Fraudsters Are at It Again

Posted on November 17th, 2022

SCAM ALERT – Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for the next way to take advantage of people and trick them into sharing their personal information. They are experts at making emails look just like the real thing. One of the latest scams is the Student Loan Relief Application.

This application has given fraudsters the opportunity to steal information from those who are applying for financial relief. They will send you an email that will take you to an illegitimate website where you will fill out a fake application to obtain your personal account information.

Here are a few tips to stay safe and to avoid similar scams:

• Look for the lock icon on the address bar, this indicates that the site is secure.
• Be skeptical, don’t click on links that you don’t recognize or look questionable. When a link is sent to you and you are not sure where it will lead, do not click on the link. Instead, go to your search bar and type in the website address that you know.
• If you receive a call, text or email asking you for an immediate response, be cautious. Fraudsters tend to create a sense of urgency in order to obtain your information.

If you feel that you’ve been a victim of identity theft, contact us at 815-729-3211 and visit www.consumer.ftc.gov for additional resources.