Sadly, scammers are constantly updating their fraud schemes to appear more legitimate. The scammers continually adapt with new ways to try to steal your money. Here are 3 emerging scams to watch for:

1. Payday Loan Scam - scammers take advantage of cash-strapped consumers by offering a quick payday loan but applicants are told they will need to prepay a fee using a gift card or other non-traceable form of payment. The fee is the scam and no payday loan ever happens. 
   Stay Safe: Be wary of anyone that asks you to pay any sort of loan fee if you did not originate the request.


2. 'Oops, wrong number!' Texts - Let's say you receive a text from a number you don't recognize with an urgent message such as rescheduling a business meeting or a romantic get-together. You text back "Sorry, wrong number!" The scammer now knows they have reached an active number and will continue a string of friendly texts. Eventually, the scammer will invite you to an adult website and threaten to send 'revealing' pictures unless you pay or some other awful scam. 
   Stay Safe: don't respond to a text from a number you don't recognize in any way. This includes clicking on links or texting "STOP". Block the phone numbers they come from.


3. Out-of-stock Item Scam - Scammers will place fake ads on social media sites for products with special "buy it now" pricing. They take your order and payment, then tell you the item is out of stock and promise to refund your money. Predictably, the refund never arrives. 
   Stay Safe: Do not click on a link in a social media ad. Instead, go directly to the business website to verify the product and price. Only shop on secure websites with the lock symbol in the browser and an internet address that begins with "https".