Scam Prevention

How to Spot Fake Prom Dress Websites: BBB Warning and Shopping Tips Prom season is a busy time for shoppers, especially in the Hudson Valley where the Better Business Bureau recently issued an alert about fake websites that target teens and parents looking for prom dresses. These scam sites look legitimate at first glance, but they are designed to take your money and deliver nothing in return. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and how you can protect yourself. ...

Is That Chrome Extension Safe? How ‘Productivity Tools’ Are Becoming Backdoors Chrome extensions are small pieces of software that add features to your browser—ad blockers, grammar checkers, password managers, and countless others. Most are helpful and harmless. But a growing number are designed to steal your data, and they’re getting harder to spot. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams: What Government Alerts Can Teach Us Online shopping has become routine for most of us, but scammers have become just as routine in trying to steal your money and personal information. Government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), regularly issue warnings about the latest tactics. Their advice is practical, tested against real threats, and often the same across multiple agencies—which means it’s worth paying attention to. ...

Mother’s Day Shopping Scams Are on the Rise: How to Shop Safely This Year Introduction Mother’s Day is one of the biggest spending occasions of the year, and scammers know it. With record amounts expected to flow into online gift purchases, fraudsters are rolling out fake deals, phishing emails, and gift card tricks aimed at parting shoppers from their money. This article explains what’s happening, why it should matter to you, and most importantly, what you can do to shop safely. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams Online shopping is a routine part of modern life. The convenience of ordering with a few clicks, however, also attracts fraudsters who constantly refine their tactics. Official guidance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA News) regularly highlights the risks and offers practical advice that applies to anyone shopping online. This article covers the most common scams, why they matter, and concrete steps you can take to protect yourself. ...

How to Spot the New Google Scam That Looks Legit – and Stay Safe A convincing phishing campaign that impersonates Google has been making the rounds. According to a recent report from Reader’s Digest, the scam uses official-looking emails and login pages to trick people into handing over their credentials. If you use Gmail, Google Drive, or any other Google service, this is one you need to know about. ...

Five Things You Should Never Tell an AI Chatbot About Your Money AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and others have become everyday tools for quick answers, writing help, and even financial advice. Their convenience is hard to beat. But there’s a catch: these tools are not designed to keep your secrets safe. Recent incidents and expert warnings — including a Washington Post column, a Reader’s Digest piece, and a BBC report showing how easily chatbots can be hacked — make clear that sharing certain types of information with a chatbot can put your money and identity at risk. ...

Social media scams are costing Americans billions — here’s how to avoid them If you use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X, you’ve probably seen an ad for a cheap designer jacket, a message from an old friend with a link, or a profile of someone who seems too perfect. Some of these are harmless. Others are setups designed to take your money or your personal information. ...

Your Productivity Tool Could Be a Security Risk: How to Spot Malicious Chrome Extensions A few extra seconds of convenience — a grammar checker, a note-taking helper, a tab organizer. Chrome extensions promise these small efficiencies, and millions of us install them without a second thought. But that convenience can come with a hidden cost. Over the past year, security researchers have documented a growing number of cases where seemingly legitimate productivity extensions turned out to be backdoors, stealing data, injecting ads, or even delivering malware. ...

Social Media Scams Are Costing Americans Billions—Here’s How to Spot Them Introduction If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably seen too‑good‑to‑be‑true deals, urgent messages from “friends,” or investment pitches that promise guaranteed returns. These aren’t just annoyances—they are part of a growing wave of fraud that the Federal Trade Commission says cost older Americans alone $2.4 billion in 2024. And the problem is only getting worse as scammers adopt artificial intelligence tools to make their pitches more convincing. ...