(WHTM) — Summer is known for backyard barbecues, beach vacations and summer jobs for college students. But for scammers, it’s also an opportunity to exploit consumers.

Sean Pyles, the host of Nerdwallet’s Smart Money podcast, says victims may be more vulnerable this time of year.

“We’re out of our routines, we’re traveling, we might be in new places, we might not be checking our credit card statements as frequently, and that might let fraud slip through,” Pyles said.

Pyles says job scams are common right now. If you think a job listing sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“Be wary of any job that asks you to put up money in order to work there or promises payment and cryptocurrency. Those are two big red flags. Another red flag is a job that pays a really high rate for minimal work. Or a job that asks you to provide personal information like your social security number, just to apply for the job,” Pyles says.

Texts, emails, or phone calls claiming fraudulent activity on consumers’ accounts can also be phishing scams.

Be skeptical of a request for natural disaster relief. Scammers sometimes pose as legitimate organizations to steal money and personal data. With AI advancements, they are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

“You go to a website that you saw from an ad on social media. It looks legitimate,” Pyles said. “You go buy these tickets. Turns out it wasn’t an actual website, it was a duplicate website made by AI.”

Pyles advises always going directly to the company or government agency’s website for verification and trusting your instincts. If someone doesn’t seem trustworthy, they probably aren’t.

You can also freeze your credit to stop scammers from opening new accounts in your name. Fraudsters often want to create a sense of urgency with pending legal actions or threats, so take a moment to evaluate whether the message is credible.