Difference between revisions of "Glossary for Scams to Avoid"

;Catphishing: When someone assumes a fake identity to lure another person into an emotional or romantic relationship with them, so they can trick them out of their money.   

;Consumer: A person who buys goods or services.

;Contract: A legally recognized agreement made between two or more people.  

;Credit: The ability to obtain money or value based on trust that payment will be made in the future.

;Credit report: A detailed list of a person’s credit and bill-paying history, and other information about them.

;Credit score: A number that expresses the information in a person’s credit report at one point in time. The score indicates the risk the person represents for lenders, compared with other people, on a  

;Creditor: A person or company to whom another person owes money or an obligation.

;Debt: A sum of money or an obligation owed by one person to another.

;Fraud: To intentionally deceive someone in order to gain an unfair or illegal advantage.  

;Identity theft: When someone takes personal information and uses it to access that person’s finances, make purchases in their name, or commit other crimes.  

;Malware: Software used to disrupt use of a computer or other device or gain access to sensitive information on the device.  

;Phishing: When someone sends a fake email or text to trick a person into handing over personal and financial information. Their message is being used as bait to “fish” for victims.

;Scam: An illegal or dishonest scheme to trick people out of their money.

;Spam: Email that is not wanted.

;Spyware: Malicious software installed on a device without the owner realizing it.  

;Virus: A harmful software program.