March 7th is National Slam the Scam Day—a day to highlight ways to learn about how to prevent scams and fraud. Scams are on the rise with the acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) and other sophisticated technologies.

Don’t let scammers catch you unaware of their malicious tricks and schemes. Scammers are counting on you being uninformed of their deceptive tactics so that you will fall prey to their ruses. Don’t let it happen.

Below is information from various organizations that you might find helpful.

• Project Yourself from Scams
• Recognizing and Avoiding Scams
• Protecting yourself online from scams
• How can I avoid phishing scams when holiday shopping?
• How to Protect Your Privacy and Identity
• 12 Online Scams of Christmas
• See the flyer below from the Social Security Administration. Real government officials will never:
  • threaten arrest or legal action against you unless you immediately send money;
  • promise to increase your benefits or resolve a problem if you pay a fee or move your money into a protected account;
  • require payment with gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfer, internet currency, or by mailing cash; or
  • try to gain your trust by providing fake “documentation,” false “evidence,” or the name of a real government official.