Scams are a way to take or demand money from you. Some are easy to spot while other methods can be as simple as accidentally visiting a website out of curiosity and immediately having a virus put onto your computer that leaks all of the words you type, like bank account logins and social security numbers, to hackers.

These are common markers of scams:

• Being rushed or threatened to complete a task
• Being asked for cryptocurrency – cryptocurrency is NOT TRACEABLE and NOT REFUNDABLE
• Being asked for a social security number – only government, medical, and financial agencies that you reach out to first should ask for this
• Misnamed websites, for example: amzon.com, google.org, bank0famerica.com (the “o” is a zero) are all FAKE websites
• An item at an unimaginably good price, especially if it’s one you recently shopped for
• An email that has images that you have to click to open can automatically download a virus on your computer if you open the image – do not click attachments on emails unless you were expecting them
• Text messages about fines, charges, or bills from a new number