Fraud: Understanding How it Works

With the expanding Internet we hear more about identity theft and fraud.  Teaching our teens about the dangers of identity theft as well as how to protect their private information is part of parenting.

Fraud Facts:
  • Your bank will never email or call you for your account number.  Talk to your teen about not giving out their account numbers, PIN's or their social security number.
  • Don't wire money to people you don't know.  With the growing social networks and online shopping, teens have to beware of all scams that can involve wire transfers.
  • Check out the company with the Better Business Bureau.  Although there may be many businesses that are not members, you can do a simply Internet Search to detect if there are any valid issues against a business. 
  • There are no legitimate jobs that involve reshipping items or financial instruments from you home.
  • Foreign lotteries are illegal in teh U.S. You can't win money no matter what they say to you.
  • Check your monthly bank statements and credit card statements for charges you don't recognize.
  • Order a copy of your credit report from each of the three national credit bureaus once a year from annualcreditreport.com.
Source: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The FTC, the nation's consumer protection agency, works hard to prevent fraud and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid it.  To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP.

Be an educated parent and pass it on to your teen!

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