Scammers are good at triggering emotional responses. They know that if they can scare, confuse, or stress you out, you may be more likely to take quick action without thinking it through. Be wary of any phone call, email, or text message with a strong sense of urgency and insistence on immediate action. The first step in protecting yourself and your financial security is to STOP and THINK.
Here are a few short, animated videos that sum up some common scams that play on emotions. These videos from our partners at efraudprevention.net will help you protect yourself. (They may seem silly, but the few minutes you spend learning could save you a tremendous amount of time, stress, and money.)
Family Emergency Imposter
Scammers pose as relatives in distress--claiming they've been in an accident or need bail money. Learn how to verify the situation.
[video: https://efraudprevention.net/home/content/videos/Family-Emergency-Imposter-Scams.mp4]
Family Member Fraud
Explore scams that target older adults through fake calls or texts from 'relatives' in trouble--and how families can create safe verification.
[video: https://efraudprevention.net/home/content/videos/grandson.mp4]
IRS Imposter Scams
Scammers pose as IRS agents to demand immediate payments or personal data--learn how to confirm legitimate IRS contact.
[video: https://efraudprevention.net/home/content/videos/IRSImposterScams.mp4]
Online Dating
Explore how romance scammers create fake profiles, build emotional trust, and trick people into sending money--and how to protect yourself.
[video: https://efraudprevention.net/home/content/videos/dating.mp4]
Want to learn more about fraud and ways you can prevent it?
Greylock has an entire section of our site devoted to fraud prevention. You can learn how to set custom alerts for your Greylock credit and debit cards through digital banking. There are also links to how-to guides and specific topics like travel, social media, and senior citizens. You may also like to peruse our blog posts to read about where to report scams, how to build strong passwords, and more.