Follow Rosalie Linkedin Facebook
Email Rosalie Email
Other
Sep 5, 2023

Medicare and Tech Support Scams Are On the Rise

Sponsored Content provided by Rosalie Calarco - Associate State Director, Coastal Region, AARP

Last month Medicare announced that one of their contractors had been hacked and the personal information of 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries were stolen. The security breach put Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, health insurance claims, medical history notes, prescription information and other personally identifiable information at risk.
 
Anyone whose information was compromised in the breach will be notified by Medicare and offered two years of free credit monitoring. However, even if your data weren’t stolen, this incident reminds us all of one stark reality – we have little control over much of our personal data.
 
So many companies and government entities have our personal data and so many have been hacked in the past that the most practical thing for people to do is assume that your information is out there and take the necessary precautions. Two things you can do to protect against ID fraud are to check your credit reports regularly for suspicious activity (www.annualcreditreport.com), and be sure that you are using strong and unique passwords for all websites and storing them securely.

Don’t fall for an unsolicited telephone line
 
Some of the top scams are the ones that have been around the longest. One might think that a crime like the tech support scam, which has been around for 15 years, might fade away but it is more common than ever. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, the tech support scam was reported by nearly 18,000 victims who had a combined   $588 million stolen from them last year.
 
These scams start with an unsolicited phone call or a pop-up alert on your device, claiming to be from Microsoft, Norton, or another related company warning of grave problems. The goal is to persuade you to allow them to remotely connect with your device where they can convince you they find something terrible. They are actually seeking to install malware to harvest personal information and logins, creating ways to get back into your device or convincing you to pay for expensive repair and protection – all of which if fake.
 
Bottom line, the urgent phone call or popup message is a sham. Don’t answer (or hang up immediately if you do), and to rid your screen of the message, exit out of your browser, power down your device or do a hard shut down. Keeping your operating systems and security software up to date is an important way to keep real viruses and malware out.
 
Be a fraud fighter!  If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at http://www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call the AARP Fraud Watch Helpline at 1-877-908-3360.

317
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Screenshot2022 01 06at338 162234623

Block Eatz Unlocking Value for Local Food Entrepreneurs and Communities

Girard Newkirk - Genesis Block
Drewsmith copiersplus headshot

A Little More Communication, A Lot More Cohesion

Drew Smith - Copiers Plus
Dave sweyer 300 x 300

Insights into the 2023 Leasing Market in Wilmington, NC: What You Need to Know

Dave Sweyer - Sweyer Property Management

Trending News

For 348-townhome Project, Carroll Companies Reschedules Community Meeting

Staff Reports - Sep 25, 2023

Crossing That Bridge (and Road, Track, Sky And Water)

Cece Nunn - Sep 25, 2023

Culinary Blends At New Olivero Restaurant

Katie Schmidt - Sep 25, 2023

SeaTox, Partners Awarded $1.5M Grant For Contamination Testing In Alaska

Audrey Elsberry - Sep 26, 2023

Bowling, Murphy Join EmergeOrtho Coastal Region

Staff Reports - Sep 26, 2023

In The Current Issue

INFO JUNKIE: Holden Bierman

The founder and CEO of Coastal Cool shares his top info and tech picks....


MADE Winners: Manufacturer Category

Golf products, biodegradable packaging and ophthalmic devices eye success....


Startup Banks On User Needs

The fundraising from the company’s seed round, which was announced in late August, is just the latest multi-million-dollar capital fundraisi...

Book On Business

The 2023 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments