Scams continually evolve in response to the latest trends, using them for new ways to separate us from our personal information and ultimately – our money.

The AARP has released a list of the top scams of 2023 including the following 6. As a society, we are conducting more and more business and daily tasks online – scammers are no exception. Many scammers have adapted a “digital-first” approach, but remember to stay alert whenever you receive a call or text you are not expecting as well.

1. Cryptocurrency-romance scam

Scammers combine crypto scams with old-fashioned romance scams, posing as internet love interests so they can convince their targets to download an app and invest in fake crypto accounts. “They claim that they’re even putting some of their own money into your fund,” explains former Federal Trade Commission official Steve Baker, who publishes the Baker Fraud Report. While the app displays data that seems to show your wealth growing, criminals are just taking your money.

How to stay safe: Carefully scrutinize any investment opportunity, even if you think you’re a sophisticated investor.

2. Payday loan scam

Criminals exploit the inflation squeezing workers by offering fake payday loans that they claim will help people get a handle on their bills. Loan applicants are told they’ll need to prepay a fee. The money goes into the scammers’ pockets, and the applicant gets nothing.

How to stay safe: Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay any sort of loan fee with a gift card or some other non-traceable form of payment.

3. One-time password (OTP) bot scam

Credit reporting company Experian warns that scammers utilize bots — automated programs — to deceive people into sharing the two-factor authentication codes sent to them via text or email from financial institutions (or from companies such as Amazon). The bot will make a robocall or send a text that appears to come from a bank, asking you to authorize a charge, then it asks you to enter the authentication code you’ve just been sent if the transaction isn’t yours. It’s actually the bot that’s trying to log into your bank account, and it wants the code that the bank sent to you as a precaution, so it can get in.

Rockland Federal Credit Union has been made aware of imposter scams where someone (or a bot) is impersonating us via text or phone call. The scammer will try to obtain password information or an OTP to access your online and mobile banking. Call RFCU directly at (800) 562-7328 to confirm whether there is truly an issue with your account.

How to stay safe: Never share authentication codes, or provide other information, in response to an unsolicited phone call or text – even if the caller ID shows your trusted institution’s name.

4. Student loan forgiveness scam

The Biden administration’s plan to forgive student loans faces an uncertain future after being tied up in the courts, but that hasn’t stopped scammers from trying to take advantage of people who may not have heard it’s on hold. They’ve built phony application sites aimed at stealing applicants’ Social Security numbers and bank information, and sometimes they contact targets by phone, pressuring them into applying and charging a fee for their help. The scam is still happening, “because there’s so much debt that people are carrying and they’re looking for a way to get rid of it,” explains Michael Bruemmer, vice president of the data breach group and consumer protection at Experian.

How to stay safe: Go to the Department of Education’s student aid website to keep track of the proposed forgiveness program’s status.

5. Check washing scam

Though other payment modes are replacing them, checks are still used often enough for scammers to exploit. One trick is “check washing,” in which scammers steal checks from mailboxes and treat them in household chemicals to erase the original name and dollar amount, leaving blank spaces they can fill in. It’s possible to convert a $25 check to one for thousands of dollars.

How to stay safe: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends depositing your outgoing mail in blue collection boxes before the day’s last pickup, so it doesn’t sit for as long. At home, avoid leaving mail in your own mailbox overnight, and have your mail held by the post office or picked up by a friend or neighbor if you’re going to be away.

6. Free-gift QR code scam

Scammers put fake codes over real ones to exploit the convenience of the barcodes people scan into their phones to see restaurant menus or make payments. Experian’s Bruemmer says scammers may call and say they’re going to send a QR code to your phone, so you can receive a free $100 gift card. In reality, the QR code may take you to a malicious website.

How to stay safe: If you receive a QR code out of the blue, contact the person or company that supposedly sent it, to make sure it is for real. Use a phone number you know is authentic.