Fraud & Security Video Library

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text:

Cyber-Savvy Tips from Schwab

Put the brakes on the Fraud Investigation Scam

A young woman in a green skirt and yellow top is standing next to an older woman in a blue skirt and green top, who's sitting.

Older woman: The latest scam that's really targeting older people is the "fraud" investigation.

The view moves to the right, away from the women, to where the image of a smartphone appears. On the phone's screen, the buttons are replaced with a blue badge that says, "Police." The badge is then replaced with the image of an office building.

Young woman: An older loved one is contacted by someone claiming to be from law enforcement or a company they know and trust...

On the phone's screen there is now the image of a spinning dollar bill, which vanishes and is replaced by exclamation points.

Older woman: ...and told that someone's trying to steal their money. Or their identity has been linked to a crime. It's scary because they make it sound like you have to act right away. And maybe even threaten you with being arrested.

The two women appear again, with the blue "Police" badge in a large white circle between them. For a moment, the badge moves toward the older woman, hovering over her menacingly.

Young woman: Then they ask for money to help solve the case. When they start asking for money—

In the white circle, the badge turns into a red dollar sign.

Older woman: It's time to fight back.

The older woman strikes the circle with her elbow, and the circles flies offscreen.

Young woman: No one will ever ask for money to help with an "investigation" [makes air quotes with her fingers].

Onscreen text:

SchwabSafe®

Older woman: Don't let the scammers scare you.

Onscreen text:

schwab.com/schwabsafe

Voiceover: Learn more at schwab.com/schwabsafe.

Brand music plays.

Onscreen text: Charles Schwab logo

Own your tomorrow®

©2021 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC. (0621-1WCS)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text:

Cyber-Savvy Tips from Schwab

Break up with the Romance Scam

A young woman in a green skirt and yellow top is standing and gestures toward an older woman in a blue skirt and green top, who is sitting.

Young woman: Online scammers are constantly trying to take advantage of people like my mom.

Older woman: But we're too smart for that.

The younger woman now appears within a frame representing a computer screen. On the screen is a chat window labeled "Senior Dating." A small picture of the mom is labeled "SassyGranny," while a larger picture of an older, bald man in glasses is labeled "Fred Realman." In the chat area, SassyGranny has entered "Want to meet for coffee?"

Young woman: One of the most common is the Romance Scam. Older people can get roped in by chatting online if they're looking for companionship.

In the frame, the mom takes the place of the young woman, and in the chat window, Fred responds, "I'd love to!"

Older woman: At first, it's all lovey-dovey.

The mom drops away and the young woman pops into view. In the chat window, Fred adds, "But I can't, I'm overseas."

Young woman: They want to meet up. But if they have an excuse or need money to meet, that's the first red flag.

She holds up a small red flag.

The older woman replaces the young woman in the frame, and additional chat from Fred appears: "I need funds... Can you send money for a ticket?"

Older woman: Next thing you know, they're asking for money for "travel expenses."

She makes "air quotes" with her fingers.

Young woman: That's the second red flag.

She holds up another red flag.

The frame goes away and the two women are standing next to each other.

Older woman: And that's when it's time break up your online romance.

The frame briefly reappears, and a large red "X" is drawn over the picture of Fred Realman. Then the two women are back.

Young woman: If they ask for money...

The older woman waves goodbye.

Older woman: ...It's time to say, "Bye-bye, honey."

Onscreen text:

SchwabSafe®

schwab.com/schwabsafe

Voiceover: Learn more at schwab.com/schwabsafe.

Brand music plays.

Onscreen text: Charles Schwab logo

Own your tomorrow®

©2021 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC. (0621-1WCS)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text:

Cyber-Savvy Tips from Schwab

Take a pass on the Investment Scam

An animated illustration of an older woman and her adult daughter appears. The mother sits on a bench in a room with a bookshelf and some plants. Her daughter stands to her right.

Mother: Fraudsters think older people like me have lots of money lying around.

Daughter: So they try to scam our older loved ones like my mom with phony investments.

A computer window with an email inbox appears; then an opened email addressed to the mother fades in.

Mother: It could be a phone call or an email with a "great" proposal.

Onscreen text:

From: Bank of Northwest
To: Beth Smith

NO RISK
DOUBLE YOUR INVESTMENT
INVEST NOW!!!!!

Daughter: They make big promises and pressure you to invest right away.

Mother: It sounds good, but I know how to deal with these scammers.

As the mother is talking, a delete button appears on the email. The mother makes a fist and punches the delete button, which sends the email text flying off the screen.

The email fades, and the room with the bookshelf and plants reappears. The mother and daughter are standing together; the daughter has her hand protectively on her mother's back. A padlock floats in on the left side of the screen and transforms into the SchwabSafe^® icon.

Daughter: We all need to help keep our older loved ones safe online. So when scammers give them the hard sell...

Mother: ...tell them to say, "it's a hard NO!"

As the mother speaks, she raises her right arm, makes a fist, and smacks the palm of her left hand as she says "NO."

Voice over: Learn more at schwab.com/schwabsafe.

Onscreen text:

schwab.com/schwabsafe

Brand music plays.

Onscreen text: Charles Schwab logo

Own your tomorrow^®

©2021 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC. (0621-1WCS)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text: CYBER-SAVVY TIPS FROM SCHWAB

An animation of an older, white-haired woman speaking.

WOMAN: Scammers and fraudsters are working 24/7 to rip us off, so we all need to be aware of ways to keep our assets safe. They think because we're older we're defenseless, but I'm here to tell them they're wrong. Here's one way we can protect ourselves.

A computer screen that says "Account Locked" appears. The woman is next to the screen.

WOMAN: Fraudsters try to trick you by sending phony pop-up messages telling you to call a number because something's wrong with your device or account. If you call the scammers, they say they need remote access to your computer to check on the issue.

WOMAN: But once they're in, your screen might go black.

The screen goes black. The woman appears, parts the black screen as if it were a curtain, and steps through it.

WOMAN: Behind that black screen they're actually transferring funds out of your account.

A Schwab account screen appears, with a cursor moving toward the Account Transfer button.

The woman disconnects an electrical plug.

WOMAN: So when in doubt, pull the plug out.

Onscreen text: SchwabSafe™

WOMAN: The Schwab Security Guarantee can provide some additional protection, but it's still up to you and me to keep our lifetime of assets safe from scammers.

Onscreen text: Schwab.com/SchwabSafe

WOMAN (offscreen): Learn more about online security and the Schwab Security Guarantee at Schwab.com/SchwabSafe.

Onscreen text: [Schwab logo] Own your tomorrow®

©2020 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab"). All rights reserved. Member SIPC.

CC4547201 (1020-018C) (09/20)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text:

Cyber-Savvy Tips from Schwab

Protect yourself from the Person in Need Scam

A young woman in a green skirt and yellow top is standing near an older woman in a blue skirt and green top, who's sitting.

Young woman: There's this really awful scam going around where someone calls up an older person...

Older woman: ...and pretends they're a grandkid and they're in trouble.

An image of a smartphone pops into view. The two women look at it and listen, each with a skeptical look on her face.

Voice of young man [off-screen] on the phone: Grandma, I'm in trouble, and I need money. But don't tell my mom. She'll be so mad at me.

The older woman is now holding the smartphone.

Older woman: Any grandparent would want to help out immediately.

The view shifts to the young woman and then expands to show both women.

Young woman: But before your older loved one sends money, they should call the kid's parents to check on the story. So Mom, you'd call me first.

The older woman speaks into the phone.

Older woman: Sorry, I've got to let your mom know first.

Voice of young man [off-screen] on the phone: Hmmm, never mind.

The older woman holds the phone away from her and looks disappointed. "Call ended" flashes on the smartphone screen. The young woman then leans toward the older woman and puts her arm around her supportively.

Young woman: Everyone wants to help their family.

Onscreen text:

SchwabSafe^®

Older woman: But you don't want to help a scammer to your bank account.

Voice over: Learn more at schwab.com/schwabsafe.

Onscreen text:

schwab.com/schwabsafe

Brand music plays.

Onscreen text: Charles Schwab logo

Own your tomorrow^®

©2021 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC. (0621-1WCS)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text: CYBER-SAVVY TIPS FROM SCHWAB

An animation of an older, white-haired woman speaking.

WOMAN: Scammers and fraudsters are constantly trying to take advantage of people like us. They must think we're really gullible. That's why it's up to all of us to be the first line of defense to help protect our own assets.

An email appears that takes up the whole screen. It shows an underlined link.

The animated woman appears on the screen as if she's inside the email.

WOMAN: You might get an email that looks urgent, or like it's from a legitimate source. It'll often have a link they hope we'll click on. But look closely at the sender's name, and hover over the link. There could be dead giveaways that it's fake, like typos and errors.

The woman points to some of the typos in the body of the mail, then at the link.

WOMAN: If you click on the link, it might download a virus or malware into your computer to steal your info.

The woman grabs the link, looks at it disapprovingly, crumples it up, and tosses it in a trash can.

WOMAN (offscreen): So if you see typos in your email, trash it.

Onscreen text: SchwabSafe™

WOMAN: The Schwab Security Guarantee can provide some additional protection, but we've all got to be on our toes when we're online.

Onscreen text: Schwab.com/SchwabSafe

WOMAN (offscreen): Learn more about online security and the Schwab Security Guarantee at Schwab.com/SchwabSafe.

Onscreen text: [Schwab logo] Own your tomorrow^®

©2020 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab"). All rights reserved. Member SIPC.

CC4547201 (1020-018C) (09/20)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text: CYBER-SAVVY TIPS FROM SCHWAB

An animation of an older, white-haired woman speaking.

WOMAN: Keeping client accounts safe is important to Schwab, but we all need to be on our toes to protect our own assets. For instance, along with online scams and frauds, thieves will try to get us over the phone, by posing as someone from a legitimate company. These are called impostors.

A smartphone appears.

Sound of phone ringing.

The woman is next to a gigantic smartphone screen. She jumps onto the green button and answers the phone.

WOMAN: Hello?

MAN ON PHONE (offscreen): Hi, I'm calling from Schwab, and I need your security code to unlock your account.

WOMAN: In this case, I didn't contact them or try to access my account, so I'm not gonna give them my password or security code.

The woman steps on the red button to end the call.

WOMAN: Just hang up and call the company back. If you hang up on us, we won't take it personally. Bottom line: If you feel suspicion, follow your intuition.

Onscreen text: SchwabSafe™

WOMAN: The Schwab Security Guarantee can provide some additional protection, but you and I are still the first line of defense against scammers.

Onscreen text: Schwab.com/SchwabSafe

WOMAN (offscreen): Learn more about online security and the Schwab Security Guarantee at Schwab.com/SchwabSafe.

Onscreen text: [Schwab logo] Own your tomorrow®

©2020 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab"). All rights reserved. Member SIPC.

CC4547201 (1020-018C) (09/20)

Upbeat music plays throughout.

Onscreen text: CYBER-SAVVY TIPS FROM SCHWAB

An animation of an older, white-haired woman speaking.

WOMAN: It seems like there are more scams and frauds than ever, especially digitally. Fraudsters and scammers think people like us are more vulnerable to their tricks. So we all need to be alert and protect ourselves. The best way to beat them is knowing what to watch out for.

A search engine page appears, showing search results.

The woman appears next to the screen.

WOMAN: Like when you search for a site. Fraudsters will embed search results with phony pages that may look like the real thing. But these pages often have misspellings.

The woman points to the first search result.

WOMAN: Just a reminder: At Schwab, we'll never spell our own name wrong. So when you search for a site, always take a sec to double-check.

Onscreen text: SchwabSafe™

WOMAN (offscreen): The Schwab Security Guarantee can provide some additional protection, but it's still up to you and me to do all we can to keep our assets safe from scammers.

Onscreen text: Schwab.com/SchwabSafe

WOMAN (offscreen): Learn more about online security and the Schwab Security Guarantee at Schwab.com/SchwabSafe.

Onscreen text: [Schwab logo] Own your tomorrow®

©2020 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab"). All rights reserved. Member SIPC.

CC4547201 (1020-018C) (09/20)

Light, mid-tempo music plays. A blue background fills the screen.

Onscreen text:
Stay alert: It's scam season.

Blue background changes to an animated outdoor scene of trees and flowers, with mountains in the background. A woman is walking her dog on a path. Chirping birds fly by. She is startled by a buzzing in her pocket. She realizes she's received a text message and pulls her phone out of her pocket. There's a close-up view of the message on her screen.

Onscreen text:
WARNING: The IRS is filing a lawsuit against you for insufficient funds. An arrest warrant is being issued by local authorities.

The woman is surprised by the text message.

Woman with dog: What? When did I pay taxes?

Suddenly, in a flash of light, another woman pops into the scene. The dog is startled, barks, and hides behind the first woman, shaking with fear. The new woman looks exactly like the woman walking the dog: same clothes and hair. But she's wearing a blue cape.

Woman in cape: That's a strange text message. It's giving off scam vibes.

Woman with dog: But it's the IRS, right?

Woman in cape: The real IRS is a bit more old school. They'd notify you with a snail mail letter, not a text. This could be what is called a peer-to-peer, or P2P, scam.

The dog inches closer to the woman in the cape. It looks back and forth between its owner and the caped woman, confused by their identical appearance. It whimpers.

Woman with dog: But this text sounds so official.

Woman in cape: Yeah, scammers are good. In a P2P scam, it looks legit.

A close-up of the phone's screen appears again.

On-screen text:
WARNING: The IRS is filing a lawsuit against you for insufficient funds. An arrest warrant is being issued by local authorities.

After a moment, more text appears.

On-screen text:
Send funds here.

The word "here" on the phone appears to be a hyperlink, but a website is not indicated.

Woman in cape: Scammers use payment apps to trick you into sending money.

The dog creeps up to the woman in the cap and nervously sniffs her shoe. After a couple of sniffs, the dog relaxes and appears happy, as if recognizing who the woman is.

Woman in cape: If you're not sure, search online for similar scams, or go directly to the person, business, or agency you know to verify.

Both women stand with their hands on their hips. The dog sits between them, looking at the woman in the cape and wagging its tail.

Woman with dog: Funny, I was just thinking that same exact thing.

Woman in cape: I know. And good call on those shoes—so comfy.

The two women stand in the same pose, making identical hand gestures and facial expressions. The dog barks in excitement and happiness.

A blue color fills the screen.

On-screen text:
Protect yourself against cyber scams. Learn how at schwab.com/schwabsafe.

Brand music plays.

The Charles Schwab logo appears.

Onscreen text:
Own your tomorrow®

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. 3000 Schwab Way, Westlake, TX 76262

©2023 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC.

Light, upbeat music plays throughout. A blue background fills the screen. A white-lined box rises up as copy appears inside and below it.

Onscreen text:

ATTENTION HOMEBUYERS: It's a scammer's market.

The blue background changes to an animated scene of the inside of a home office filled with moving boxes. A man wearing glasses (his name is Kyle) is carrying one of the boxes and walks over to a desk where there's an open laptop and a stack of more boxes. A gray cat hops on top of a stack of boxes on the floor before hopping on the desk, and Kyle leans in to pet it.

Kyle: Hey, buddy. Looks like someone's getting excited about moving into our new place.

The laptop emits a notification sound. Kyle looks at the laptop to find that he's just received an email.

Kyle: What's this? A message from the title company?

Kyle opens the email and begins reading it.

Onscreen text:
Title Company <rob@TrustUsTitleCompany.com>
To: Kyle Finley
Kyle - You need too have the cash-to-close amount of $66,784.00 wired to our account today.

Kyle: Need to have cash-to-close… wired to our account today. Ooh! Better get on this. New house, here we come!

Suddenly, another man appears. This man looks exactly like Kyle: same clothes, same hair, same voice—but he's wearing a blue cape.

Caped Kyle: Hold up. Did you notice that typo in that email? And…

Kyle: Yeah, the sender's address is a little off.

Caped Kyle: Thinking what I'm thinking?

Kyle: It's a scam!

Caped Kyle: Yep. It's a scam.

Kyle: But how do I know for sure?

Caped Kyle: Call the title company to verify. This is your cash we're talking about. That's what I would do.

The men smile at each other.

Kyle: I like the cape.

Caped Kyle: It's a good look.

The cat pops up out of a moving box that's in-between the two men. It looks at both of the men as if it's confused who the real Kyle is. A question mark appears over the cat's head, and it meows.

A blue background fills the screen again. Another white-lined box rises up as copy appears inside and below it.

Onscreen text:
PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST CYBERSCAMS. Learn how at schwab.com/schwabsafe.

Schwab brand music plays. The Charles Schwab logo appears.

Onscreen text:
Own your tomorrow®

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., 3000 Schwab Way, Westlake, TX 76262

©2023 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC. CC7564541 (0523-31BV)