In today’s digital environment, it’s important to be aware of fraudulent schemes and phishing attempts that may come in the form of calls, texts, emails, and social media solicitations. We have some tips to help protect your identity and your finances:

• Legitimate organizations will not call you unexpectedly to ask for personal information
• Legitimate businesses will give you time to make a decision, whereas scammers apply pressure to act immediately
• Never pay someone who insists you do so via gift card or a money transfer service
• Never deposit a check and then send money back to someone
• Carefully scrutinize emails and texts before clicking on anything within them
• If you do get a text or email from a company you do business with and you think it might be real, you can use their actual website or call their posted customer service number to verify. Don’t use links or phone numbers provided in the text or email your received.

For more information, visit the Federal Trade Commission.

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