There are certain rites of passage in life. Milestone birthdays, graduations, marriages or births. And of course, that first email from a Nigerian prince who wants your bank account number to safeguard money with the promise you'll receive a fortune in return.
That long-running con is one of many scams plaguing U.S. consumers today in an onslaught that can feel relentless, with criminals targeting you by mail, email, phone, text and even social media.
"Scammers are always trying new ways and old ways to take advantage of us, and especially our emotional states, to do two things: to steal our money or take our identity," said Bao Vang, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Now, scammers are even going after consumers at their jobs, posing as executives on vacation using personal email accounts to have an invoice paid, only for the payment to end up in the scam artist's pocket.
"When these spear-phishing emails come, the people are much more likely to disclose invoice data, confidential data, because it's coming from a trusted name," said Tami Hudson, a Wells Fargo cybersecurity client officer.
Your instinct may be to assist a higher-up as soon as possible, but first verify internally the request is legitimate.
If more people had the tools to understand how scams operate, they could avoid being a victim, Vang said.
First, you don't need to understand all of the scams. "In fact, that would be overwhelming," said Jason Zirkle, training director for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. "You just need to know they are going to ask for money or information."
