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FBI Effort to Increase Fraud Awareness Announces Nationwide “Take A Beat” Campaign

FBI Effort to Increase Fraud Awareness Announces Nationwide “Take A Beat” Campaign

Created: Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - 14:49
Categories:
Cybersecurity, Federal & State Resources, Security Preparedness

Yesterday, the FBI announced a nationwide campaign titled “Take A Beat” to increase awareness of Fraud and Scams impacting the public and to encourage reporting to law enforcement. During this campaign, the FBI will provide the public with information to raise awareness about various types of fraud and scams, offer tips for recognizing and preventing them, and explain how victims can report incidents to help protect others. The FBI’s most recent data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) indicates that losses from fraud have reached $1.6 billion from January to May 2024, representing an increase of nearly $300 million compared to the same period last year.

One of the frequent strategies used by scammers is to create a false sense of urgency or isolation. They may attempt to build trust, evoke empathy or fear, or offer promises of financial rewards, companionship, or job opportunities – all lures designed to prompt victims to act quickly. To combat this, the FBI’s awareness campaign encourages the public to "Take A Beat": to resist the urge to act hastily, take a moment to pause, and evaluate the situation.

The FBI shares that while fraud can happen to anyone, there are small steps that can be taken to protect yourself and your information. These include:   

  • Take precautionary measures to protect your identity should a criminal gain access to your device or account. Immediately contact your financial institutions to place protections on your accounts and monitor for suspicious activity.  
  • Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door service offers.  
  • Search online for the contact information (name, phone number, email, addresses) of any unknown source which reaches out to you, as well as the proposed offer. Verify the legitimacy of businesses on websites such as Better Business Bureau. Other people have likely posted information online about businesses and individuals attempting to run scams. 
  • Never give or send to unverified people or businesses any personally identifiable information, money, checks, gift cards, or wire information. 

WaterISAC encourages members to share this campaign with employees, family, and friends. Additionally, it would be practical to bring greater awareness of the “Take A Beat” campaign to rate payers to advise of this pervasive threat and how it could impact them. For instance, a scam reported to WaterISAC last year involved a water shut off notice where unknown threat actors attempted to scam utility customers with telephone threats that their water bill was late. The scammer claimed an outstanding balance of $8,500 needed to be paid immediately, or their water would be shut off. During the call, the scammer sent a link to an online cash app payment site which was designed to impersonate the utility’s payment portal.

Anyone who believes they have been the victim of fraud or a scam are reminded to contact their local FBI office or submit a complaint at ic3.gov. For more details regarding the FBI’s “Take A Beat” campaign, visit fbi.gov.