Defined as the illegal or improper use of an older person’s funds, property or assets, elder financial exploitation (EFE) is a devastating crime. It not only impacts an elder’s financial situation, but often takes an emotional toll as well. Victims of such abuse frequently experience intense feelings of fear, depression, anger, and humiliation. In turn, abused elders may be at risk of poorer health outcomes and increased mortality relative to their counterparts.

Fraudsters prey on elders because as a whole, older adults possess more financial assets than other demographics. Seniors tend to own their own homes, have accrued savings over their lifetimes, generally have better credit and tend to be more trusting of others relative to younger populations. Consequently, criminals have engineered specific scams, such as the grandparent scam and other impostor scams, to target America’s elderly.

We have a larger resource page devoted to Elder Financial Exploitation that you can read to help you recognize the warning signs of abuse and provides resources you can use to protect those you feel may be victims of abuse. This article is simply meant to be a resource of the most commonly reported types of elder abuse scams.

Medicare / Health Insurance Scam

Every U.S. citizen over the age of 65 automatically qualifies for Medicare, so scammers do not have to research which health insurance provider they are using. The scam artists pose as Medicare representatives and try to get seniors’ personal information. They may offer services that the senior doesn’t need via the telephone or a “mobile unit” then try to bill Medicare for these fake or unnecessary tests/medications/etc. Seniors may get in trouble with Medicare or even be out money for “co-pays.”

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

Mostly online scams, the FDA investigates upwards of 20 counterfeit prescription drug scams per year, up from five annually in the 1990s. Not only are seniors losing money on fraudulent prescriptions, but they may also harm themselves by taking unsafe substances rather than their real medication. Cheaper is not always better.

Funeral and Cemetery Scams

Scammers scour the obituaries or funeral home websites and reach out to survivors right before, during or right after the funeral to inform the bereaved family that the deceased owes a debt that was overdue at his/her death and needs to be repaid post haste to prevent besmirching the deceased’s reputation. The scammer plays on the grief of the bereaved family while seemingly being sympathetic. Another situation that can happen is that disreputable funeral homes will take advantage of grieving families who are unfamiliar with the details around funeral costs, adding on unnecessary or fraudulent extras to the bill. They play on the grief of the bereaved family by reassuring them that they want the absolute best for their loved one, including a very expensive casket for a cremation when only a cardboard box is required.

Fraudulent Anti-aging Products

In a society that stigmatizes aging, it is easy to understand why people may fall for scams that offer them the fountain of youth. Many older Americans seek out new treatments and medications to maintain a youthful appearance, putting them on scammers’ radars. Whether it’s the ever-popular fake Botox or fraudulent “homeopathic” remedies that do absolutely nothing, there is big money in the anti-aging business. Botox scams are particularly unsettling, because renegade labs creating versions of the real thing may still be working with the root ingredient, botulism neurotoxin, which is one of the most toxic substances known to science. A bad batch can have serious health consequences. As a result, the consumer may also have to incur unexpected medical expenses to address any adverse effects in addition to paying for the fake Botox.

Telemarketing / Phone Scams

Since many seniors are happy to talk to anyone willing to talk to them, phone scams are highly prevalent. Seniors also are more likely to purchase items over the telephone versus the internet, as a result, there is no paper trail, making these transactions almost impossible to trace. Also, once a scammer is successful with a telemarketing scam, s/he may “share the wealth” by spreading the susceptible senior’s information. There are several types of telemarketing scams including:

• The pigeon drop – scammer tells the senior they found a large sum of money that they are willing to split if the senior will provide a “good faith” payment by withdrawing money from their bank account. Often, there is a second con artist involved who portrays a “trustworthy” participant, such as a lawyer or officer.
• Fake accident – the scammer convinces the senior that a relative or close friend has been in an accident and needs the money for treatment.
• Fake charities – scammers will call seniors soliciting donations for fake charities. Names will be similar to well-known charities to create the belief that they are legitimate. These scams are particularly popular after natural disasters.

Internet Scams

Seniors fall victim to clicking on pop-up windows offering updated virus protection that look legitimate. They are scams that will either require a large sum to “purchase” or that upload an actual virus to the computer that grants the scammer access to personal information. The scammer may even install ransomware and demand a payment to let the senior regain control of their information. Email phishing scams are also popular. Someone pretends to be from their bank, the IRS or some other official entity that needs to verify the personal information of the senior. Seniors may also fall victim to a “Work From Home” money claim from an Internet ad or email. The offer may involve the senior needing to pay for “training” or special “equipment” to begin making the money.

Investment Schemes

When they retire, seniors are often looking for ways to maximize their savings while minimizing risks. Pyramid schemes, such as investment opportunities offered by a fabled Nigerian prince, are simply too good to be true. They are designed to take advantage of people and steal their financial resources. No legitimate investment will require up front money to reap astronomical returns within unrealistic timeframes.

Homeowners / Reverse Mortgage Scams

This encompasses two distinct scams. The first involves a con artist who poses as a tax official offering to reassess the senior’s property for tax purposes. The scam is predicated on the notion that the senior’s tax debt could be lowered. The con artist charges a fee for this “reassessment,” which is fraudulent. The second revolves around pressuring seniors to obtain a reverse mortgage to access the equity in their home. Typically, scammers are lurking to perform “necessary home repairs” to take advantage of the windfall of cash the senior receives from the reverse mortgage. Since real estate generally encompasses a large portion of a senior’s wealth, obtaining a reverse mortgage may effectively become the tool to deplete their largest asset.

Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams

While not limited to seniors, these scams use the lure of free money to convince consumers to divulge sensitive information or send funds to a con artist. Seniors receive a communication via email, mail, phone call or sometimes even in person. They have won a prize from some contest they don’t even remember entering. Before they can get the entire amount, they must deposit a partial amount to “verify” their bank account information. They are then asked to repay that amount to the scammer before the fraudulent check has been returned. By the time the check is returned as a fraud, the scammer is long gone with money they got from the senior.

Impostor Scams

This one seems particularly egregious because it can pull on the heartstrings of the senior involved depending on the persona adopted by the scammer. The scammer may call and pretend to be an IRS agent or from another official entity, such as the local utility company or even their bank. The scammer will then claim that the senior owes money that must be repaid immediately, or charges will be filed. Alternatively, the scammer may try a more personal approach by self-identifying as the senior’s favorite grandchild/niece/nephew/etc., in need of money. It may just be a “loan,” to address an urgent situation like a car repair, late rent, school tuition, or something along those lines. The scammer implores the senior not to tell mom or dad and states that s/he will pay the senior back. The scammer will then provide a Western Union or MoneyGram location to pick up the money.

Check Fraud

There are several variations of check fraud. The senior may write a check to someone, and that person alters the amount or orders checks with a new address to write fraudulent checks. Blank checks could be stolen and forged for any amount, or scammers could ask the senior for help “clearing” a check because s/he does not have a local bank account but needs the money quickly. The senior deposits the fraudulent check and writes one to the scammer. By the time the check is returned, the scammer and the money are long gone. The scammer may also write checks of larger and larger amounts with the senior until they get the amount they want, and then disappear.

In recognition of World Password Day, New Tripoli Bank would like to remind our customers and members of our community that they should be taking steps to safeguard their personal account information, including their password, and to make sure they know what to do if they suspect they have been affected by a reported breach.

With more consumers doing their shopping and financial transactions online, it is more important than ever to prevent cybercriminal activity, the bulk of which originates as phishing attacks and costs and estimated $17,700 every minute, according to a press release from the Independent Community Bankers of America. However, by staying alert and practicing proper cybersecurity, all of us can make a difference and ensure a safer and more resilient internet for everyone.

Reducing Your Risk

While there is no foolproof way to avoid online identity theft, you can minimize your risk by:

• Limiting what information you disclose—Never respond to texts, emails, or phone calls requesting sensitive personal information or financial information such as your banking ID, account numbers, username, or passwords, even if the messages appear to originate from your financial institution, government agencies, or officials from companies with whom you have a relationship. This is the most common form of phishing.
• Taking advantage of security features—Regularly update your computer security software and apply software updates to your computer system, mobile devices, web browsers and operating system when prompted. This will keep you up to date and improve your defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats.
• Monitoring account activity—Carefully review your bank statements and regularly check your credit report for unusual or unexplained transactions, unknown accounts in your name, or unexpected denials on your card. Report any suspicious activity to your financial institution immediately.

Respond to a Data Breach

Unfortunately, data breaches do happen, which is why it's important to know the steps you can take to minimize your risk in the event of a breach.

• Consider a security freeze on your credit report to restrict access to your credit file. You can visit the credit reporting agencies websites or call them to put the freeze on your report:
  • Equifax: Equifax.com | Phone: (888) 766-0008
  • Experian: Experian.com | Phone: (888) 397-3742
  • Trans Union: TransUnion.com | (800) 680-7289
• Set up a fraud alert, which directs banks to verify your identity before opening a new account, issuing an additional card, or increasing the credit limit on an existing account.
• Shred documents with personal or sensitive information before disposing of them.
• Change your passwords frequently and make sure to use strong passwords. A strong password is one that is at least 8 characters long and includes both capital and lowercase letters as well as numbers and symbols. You can watch our 2019 security seminar for more tips on cybersecurity.
• Report stolen financial information, accounts, or identities and other cybercrime to your financial institution, the Internet Crime Complaint Center and to your local law enforcement and/or state attorney general.

You can learn more about how to protect yourself online at the Stay Safe Online website.

Phishing scams have taken many forms throughout the years and it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with the new tools that hackers have developed to steal consumers’ personal and financial data. Since the internet boom in the early 2000’s, one of the more common methods has been creating domain names and web pages that are virtually indistinguishable from actual websites, then sending links to these websites to vulnerable users’ emails. 1,500,000 new phishing webpages are created per month, so it’s clear this problem is not slowing down anytime soon.

A recent alert from security specialists has drawn attention to cybercriminals who have developed a way to make these look-alike pages even more convincing. Scammers use a special tool that automatically displays your organization’s name and logo on the phony login page. They can even use this tool to populate your email address in the corresponding login field. This creates a false sense of security because many legitimate websites remember your username if you have logged in previously.

To add another layer of sophistication, savvy hackers will “spear phish” in an attempt to increase an email’s apparent legitimacy. Spear phishing involves researching their target so they can include personal information harvested from public sites like Facebook or Instagram in the email. Including these details is intended to trick consumers into overlooking the other more suspicious parts of the email and get them to click the links, open the attachments, or input their information into login pages.

While phishing is still very common and getting more sophisticated, so do fraud prevention techniques and technologies. There are two steps you can take to maintain your security: anti-phishing training and anti-phishing software. You should rely on either of these independently – but instead use them together to protect yourself.

Here are some anti-phishing habits you should become accustomed to in order to protect yourself:

• Never click a link in an unexpected email. Most important communication is either expected or will use more direct methods of contact.
• Remember that any site, brand, or service can be spoofed. Cybercriminals rely on your trust in a brand in order to get you to let down your guard.
• When you’re asked to log into an account or online service, navigate to the official website and log in. That way, you can ensure you’re logging in to the real site and not a phony look-a-like.
• Make sure you are using a secure internet connection. Before submitting personal information, ensure your connection to the website is secure by checking for “https://” in the address bar in your browser. If the site begins with “http://” the connection is unsecured. There should also be a “lock” icon in your browser’s status bar that verifies a secure connection.
• If your email doesn’t already have built-in fraud protection, you can look into third party security software for added protection. These programs are kept up-to-date so as the cybercriminals methods evolve, your protection will also keep up.
• Install a firewall. Firewalls prevent attacks on your computer from the internet by identifying malicious connections.
• Keep your browser, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall up to date.
• Avoid emailing personal and/or financial information. Email systems are not encrypted by default and therefore your data could be intercepted by hackers.

This article uses information from https://www.revbits.com/blogs/lookalike-login-pages and "Scam of the Week" from https://blog.knowbe4.com/

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are warning the public about several emerging fraud schemes related to COVID19 vaccines. The FBI, HHS-OIG, and CMS have received complaints of scammers using the public’s interest in COVID-19 vaccines to obtain personally identifiable information (PII) and money through various schemes. We continue to work diligently with law enforcement partners and the private sector to identify cyber threats and fraud in all forms.

The public should be aware of the following potential indicators of fraudulent activity:

• Advertisements or offers for early access to a vaccine upon payment of a deposit or fee
• Requests asking you to pay out of pocket to obtain the vaccine or to put your name on a COVID-19 vaccine waiting list
• Offers to undergo additional medical testing or procedures when obtaining a vaccine
• Marketers offering to sell and/or ship doses of a vaccine, domestically or internationally, in exchange for payment of a deposit or fee
• Unsolicited emails, telephone calls, or personal contact from someone claiming to be from a medical office, insurance company, or COVID-19 vaccine center requesting personal and/or medical information to determine recipients’ eligibility to participate in clinical vaccine trials or obtain the vaccine
• Claims of FDA approval for a vaccine that cannot be verified
• Advertisements for vaccines through social media platforms, email, telephone calls, online, or from unsolicited/unknown sources
• Individuals contacting you in person, by phone, or by email to tell you the government or government officials require you to receive a COVID-19 vaccine

Tips to avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud:

• Consult your state’s health department website for up-to-date information about authorized vaccine distribution channels and only obtaining a vaccine through such channels.
• Check the FDA’s website (fda.gov) for current information about vaccine emergency use authorizations.
• Consult your primary care physician before undergoing any vaccination.
• Don’t share your personal or health information with anyone other than known and trusted medical professionals.
• Check your medical bills and insurance explanation of benefits (EOBs) for any suspicious claims and promptly reporting any errors to your health insurance provider.
• Follow guidance and recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other trusted medical professionals.

General online/cyber fraud prevention techniques:

• Verify the spelling of web addresses, websites, and email addresses that look trustworthy but may be imitations of legitimate websites.
• Ensure operating systems and applications are updated to the most current versions.
• Update anti-malware and anti-virus software and conduct regular network scans.
• Do not enable macros on documents downloaded from an email unless necessary and after ensuring the file is not malicious.
• Do not communicate with or open emails, attachments, or links from unknown individuals.
• Never provide personal information of any sort via email; be aware that many emails requesting your personal information may appear to be legitimate.
• Use strong two-factor authentication if possible, using biometrics, hardware tokens, or authentication apps.
• Disable or remove unneeded software applications.

If you believe you have been the victim of a COVID-19 fraud, immediately report it to the FBI (ic3.gov, tips.fbi.gov, or 1-800-CALL-FBI) or HHS-OIG (tips.hhs.gov or 1-800-HHSTIPS).

For accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19, visit:

• coronavirus.gov
• cdc.gov/coronavirus
• usa.gov/coronavirus
• fbi.gov/coronavirus
• justice.gov/coronavirus
• oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus

For most of us, the holiday season is about friends, family, food—and shopping! Black Friday and Cyber Monday fall just after Thanksgiving in the U.S., but internationally, they are two of the busiest shopping days of the year. Unfortunately, while you’re looking for holiday deals, the bad guys are looking for ways to scam you any way they can.

Follow these tips to stay safe this holiday season:

• Keep your smartphone, computer, and other devices updated. This helps ensure that your device has the latest security patches. 
• Only use trusted Wi-Fi connections and be suspicious of any network that does not require a password to connect.
• Take the time to change any outdated or simple passwords. Use strong, unique passwords on all of your accounts. 
• Be careful not to overshare on social media. Consider anything you post to be public information. 
• Keep an eye on the activity in your banking and credit card accounts. Also, be sure to monitor your credit report on a regular basis.
• Be suspicious of emails you receive about online purchases. Check the status of your order directly on the website that you purchased from.
• If you receive a holiday greeting card in your inbox, verify the sender before clicking the link to view the card.
• If you’re traveling for the holidays, be sure to keep your devices stored safely at all times. 
• Pay close attention to the websites that you order from. Only shop on websites that you know and trust.
• Watch out for giveaways and contests. Remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

If you plan to shop from the comfort of your home this year instead of heading out in-person to be the first in line for those door buster deals, make sure your home computer has the latest antivirus software updated. This will help protect you from hackers and identity thieves.

Once you’re ready to shop, make sure you:

• Take time to compare products. To get the best deal, compare products. Do research online, check product comparison sites, and read online reviews.
• Check out the seller. Confirm that the seller is legit. Look for reviews about their reputation and customer service, and be sure you can contact the seller if you have a dispute.
• Look for coupon codes. Search the store’s name with terms like “coupons,” “discounts,” or “free shipping.”
• Pay by credit card. Paying by credit card gives you added protections. Never mail cash or wire money to online sellers. If the seller asks you to pay this way, it could be a scam.
• Use secure checkout. Before you enter your credit card information online, check that the website address starts with “https.” The “s” stands for secure. If you don’t see the “s,” don’t enter your information.
• Keep records of online transactions until you get the goods, confirm you got what you ordered, and that you’re satisfied you won’t have to return the item.
• If you spot a fraud while shopping online this holiday season, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov.

The IRS, state tax agencies, and the tax industry yesterday warned of a new text scam created by thieves that trick people into disclosing bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payment. "Criminals are relentlessly using COVID-19 and Economic Impact Payments as cover to try to trick taxpayers out of their money or identities," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "This scam is a new twist on those we've been seeing much of this year. We urge people to remain alert to these types of scams."

The scam text message states: "You have received a direct deposit of $1,200 from COVID-19 TREAS FUND. Further action is required to accept this payment into your account. Continue here to accept this payment ..." The text includes a link to a fake phishing web address. People who receive this text scam should take a screen shot of the text message that they received and then include the screenshot in an email to phishing@irs.gov with the following information:

• Date/Time/Timezone that they received the text message
• The number that appeared on their Caller ID
• The number that received the text message

People who believe they are eligible for the Economic Impact ("Stimulus") Payment should go directly to IRS.gov. People who do not have a filing requirement but who are eligible for EIP can use a non-filers tool on IRS.gov until November 21 to claim their payment.

We have received a few calls recently from our customers reporting encounters with individuals impersonating IRS officials over the telephone. This is a very common tactic for scammers to try and steal your personal information and we want to take this opportunity to advise our customers how they can avoid getting scammed the next time they pick up the phone.

Threatening IRS Impersonator Phone Calls

IRS impersonation scams come in many forms. A common one remains bogus threatening phone calls from a criminal claiming to be with the IRS. The scammer attempts to instill fear and urgency in the potential victim. In reality, the IRS would never threaten a taxpayer or surprise them with a demand for immediate payment.

Phone scams or "vishing" (voice phishing) pose a major threat. Scam phone calls, including those threatening arrest, deportation or license revocation if the victim doesn't pay a bogus tax bill, are reported year-round. These calls often take the form of a "robocall" (a text-to-speech recorded message with instructions for returning the call).

The IRS will never demand immediate payment, threaten, ask for financial information over the phone, or call about an unexpected refund or Economic Impact Payment. Taxpayers should contact the real IRS if they worry about having a tax problem.

IRS Phone Scams

The IRS does not leave pre-recorded, urgent or threatening messages. In many variations of the phone scam, victims are told if they do not call back, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. Other verbal threats include law-enforcement agency intervention, deportation or revocation of licenses.

Criminals can fake or “spoof” caller ID numbers to appear to be anywhere in the country, including from an IRS office. This prevents taxpayers from being able to verify the true call number. Fraudsters also have spoofed local sheriff’s offices, state departments of motor vehicles, federal agencies and others to convince taxpayers the call is legitimate.

When in doubt, remember that the IRS does not:

• Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.
• Demand that you pay taxes without the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. You should also be advised of your rights as a taxpayer.
• Threaten to bring in local police, immigration officers or other law-enforcement to have you arrested for not paying. The IRS also cannot revoke your driver’s license, business licenses, or immigration status. Threats like these are common tactics scam artists use to trick victims into buying into their schemes.

How You Can Help

If you believe you have been contacted by a scammer pretending to be from the IRS, you should contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report a phone scam. You can call the Inspector General at 800-366-4484 or visit their "IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting" web page. You should also report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission using the "FTC Complaint Assistant" on FTC.gov. If you contact the FTC, make sure to add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes so they are aware of the type of scam you are reporting.

If you want to learn more about general IRS scams, you can visit the IRS page for Tax Scam information.

The Internal Revenue Service is urging taxpayers to be on the lookout for a surge of calls and email phishing attempts about the Coronavirus or COVID-19. These contacts can lead to tax-related fraud and identity theft.

Remember: the IRS will not call you asking to verify or provide your financial information so you can get an economic impact payment or your refund faster. This also applies to surprise emails that appear to be coming from the IRS. Don't open any links or attachments in emails that say they are from the IRS. Instead, you should go to IRS.gov for the most up-to-date information.

Be cautious not only of emails but also text messages, websites and social media messages requesting money or personal information. Criminals take every opportunity to perpetrate a fraud on unsuspecting victims, especially when a group of people is in a state of need or especially vulnerable. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is working hard to find these scammers and shut them down, but in the meantime it’s important to remain vigilant."

Don't Fall Prey to Coronavirus Scams

The IRS and its Criminal Investigation Division have seen a wave of new and evolving phishing schemes against taxpayers. In a majority of cases, the IRS will deposit economic impact payments into the direct deposit account taxpayers previously provided on tax returns. If you have previously filed but not provided direct deposit information to the IRS, you will soon be able to provide your banking information online to a newly-designed secure portal on IRS.gov in mid-April 2020. If the IRS does not have your direct deposit information, a check will be mailed to the address on file.

The IRS will not be reaching out to you via email, text, or other means of messaging to get this information – if you receive any communications asking you for personal or financial information, do not respond! In addition, you should not trust someone else with your direct deposit or other banking information, so that they may input it into the secure portal on your behalf.

Retirees Among Potential Targets

We want to remind retirees who don't normally have to file tax returns: for retirees, no action is required to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. Seniors should be especially careful during this period. The IRS reminds retirees – including recipients of Forms SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 − that no one from the agency will be reaching out to you by phone, email, mail or in person asking for any kind of information to complete their economic impact payment. The IRS is sending these $1,200 payments automatically to retirees – no additional action or information is needed on their part to receive this.

It is also important to remember that these payments are called economic impact payments – fraudsters will sometimes refer to them as rebates or stimulus payments and this is a big red flag that the contact is a scam.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that scammers may:

• Ask the taxpayer to sign over their economic impact payment check to them.
• Ask by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up their economic impact payment.
• Suggest that they can get a tax refund or economic impact payment faster by working on the taxpayer's behalf. This scam could be conducted by social media or even in person.
• Mail the taxpayer a bogus check, perhaps in an odd amount, then tell the taxpayer to call a number or verify information online in order to cash it.
• Emphasize the words "Stimulus Check" or "Stimulus Payment." The official term is “economic impact payment.”

Reporting Coronavirus-related or other phishing attempts

Those who receive unsolicited emails, text messages or social media attempts to gather information that appear to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), should forward it to phishing@irs.gov.

Taxpayers are encouraged not to engage potential scammers online or on the phone. Learn more about reporting suspected scams by going to the Report Phishing and Online Scams page on IRS.gov.

Official IRS information about the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impact payments can be found on the Coronavirus Tax Relief page on IRS.gov. The page is updated quickly when new information is available.

We've all been on the receiving end of gift cards for the holidays. After all, they are a convenient present for when you're not sure what to get your friend or relative, but still need to get a gift for them.

Unfortunately, what should be something harmless can often be used by scammers as a way to defraud people out of their money. After all, a gift card is just like cash (i.e. any misuse is hard to trace) and, unlike credit cards, there usually aren't any resources customers can turn to when their gift card is stolen or used without authorization, so it is difficult to reverse a fraudulent transaction or get a refund.

Another common gift card scam occurs when someone poses as an attorney for a family member, claiming that family member is in legal trouble and needs help. The scammer will contact you via phone or email and ask you to purchase gift cards in specific amounts to pay them. Once you purchase these gift cards, the scammer will ask you to provide the card numbers and PINs so that the scammer can redeem the funds, leaving you out several hundred dollars.

Asking for gift cards to pay for legal issues and unexpected contact via phone or email are both big red flags that you might be the target of a scam. Remember: no business or government agency will ask you to make payments with gift cards. It's also a good rule of thumb to avoid making payments via phone or by wiring money, unless you can confirm the request is legitimate via other communications.

Also, be on the lookout for gift card scams when you're selling items. There is a common gift card scam that involves a person offering to purchase an item and sending you a check for more than the item's purchase price. They will then ask you to send back the difference in the form of a gift card. When you attempt to cash the check later, you will discover it is fake!

If you suspect you've been the victim of a gift card scam, you should report the situation to your local police department as well as notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which tracks these scams. In addition, you should immediately report the scam to the merchant or company that issued your card and ask if they can refund your money. Most issuers have a toll-free telephone number to report lost or stolen cards, and you may get back the money left on the card or at least a portion of it (there is sometimes a fee for providing a refund). Be sure to keep the receipt and a record of the card number as you may need to provide this information when you report fraud.

Tips When Buying Gift Cards

Scammers asking for gift cards isn't the only way you can be defrauded. Here are some safety tips you should keep in mind when you're buying gift cards.

• Avoid buying gift cards from unfamiliar websites. You should only buy gift cards from sources you know and trust.
• If you are buying physical cards from a retailer, check before purchase. Sometimes criminals will scratch off the backs of the cards and steal the numbers and PIN.
• Read the fine print. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions. Check for an expiration date, fees to use the card, and fees for dormant cards.
• Register your card. This may help protect you in case the card is lost or stolen.

Wawa is notifying potentially impacted individuals about a data security incident that affected customer payment card information used at potentially all Wawa locations during a specific timeframe. Based on the investigation to date, the information is limited to payment card information, including debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates and cardholder names, but does not include PIN numbers or CVV2 numbers. The ATM cash machines in Wawa stores were not impacted by this incident. At this time, Wawa is not aware of any unauthorized use of any payment card information as a result of this incident.

Wawa’s information security team discovered malware on Wawa payment processing servers on December 10, 2019, and contained it by December 12, 2019. After discovering this malware, Wawa immediately engaged a leading external forensics firm and notified law enforcement. Based on Wawa’s forensic investigation, Wawa now understands that this malware began running at different points in time after March 4, 2019. Wawa took immediate steps after discovering this malware and believes it no longer poses a risk to customers.

“At Wawa, the people who come through our doors are not just customers, they are our friends and neighbors, and nothing is more important than honoring and protecting their trust,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa CEO. “Once we discovered this malware, we immediately took steps to contain it and launched a forensics investigation so that we could share meaningful information with our customers. I want to reassure anyone impacted they will not be responsible for fraudulent charges related to this incident. To all our friends and neighbors, I apologize deeply for this incident.”

Wawa is supporting its customers by offering identity protection and credit monitoring services at no charge to them. Information about how to enroll can be found on the Wawa website below. Wawa has also established resources to answer customers’ questions, including a dedicated call center that can be reached at 1-844-386-9559, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm Eastern Time or Saturday and Sunday between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm, excluding holidays.

New Tripoli Bank is also ready to support our customers who may have concerns about their account security. You can download our mobile banking app and set up push notifications to alert you when there is activity on your New Tripoli Bank accounts, so you will be notified immediately if there are any suspicious or fraudulent transactions made on your account. Take the time to update your passwords. If you think one of your cards has been compromised, you can deactivate your card by using our mobile banking or online banking tools or by calling our toll-free number at 888-298-8821 (during business hours), 800-264-5578 (after business hours) or 701-461-2552 (international) and requesting a new card.

A detailed notice and open letter to customers from Wawa’s CEO notifying potentially affected individuals about the incident is available at www.wawa.com/alerts/data-security