Since the government announced it would be sending $1,200 to qualifying Americans, fraudulent activity has skyrocketed. The Louisiana Department of Revenue has warned taxpayers to protect themselves against thieves phishing for stimulus money and financial information.

Scammers are notorious for capitalizing on fear. In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, fraudsters are showing an appalling lack of morals by setting up fake websites, bogus funding collections and more in an effort to trick the fearful out of their money.

Every 10 years, the Census Bureau makes an effort to count every person living in the United States. The census helps to determine if our region is receiving adequate funding from the federal government. 

The process is important — but it's also invasive. Census questions range from "what's your household income" to "how many televisions do you own?".

Due to the sensitive nature of the survey, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning that scammers may exploit the process to steal your information.

Scammers are our number one adversary.

We work to help our community reach their financial goals, scammers work hard to bilk unsuspecting people out of their hard-earned money.

We're committed to your safety, scammers are committed to stealing your information and use it for bad stuff.

Scams are a huge threat — not just to the U.S., but the world. Last year, a reported $1.48 billion was lost to fraud. Not million, billion. With the rise of the internet, scammers can now cast a wider net to snag their victims, making falling for a scam as easy as missing your turn.

Don’t let a Halloween scam spook you! Stay a step ahead of those crooks by looking out for these four scams this season.