A new year often brings a fresh financial mindset. People review budgets, set goals, apply for loans, and spend more time managing accounts online. Those shifts are normal. Unfortunately, they also create opportunities for scammers who are constantly watching how consumer behavior changes.  Fraud does not slow down after the holidays. It adapts. Scam tactics evolve alongside technology, digital banking habits, and everyday tools people trust. That’s why some of today’s scams feel more believable than ever before. Staying informed about how these schemes work helps you recognize the warning signs early and protect your accounts before a situation escalates.    Why Scams Are Becoming More…

And some ways you can spot them   As digital payment scams become more prevalent, they are also more sophisticated, making them harder to detect. Scammers employ what is known as “social engineering” to manipulate people into revealing sensitive information.   It’s all about the psychology of persuasion. These scammers take advantage of human nature, aiming to lower your defenses so you’ll act on impulse rather than reason.   Let’s look at some examples of how social engineering uses the powers of persuasion to steal personal information and money:   Pretexting   Building a solid pretext or a fabricated scenario is an important aspect of…

You may be doing everything right to protect yourself from online threats – creating strong passwords, avoiding suspicious links, and monitoring your accounts regularly. But what about your children?  From school tablets to gaming consoles and social media apps, kids are growing up in a fully connected world. While technology offers incredible learning opportunities, it also opens doors to risks they may not recognize. Many children and teens overshare personal details online without realizing how easily that information can be misused.  Keeping young minds safe online isn’t always simple, but taking the right steps can build strong digital guardrails that…