IDShield Blog

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! You’re sure to see pink ribbons hanging in business windows, car bumpers, people’s shirts or hats, and countless other places. Since breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S., it’s no surprise that nearly...

Dark patterns. You'll soon hear much more about these techniques that manipulate consumers into decisions they might not ordinarily make. Think you can spot these manipulatives in online ads? It's more complicated than you think. So much so that a group of data and...

Beware Requests to Confirm Big Purchases! The first text—this one's from Amazon—asks you to confirm you bought an iPhone 12 for $1,130. "Just let us know if you did not make the purchase, and we'll cancel it," the text reads. A second message asks for confirmation of...

5 Warning Signs You're About to Get Hooked How's your firewall? Got those spam filters engaged? An alarming percentage of individuals still fall for spearphishing attacks—either at home or work—even with spam prevention in place. Unfortunately, these numbers are on...

Each month, IDShield's blog features the most prevalent scam of the past few weeks, giving you insights into how scams begin and the ways to detect them. At the pandemic's start, panicked Americans were offered bogus cures for the Coronavirus. Then vaccines debuted,...

Would you give $172 million to a voice you'd only met on the phone? Surely not. However, government imposter scams raked in that sum during 2020, according to a new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report. Yet that large sum represents just one tiny sliver of revenues...

Scams are multiplying. Losses have surged. Consumers feel attacked from many directions by people who want to snatch their wallets. So, what’s a consumer to do? Some folks are fighting back and succeeding in shutting these con artists. The number one tool in a Scam...

How much nerve would someone need to launch a website that promises refunds to folks already harmed by a scam or data breach? It's a tricky question to answer, but someone is definitely that arrogant. A scammer has taken the "art of the scam" to a new, disturbing...

Fear is one of the most effective methods used by scammers. Fear creates confusion leading to hasty and often disastrous decisions. Seniors are often most susceptible to these tactics. Fear of financial ruin, legal action or safety creates confusion and causes many...

So you think you’re pretty smart when it comes to scams. You know there is no wealthy Nigerian prince who needs money to escape – and there’s certainly no reward for sending him your hard-earned cash. You’re careful to not click on links or open attachments from email...

Tax scams grab a lot of identity theft headlines, and for good reason The Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises that 25% of reported scams in 2016 were related to tax issues. But there’s more than one way to scam a consumer, and scammers are constantly thinking up new...

Scammers use the confusion and expense of summer travel to their advantage. It's important to understand some of the common scams that target travelers or their families at home. Knowing what to avoid will help keep scammers from spoiling your summer fun. Peer-to-Peer...