Adam Levin, Founder IDT911 for HuffPost Says This Mother’s Day Watch Out for Scams and ID Theft

Adam Levin, Chairman and Founder IDT911 Says Beware of Mother’s Day Scams.  You Want to Show Mom Your Appreciation, But Be Careful When You Click, It May Be a Trick!

Be on High Alert for These Scams:

• Clone Site Scam – You type in “Mother’s Day Gift” and are re-directed to a fake website that prompts you to click on links infected with malware.  Now fraudsters can take remote control of your computer and steal personal and financial information. Consumers should make sure they purchase gifts from a legitimate website, with a secure URL.  Hover your cursor over the URL to make sure it’s the right one and not a cyber trap.
• Toxic E-Cards – Mom thinks she got a nice card from her child, when really it is a phishing email that lures mom into clicking on a link, infected with malware.  Now your mom could be the target of identity theft. Consumers should always think before they click that link! 
• Fake Gift Cards – There are tons of social media promotions offering the perfect gift cards for mom.  You enter in your personal and credit card information and now scammers can steal your hard earned cash and your identity.  Only shop for gift cards on legitimate sites.  The deep discount is not worth you swiping away your identity.
• Over-Sharing on Social Media – We all like to boast about our great moms on social media and that we are looking for the perfect gift.  This invites cybercriminals to the party. Scammers will offer a great deal on what you are looking for and ask you to wire money or submit personal or financial information.  Never give out your personal or financial information on the phone, via text or email.  Never wire money to a stranger.
• Consumers Need to Be Vigilant – If you have been the victim of a scam, register your complaint with the FTC, check your credit by getting a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com and make sure you change passwords and use long and strong passwords that don’t repeat across accounts.