Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft and Fraud

With the increase of electronic communication and web traffic, there has been a rise in identity theft and fraud. Please be aware and cautious of the following:

• Websites purporting to help with SBA loans asking for sensitive information (bank accounts, W-2’s etc.) on your business
• Phishing emails appearing to be from reputable sources like the CDC or World Health Organization that ask you to share personal information or contain links that could lead to malware being downloaded to your computer.
• Malicious websites offering maps or statistics related to COVID-19 that ask you to share personal information to register or download malware to your computer
• Social engineering scams asking you to send money or provide personal information over the phone or by email or text. Specifically, fraudsters are calling to schedule Coronavirus tests and collecting credit or debit card and other personal information for copays or other out-of-pocket expenses.
• Charity scams asking for donations to unknown but seemingly legitimate groups (for your security, give to established, well-known organizations).