How online scams can lead to identity theft
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - In growing numbers, people are losing their hard-earned money to online scams.
Last year alone, $5.8 billion was lost by unsuspecting victims.
Among the many tools, the thieves are using is Facebook by cloning identities.
If you've ever gotten a message from a friend saying, "Hey you just sent me a friend request," that is the opening salvo to a fight that could turn costly.
It's a fight for your information.
"The more information they might have on you, leaves you at greater risk, you know, as an individual," said James Quaid.
And Quaid ought to know; he had his identity stolen and the thieves opened bank accounts and charged cards.
"I think it took me a good two months of my life dedicated just to clear the kind of the mess up which had happened," Quaid added.
So he turned his misfortune into helping others through Go Talk Wireless, where he focuses on those who duplicate the SIM card in your phone as a way to open bogus accounts. He's also aware of Facebook cloning.
"They will build a profile or impersonate you and say that they are you."
Then comes the friend request to your friends, hoping they'll click on the request.
"They can gain information from other people pretending to be you and then, therefore, they have more information to go ahead and attack that particular person," Quaid said.
With sob stories and requests for help that appear to be coming from you.
If you get one of those friend requests?
"You reach out to a colleague or friends just making sure that this is them," said Quaid.
And if you have been cloned? First, change your password.
"Well there are lots of privacy tools on Facebook now which can allow you to customize what or who can see your profile."
Most of us think there's little on Facebook that will benefit a thief, but you would be surprised how each tidbit of information can be played to get more.
So, by being cloned, you can make your friends vulnerable.
Exactly, which is why you need to take it seriously and follow the facebook steps to report the fraud and don't click on the friend request.
Out of necessity, the pandemic, and the lockdown, pushed most of us into the electronic world.
From banking to medical appointments, we are growing more accustomed to doing it online, and that has made us more vulnerable to fraud.
Those who have been victimized say it feels like your world has been violated, your life is broken into, and in some ways, you are responsible for your fate.
When he started getting notices about accounts in his name that he knew nothing about, Quaid realized his identity had been stolen and his confidence was shattered.
"What do they know about me? They know where I live. You know what I do for a living. They've now opened up bank accounts and credit cards in my name.
Quaid doesn't know how the electronic bad guys got a foot inside the door to his life, but he couldn't believe it had happened to him.
"It did, I mean, cause such a mess in my life where you're now working for weeks to just clear this up," Quaid said.
So he spends his days now helping others, like fending off the IRS texting scam, which is growing daily.
"It's important for people to realize that the IRS will only contact you generally via post, by USPS. They're not going to call you and they're not going to text you."
And when friends on Facebook want to know why you've sent a fresh friend request, he said you've been cloned. Change your password, use the privacy settings, and since you don't know how far the bad guys have gone, contact the credit agencies and lock your credit profile.
"If I go and apply for money or things in your name, they're not allowed to do it because it's been blocked."
And later, if you want to buy a car or a house, or apply for a credit card you can reopen your credit profile to get that done and then re-lock it again.
That seems rather dramatic locking your credit profile, right?
It is, but Quaid said if someone has stolen your identity, it's the best way to minimize the damage.
