Phishing

It's always something.

If you live in Illinois and are shopping for gifts online for a birthday, graduation, or even a wedding, be cautious with which websites you're giving your card information to.

Bad actors pretending to be someone that they are not isn't a new phenomenon. However, it's one that seems to just keep going and growing strong, stealing people's money and making off with their identifications, passwords, user-names and more.

Before we get into why you should be concerned and/or cautious about smishing, it might be a good idea to define the word for those who don't know a smish from a phish.

Of course it is. Because simply organizing, filling out, and filing your taxes isn't a big enough pain in the butt, we have tax scammers who are looking to tap into your funds and personal information.

Another year, more problems, this one has been around for a while but officially has its own word.

You've got to appreciate consistency. In a world where things are constantly being disrupted, postponed, and cancelled, the people who prey on others sure aren't locking themselves down.

From business cards to Sunday ads, even church bulletins and employment opportunities, QR codes are popping up everywhere, and have been for quite some time.

During the heart of the pandemic, online sales were absolutely through the roof. Even though COVID-19 seems to be on the downside, the bad guys are still furiously trying to grab your online shopping money and more.

I know, I write about scams going around and through Rockford and the Rockford area quite a bit. The reason is pretty simple. I'm outraged by what scammers are doing to senior citizens, people who are barely getting by, young people, and families.