Tools of the Trade
The art of manipulating a victim into providing a bad actor access to money, data, or systems, i.e. what a con artist does.
What is Social Engineering?
The acquisition and use of another’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.
What is Identity Theft
Along with raising the emotional stakes, one of the two primary techniques bad actors use to get victims to act without thinking.
What is Urgency?
A victim is a "big winner" who just needs to pay a fee or some taxes on their winnings.
What is a Lottery/Sweepstakes Scam?
What you shouldn't do when an unknown number calls you.
What is Answering the Phone?
An electronic communication (often email) sent by a bad actor intended to convince a victim to take a high risk action such as clicking a link or sending money.
What is Phishing?
By doing this with the major credit bureaus, you can prevent hard credit pulls (and by extension new trade line applications) initiated fraudulently by a bad actor who has stolen your identity.
What is a Credit Freeze?
Bad actors often encourage this because the platform (website/app) a victim is currently on has safety nets in place to protect them from the very schemes the bad actor has in mind.
What is Going Off-Platform?
A victim is paid to purchase gift cards at a specific store, then write up a report on the customer service they experienced.
What is a Secret Shopper Scam?
A security best-practice locking access to online accounts behind at least two of the following: something you have, something you know, or something you are.
What is Multifactor Authentication (MFA)?
When something malicious imitates something innocent, specifically in the context of electronic communication and data.
What is Spoofing?
Placed by the major credit bureaus, this instructs lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit, and last for 1 (or in some cases 7) years.
An emotional manipulation technique involving excessive compliments, attention, or affection used by abusive partners and romance scammers to more easily control their victims.
What is Love-Bombing?
A pop-up on a victim's computer or phone alerts them to a hacker or illegal purchase made on their device and instructs them to call Microsoft or Apple immediately at a given phone number.
What is a Tech Support Scam?
A tool that helps keep you from reusing or forgetting passwords by securely storing them for you.
An advanced computer program (or series of programs) able to perform complex tasks and "learn."
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
Abbreviated "PII," this is the data used by companies, governments, and others to uniquely identify a person.
What is Personally Identifiable Information?
This is one way to quickly identity of a written fraud massage.
What is Poor Grammar and Spelling?
A victim is sent a check with which to purchase their new work computer and to pay for the installation of this computer in their home.
What is a Work From Home Scam?
The best way for you and your loved ones to combat AI Voice Cloning is to set up one of these.
What is a Code Word/Phrase?
The use of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model trained on video and/or audio clips of a real person to mimic said person's voice.
What is AI Voice Cloning?
This is when a bad actor uses compromised sensitive date to impersonate a victim for the purpose of receiving healthcare including doctor visits, medical procedures, and prescription drugs.
What is Medical Identity Theft?
The goal of many phishing attacks is to get you to click one of these, even though they often don't look like they're associated with the purported destination.
What is a Hyperlink?
Often a variation on a Romance Scam, a scammer tricks the victim into putting all of their money into an "investment" account controlled by the scammer.
What is a Pig Butchering Scam?
When somebody tries to get you to act immediately without thinking, you should do this.
What is Slow Down?