Scammers will pretend to be government officials to get you to send them money. They may promise lottery winnings if you pay "taxes" or other fees, or they might threaten a arrest or a lawsuit or jail if you don't pay supposed debts. Do not send money. Government agencies and Federal Employees do not ask for money for prizes or unpaid loans. They are not permitted to ask you to wire money or add money to a prepaid debit card.  

These scammers will use a variety of tricks and lies to get your attention. They may even have your name, address and social security number.

Protect Yourself:

• Never wire money
• Don't pay for a prize
• Don't give the caller your personal information, or confirm your personal information, such as credit card numbers, social security number or bank accounts.
• Put your number on the national Do Not Call Registry. Register your phone number at donotcall.gov.

Phishing is an internet scam in which e-mail spam or pop-up messages are used to deceive you into divulging personal or financial information over the internet. Phishers will send you an email or a pop-up message that appears to be from a company that you deal with – your credit card company, credit union or a government agency. The message usually requests that you update or validate account information and it will direct you to a website that looks just like the legitimate organization's website, but it isn't. The purpose of the bogus website is to deceive you into entering your personal information so the scammer's can steal your identity and commit crimes in your name.

Protect yourself:

• Don’t click on links in emails that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies don't ask for personal information via email.
• Never open unexpected attachments.
• Don't cut and paste the link from the message into your Internet browser — phishers can make links look like they go to one place, but that actually send you to a different sites.
• Delete suspicious messages, even if you know the source

Vishing is a scam where criminals persuade victims to hand over personal details or transfer money, over the telephone. They may use "spoofing" where the phone number looks like it's coming from a company that you deal with. They may already have some of your personal information that you would expect a genuine caller to have.

Protect yourself:

• Never give your personal information over the phone. If you feel a call is suspicious, call the company directly to verify the authenticity of the call.
• Beware of organizations asking for charitable donations. If you want to donate money, contact the organization yourself to make sure that your money is going to the appropriate place.

sMishing uses text messages or SMS to persuade victims to provide personal or financial information. They may use URL's or an automated voice response system to collect your information. 

Protect Yourself:

• Never give your personal information over the phone.
• Delete unsolicited text messages from your phone.

A data breach occurs when your information is stolen or accidentally left vulnerable to theft, enabling thieves to steal your identity. You may read about a data breach in the news or receive a notice from your financial institution or a retail store saying that your data has been compromised. A data breach can result from computer hacking, computer virus, the physical theft of documents or computer equipment, or by accident (such as emailing information to the wrong address). Companies and government departments are required to notify you once they discover a breach.

If you suspect or have been notified that your information has been compromised due to a data breach first determine which information was stolen.

Password - If it is an online account that has been breached, change the password on the account immediately. If the same password is used on other accounts, change those too.

Email Address - If it was an email address, watch your inbox for messages requesting information or requesting you to click on a link. If you receive a suspicious email from a company you do business with, call the sender to verify that they did indeed send it.

Credit Card Number - If a payment card number has been stolen, contact the financial institution that issued the card and explain that the card is at risk of fraud. Ask them to issue a new card with a new number.

Social Security Number - Contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies and have them place a fraud alert on your account. That agency will then be legally bound to notify the other two agencies to do the same. An alert lets lenders know to take extra care verifying personal information before issuing credit and entitles you to a complimentary credit report from each agency. Review this for suspicious activity. A fraud alert is free and can be renewed every 90 days.