ORLANDO, Fla. – We live in a digital world.
Computer technology is everywhere and affects almost everything — including our money.
Most of us keep our money in a bank and use credit cards, debit cards or an app like Venmo to pay for things.
They make buying and borrowing as simple as a tap.
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But with the ease of access comes security risks and the potential for fraud.
According to a report from the data analytics company FICO, ‘skimming’ crimes — where thieves steal your card information while it’s still with you — jumped 368% last year compared to the year before.
In Florida, it happens every day, often in plain sight.
While it can happen to any of us, right now criminals are targeting one of the most vulnerable populations in the country — SNAP, or supplemental nutrition assistance funds, recipients.
CBS News’ Ashhar Quraishi looked deep into solutions for this issue and found out the government is failing to make one important change that could help stop it.
In 2022, Congress passed the SNAP Protection Act which allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give refunds to snap recipients whose cards were skimmed.
Florida’s plan has since been approved and is expected to go into effect on Aug. 24, 2023.
But refunds are only one part of the solution.
Data from Lexis Nexis suggests Florida will lose close to $600 million to SNAP thieves this year — that’s nearly $50 million every month.
Investing in better security software is one way to stop fraud.
But how do we avoid getting our information stolen in the first place? Here are some basic ways to protect your information:
- Experts say avoid using SNAP benefits cards at small convenience stores because that’s a favorite target of thieves.
- Physically pull on the machine and make sure it hasn’t been tampered with.
- At ATMs, protect your pin from overhead cameras by putting your hand over the keypad.
You can read more about protecting your information here and learn about the News 6 investigation into so-called pulsar price manipulators by watching the video below.
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Protect Yourself From Cyber Criminals
In the digital world, thieves are constantly finding new ways to take your money, your identity or both.
Criminals are stealing millions from EBT accounts every day by adding devices to payment terminals and ATMs, but these days you don’t even need to leave your home to get scammed.
News 6 Investigator Mike Holfeld exposes the latest schemes and his reporting has been getting results for decades.
Solutionaries host Louis Bolden sat down with Mike Holfeld to spotlight four different schemes he investigated and how he got results for the victims involved.
Amazon & U.S. Government Imposters
Some people let their guard down when they see government agencies or brand names they recognize.
“She paid it right and still got sucker punched,” Holfeld said.
The woman told News 6 she hit a link on the Amazon text message and then googled a number for Amazon after becoming suspicious.
By then, the criminals had already accessed her phone and provided her with a fake number that led her right to scammers who told her her name had been linked to drugs and money laundering.
“Before I knew it, I gave up my social security number, and they wanted me to send a picture of my driver’s license,” she said.
Holfeld alerted the IRS on the woman’s behalf to ensure her identity or bank accounts could not be used by thieves.
Holfeld spoke with Orlando Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Caroline Obrien-Buster about the incident.
“Never, never, never will a federal agent call you and tell you to move money into a Bitcoin account or another bank account,” Obrien-Buster said. “Nobody will do that — nobody.”
Consent Farms
No one knowingly hands over their phone number to telemarketers, but scammers are using fake gift cards and job offers to trick people into signing consent forms.
When someone enters their name, address and phone number into the contest website, the user is asked to check a box that says “I agree” or “I accept.”
“But in the fine print, it says ‘I accept telemarketing,’ ‘I accept robocalls’. Is it legal? No. But now the thieves are selling that information with that thing that you checked that says ‘Yes, I accept,” Holfeld said.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has since formed a joint task force to combat consent farming.
Facebook Messenger Imposters
Social media has become a very popular way for imposters to gain access to your personal information and your friends.
Kim Robinson Lynch said she provided a code to someone she thought was a friend messaging her on Facebook — and within hours she realized she “had been hacked.”
The imposter said she needed to send her a code that would unlock her account.
That code actually allowed the thief to gain control of Lynch’s account and block access.
“They get into her Facebook account and they contacted her nine closest friends and put out this message that she needs $2,000,” Holfeld said.
Next thing she knew, the imposters were advertising puppies for sale on her Facebook page.
They were able to purchase items on Amazon, and Apple using her bank accounts to cover the purchases.
Experts suggest anyone that has been hacked should start by changing their password and tightening their security settings.
It’s also a good idea to inform your friends and followers that your account was compromised and report the incident to Facebook.
Phone Hackers
The best hackers are the ones who steal your money from your bank account without leaving evidence of fraud.
That is what happened to Full Sail University admissions manager who turned to News 6 after a smartphone hacker wired $65,000 from his Regions Bank account to a mystery account in another state.
“I know somebody hacked my phone,” the victim said. “As to how, I don’t know.”
He discovered his smartphone was bypassed to a number with an 801 exchange.
On that same day, his email account was flooded with more than 300 messages confirming purchases he had never approved, some from China and Russia.
Fred Sanks, a network intrusion forensics analyst with the Orlando U.S. Secret Service, told News 6 that malware dropped onto the phone via an email PDF may have been the weapon of choice in the hack.
Holfeld brought this information to Regions Bank, which reversed the initial denial decision and returned more than $64,000 to the victim.
Solutionaries has previously explored other ways internet criminals can put your safety at risk. Check out this episode about romance schemes and this one about protecting children from online predators.
A new episode of Solutionaries is available every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on News 6 and on News 6+ for your smart TV (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV).
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