The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is alerting the community about the surge in so-called "pig-butchering" scams targeting seniors through fake relationships, eventually manipulating them into fraudulent investments or financial transfers. These scams take many financial forms, including cryptocurrency, wire transfers, prepaid gift cards, and even cash.

We’re living in the data age. The things we do on our phones and computers, on our internet-enabled smart devices, and on websites leave a trail of our activities and our personal information. That personal information has value — not just to us, but to scammers and hackers who want to steal our identities. Here are five things you can do to keep scammers and hackers at bay.

There’s lots of news lately about a new immigration process for spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens. If you’ve been paying attention, the scammers have too. They might call, email, or send text messages claiming to have special access. Or say they can help you apply now, for a fee of course. But those are lies.

Did someone supposedly spot fraud or criminal activity on one of your accounts? Did they offer to help “protect” your money by moving it from your bank, investment, or retirement account? Maybe they even asked you to share a verification code? If anyone did any of those things, it’s always a scam. So, what do you do next?

Do you need to apply for or renew your passport? If you search online, the top results might show official-looking websites that say they can renew or get you a passport. Some of these websites are private companies that charge you for services that are free on the U.S. Department of State website…while others are scammers trying to take your money and personal information.

There probably isn’t a day that goes by without you logging in to at least one account — maybe you check your email, post to your social media, pay bills, send money to your friends and family, or buy something online. Your accounts can store a lot of personal and financial information. That’s why you protect them with a password. Unfortunately, passwords are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. But there’s a simple way to make your accounts more secure: turn on two-factor authentication.

Scammers pretending to be from the government tell convincing stories to steal your money or personal information. But now they’re taking a new, layered approach — and here are some clues to spot it.

A text message from an unknown number that simply says: hi, how are you? seems harmless. Your first instinct might be to respond to see if it’s someone you know. Or maybe tell them they made a mistake. But it’s best to ignore these type of text messages. Scammers are using this tactic as a conversation starter, so don’t text back. If you do, here’s what happens next.

With SNAP benefits, you use an EBT card to buy food at the store. But we’re hearing about scammers using illegal skimmers to steal card information, then grabbing your benefits for themselves. Here’s how to spot and avoid these scams.

Another day, another round of spam texts and emails trying to sell you things. At best, spam is annoying. At worst, it’s pushing scams or trying to install malware on your device. If you’re tired of getting spam, there are some ways to help.