A Few Tell Tale Signs For Scams

Scammers are becoming craftier every day in the creation of fraudulent documents that look authentic. These ads many times seem to be from legitimate companies and include images and logos of these. Below you’ll find a list of some common characteristics of fraudulent ads:


1. They tend to have an urgent tone.


2. They often create a sense of urgency, telling potential clients that if they won’t act quickly, or verify/confirm their personal or account information, the loan offer will be off the table. ID Theft Rings typically ask for personal or account information such as:


3. Account numbers


4. Credit and Check Card numbers


5. Social Security Numbers


6. Online banking sign on IDs and passwords


7. Mother's maiden name


8. They ask you to send in advance fees for "insurance" to secure the "loan"


9. Date of birth


10. Other sensitive information


11. They forward you "loan" documents that appear to be legitimate.


12. They often include in the ads a legitimate company's name or Web address. Always type Web addresses into your browser instead of sending money to the thieves. Then look for any "ID theft alerts" on the website and follow all the suggestions they advise to capture the thieves -- quickly.


13. They forge legitimate loan officers or employees signatures.


14. The fraudulent ads will disguise or forge the thefts rings real address so they appear to be from a legitimate company.


15. They often use incorrect grammar on their "loan documents".


16. When you are in a browser, hover with the cursor over a website name, check on the lower left corner of your screen, how the company URL web address is appearing. Check the spelling. A legitimate company will have their name in the URL. Scammers often use misspelled variations or even completely different URL’s.