18 Jun Recognizing scams

Can you spot a scam when you see one? Learn how to recognize suspicious texts and emails. Keeping your accounts and information safe is critically important to us. That’s why we’re identifying new threats and helping you stay up to date on the latest scams.

During these unprecedented times, be on he lookout for suspicious communications regarding the coronavirus, especially those offering financial assistance, work-at-home jobs, or miracle cures. Recognizing phishing scams and knowing how to avoid them will help protect you from fraud.

Email and text phishing or “smishing” may impersonate a company, charity, or government agency such as the IRS and often include an urgent request to convince you to sign onto a fraudulent website or respond with personal or account information. Phishing scams can be hard to spot, but there are some warning signs:

Suspicious sender

Do you know the email address, phone number or shortcode? Don’t respond to messages from a sender you don’t recognize. Five-digit shortcodes are commonly used by companies to send text messages. Add trusted shortcodes and phone numbers to your contact list so you recognize them when you receive a text.

Unusual language

Are there spelling or grammar mistakes in the message? Does it contain unusual text treatments, ID numbers, all caps or punctuation like exclamation points? It may be a scam so don’t respond.

Unexpected request

If you receive an unexpected request to unblock your account, update your information or verify your identity, don’t click on any links or respond.

Want to learn more about how to spot scams? Visit www.unisonbank.com/security-tips.

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