Right on Target
Have you received an email recently notifying you of a Target data breach and offering you 1 year of credit monitoring? It claimed to be sent by Target and provided both a link to sign up online and a phone number to call. It was even signed, “Gregg Steinhafel Chairman, President and CEO”.
With the crooks sending phishing messages by the barrel, this one looked as fraudulent as they come.
If you disregarded this message, I am not surprised.
If you called the number or followed the link, it was imprudent and could have left you a victim of identity theft.
However, if you went directly to Target.com, you would have discovered that they do indeed offer support to breach victims and provide a phone number to call and a link to follow. The offer expires in slightly more than a month, so, if you shop at Target, you may want to take them up on their offer soon.
With the recent flood of breaches, it is very likely that your favorite shop will be attacked. If you read about it, or hear or get a notification, take a deep breath and then go straight to the source for information. If you keep your cool, you can take care of your problems and not be trapped by fraudsters.
Fake charities
Do you get calls for charitable contributions?
After every big natural disaster fake charities mushroom, but even in pretty quiet times a lot of crooks are ready to take your hard-earned money and spend it on themselves instead of people you intended to help.
How do you avoid being scammed?
Send money to well-known organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders or Red Cross. Before contributing to a new charity find out as much as possible about it. Use official sources of information to prevent crooks from deceiving you by providing glowing recommendations for themselves. Even if it’s an honest organization, finding out that it spends 80% of the money it collects on administrative expenses can convince you to invest your charity money with more bang for the buck.
Being generous does not require being gullible or impractical.
Even if your unexpected caller claims to represent your favorite organization, make sure you don’t provide any personal information over the phone. You can pledge money, if you want, but then use the address you know to send your contribution.
This way you can assure your money goes where you intend it to go.