Email and Phishing Scams

Email and Phishing Scammer

 Thank you for visiting my blog! With scams soaring like never before since the COVID- 19 outbreak, I hope this content serves you well in being proactive against scams.  

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Email and Phishing Scams

Last year in the U.S alone, an estimated 16 million victims lost 17 billion dollars to identity theft. That’s just one type of scam! 

I’m sure if AARP, the Better Business Bureau, and other organizations intended to protect the financials security of Americans, combined all their figures from reported swindles, the final tally would be mind-blowing. 

Now with the COVID-19 pandemic creating fear and uncertainty everywhere, con artists are conjuring up new ways to squander people’s finances and personal information. This gives them motivation to reach out with offers too good to be true and the impersonation of government agencies to steal personal information. 

Email and phishing cons are just some of the tactics these criminals apply. Cyber attackers sends thousands, if not millions of emails daily. They are not sure who get these messages; but their objective is to trick a victim into some call of action. It includes the following.

• ·     Clicking on a link
• ·     Opening an attachment
• ·     Completing a form

Taking either of the above actions can get you tangled in a spider web of deceit!

Some Common Methods by Criminals

Since scammers are attempting to “phish” as many victims as possible, their messages are usually directed to “Dear Customer” or other generic greeting. 

The bad guys creates a strong sense of urgency or curiosity to the receiver. They pretend be an official organization like a bank or may impersonate a local, state, or federal agency. 

Generally, these fake senders will have grammar or spelling mistakes in the content of these email messages. 

Another clue to look out for is if the email originated from a personal email account such as an @gmail.com address. Also, by looking at the top left, the “From Email Address” line may appear like it generated from an official organization. But the “reply to-address” is someone’s personal email account. 

Here are some other clues that should raise red flags.

• Messages requesting highly sensitive information like credit card number or password.

• You receive a message from someone you know but the tone or message does not sound like him or her. 

What Can You Do To Protect Yourself?

It is easy for a scammer to create an email that appears to be from a friend or coworker. 

If the message includes a clickable link, you can hover your mouse cursor over it to

reveal the link’s true destination. Make this a common practice to confirm if you being directed to a legitimate website. 

Even on many mobile devices, pressing to hold the link will also show the true destination. Instead of clicking on a link, you can type the website address directly into your browser. Why respond directly to a suspicious email claiming to be your bank when you can use the browser? 

I wouldn’t open any attachments I wasn’t expecting. The last thing I want is opening an infected attachment and subjecting my computer to malware. Not all antivirus can detect malware. 

Also Keep In Mind...

Take care to not expose sensitive information when using email or messaging. 

Email features, such as auto complete, make it easy for you to mistakenly email the wrong person. Once you send an email out, you cannot retract it. 

Also, be careful with the “Email reply all Feature” thread as you may not want to respond to an entire group of people who received the same email. 

Cyber Brats

In this short educational web-series video I created, check out the consequences for being too trusting to an unsolicited phone regarding Medicare fraud scam on a fictional radio show. These types of threats are common. 

You can check out more of these educational videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ5JPhBrP4OpCKeY4hbm5Dg/videos

Did you know Shark Tank Star and Investor Barbara Corcoran nearly loss $400,000 to a scammer. Yes, this could happen to anyone! Check out the podcast on the AARP website at https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2020/barbara-corcoran-phishing-scam.html

Beware of Fake Census Questionnaires

The completion of census questionnaires are required by law. Scammers know this and uses this headline to plant seeds of trouble. 

Keep this in mind if a suspicious person claiming to work for the Census reaches out to 

you via email, phone call, or in-person visit. 

1. A real member of the Census will never threaten you with arrest for any reason.
2. If you are asked to make a payment for anything, that should raise red flags. 
3. In-person interviews have been temporarily suspended by the agency due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, keep in mind census mailings have a return address of Jeffersonville, Indiana which is the site of the National Processing Center. If you hear or see another address, then run!

We have to be careful out there as these scammers may also contact you by phone, email, and Home visit. Their eager to fool you by present themselves as an official agency tasked with prying information out of you. 

To confirm if any census communications are true, contact the Census Bureau’s national Processing Center or the regional office in your state directly . 

Be wary of trusting caller ID on your phone. Scammers can use “spoofing tools” to make it look like it’s coming from an official department phone number. 

Report any suspected scams to your Census Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission online or at 877-382-4357. Also, you can contact the AARP Fraud Watch helpline to report fraud at 1-877-908-3360. 

Resource and Tools

AARP has a useful scam tracking map to learn of and report scams in your area. I find this a highly efficient resource. Check it out on their website at https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/

In addition, AARP has the Fraud Watch Network Guide and other free educational booklets available for download. I encourage you to look at all what they offer to keep you safe. 

Connecting Point has an informative video about scam prevention below.

Thank you again for visiting my blog. It would be an honor to serve you with more informative news to help keep you and your family safe from schemes. I would greatly appreciate it if you sign up for my free safety digital newsletter at https://shadowworldpresent.wixsite.com/safe.

Stay safe and secure!

Ken Harris

Writer/Puppeteer

PS Beware of scammers like Jester Jenson!