Scams & Schemes Online Quiz

Identity thieves look for high-value personal documents like driver's licenses, Social Security Numbers, and dates of birth to impersonate you. A grocery store loyalty card, like the Hy-Vee Fuel Saver Card, does not contain enough sensitive personal data to steal your identity.

Identity theft can have widespread consequences, including ruining your financial credit score and taking significant time and money to resolve. It also frequently targets families to steal their hard-earned money, making all of these statements true.

Clicking on unprotected links or downloading unknown files is a primary way people fall victim to phishing attacks. To protect yourself, you should avoid clicking these links, ignore suspicious messages, and verify any claims directly with customer service.

Phishing is a deceptive practice where attackers mimic legitimate organizations to steal sensitive personal information. This stolen data is then commonly used to commit identity theft.

Phishing emails often use generic greetings, create a false sense of urgency, and warn you that your account is in trouble to trick you into acting quickly. Since all of these are classic indicators of a phishing attempt, they are all examples of phishing tactics.

Teens and children are highly targeted for Social Security Number theft because they have clean credit histories that are rarely monitored. This allows identity thieves to use their SSNs undetected for many years before the victim realizes there is a problem.

Scam messages often try to scare you by claiming there is an urgent problem with your account that requires immediate action. Legitimate messages usually address you by your actual name and do not rely on high-pressure tactics.

An email from an unknown sender promising a prize if you fill out a form is a classic phishing scam designed to steal your personal information. Legitimate communications from friends, school websites, or coaches do not ask for sensitive personal data in exchange for prizes.

If you suspect a message is a scam, the safest action is to delete it immediately without opening any links or replying. Replying or forwarding the message can confirm your number is active or spread the threat to others.

Identity theft occurs when someone wrongfully acquires and uses your personal data, such as your name or Social Security Number, to commit fraud. This is distinct from physical crimes like burglary or breaking and entering.