Phishing, Smishing, Vishing Scams
There are numerous methods used by thieves to get your personal information. Quite often, the thieves send out emails claiming to be officials from various banks or a state or federal agency; or they go phishing using fake websites which are made to look like the real thing.
The criminals who produce these sites are looking to obtain your personal data which is used to steal your money and assets. Do not be fooled. Look up the real website information before you respond to any advertisement. Do not provide your personal information to any unsolicited contact.
They ask you for personal information either via email or fake website, giving you numerous plausible scenarios. Do not ever give out personal information including your date of birth, social security number, passport number, bank account number, or your address.
If you are unsure, always look up the phone number, email address. and the website for the agency and contact them using the published number.
Remember that the thieves will often spoof the actual phone number for the agency making the email or telephone number appear credible.
If you don’t have enough to worry about with Spoofed phone calls, lottery letters, robocalls, tech fraud, and phishing emails, (contacts that try to steal your personal information), you now need to worry about Smishing and Vishing.
Smishing. Smishing is another way to steal your information. The criminals contact you through phone texts. The entice you to click on links to understand a charge or reason for a package delivery claiming to be from Amazon, PayPal, Netflix, or any other legitimate company that you may have a subscription to. When you click on the link malicious malware is downloaded onto your device and your personal information is stolen.
The criminals will also have you call a number that is answered as one of the companies that you may subscribe to. They will then ask you for your identifying information and passwords for reasons that appear legitimate to clear up a billing or delivery problem or to stop you from getting your TV subscription suspended.
The thieves will send out thousands of these texts hoping that some victim will click on the link. If even a small fraction of people who receive the text respond and become a victim to their behavior, then they a making a good living.
Vishing is similar however the thief will leave a message on your voicemail. The voicemail is usually urgent and alarming in nature asking for you to call a number. The goal is to get your personal information, banking account and credit card numbers. They also include robo callers offering a too good to be true deal.
Here are some texts that are being sent in a wholesale manner by the criminals. Pay attention to the sender’s information. More than likely, it has nothing to do with stated business. It also may include the name but not the legitimate address.
The criminals who produce these sites are looking to obtain your personal data which is used to steal your money and assets. Do not be fooled. Look up the real website information before you respond to any advertisement. Do not provide your personal information to any unsolicited contact.
They ask you for personal information either via email or fake website, giving you numerous plausible scenarios. Do not ever give out personal information including your date of birth, social security number, passport number, bank account number, or your address.
If you are unsure, always look up the phone number, email address. and the website for the agency and contact them using the published number.
Remember that the thieves will often spoof the actual phone number for the agency making the email or telephone number appear credible.
If you don’t have enough to worry about with Spoofed phone calls, lottery letters, robocalls, tech fraud, and phishing emails, (contacts that try to steal your personal information), you now need to worry about Smishing and Vishing.
Smishing. Smishing is another way to steal your information. The criminals contact you through phone texts. The entice you to click on links to understand a charge or reason for a package delivery claiming to be from Amazon, PayPal, Netflix, or any other legitimate company that you may have a subscription to. When you click on the link malicious malware is downloaded onto your device and your personal information is stolen.
The criminals will also have you call a number that is answered as one of the companies that you may subscribe to. They will then ask you for your identifying information and passwords for reasons that appear legitimate to clear up a billing or delivery problem or to stop you from getting your TV subscription suspended.
The thieves will send out thousands of these texts hoping that some victim will click on the link. If even a small fraction of people who receive the text respond and become a victim to their behavior, then they a making a good living.
Vishing is similar however the thief will leave a message on your voicemail. The voicemail is usually urgent and alarming in nature asking for you to call a number. The goal is to get your personal information, banking account and credit card numbers. They also include robo callers offering a too good to be true deal.
Here are some texts that are being sent in a wholesale manner by the criminals. Pay attention to the sender’s information. More than likely, it has nothing to do with stated business. It also may include the name but not the legitimate address.
How to avoid this type of scam.
Never click or respond to an unsolicited contact. Confirm information by going directly to the organization by a number or web site that you look up.
Always keep in mind no matter what organization or scammer pretending to be a legitimate organization contacts you and are asking for money, purchase, donation, or investment, never deal with the person who contacted you. Take a moment and contact the organization by looking up the contact information yourself. Then use that number to contact someone to talk about what the unsolicited contact told you.
Always check the legitimacy of the organization using sites similar to:
SOURCE
Never click or respond to an unsolicited contact. Confirm information by going directly to the organization by a number or web site that you look up.
Always keep in mind no matter what organization or scammer pretending to be a legitimate organization contacts you and are asking for money, purchase, donation, or investment, never deal with the person who contacted you. Take a moment and contact the organization by looking up the contact information yourself. Then use that number to contact someone to talk about what the unsolicited contact told you.
Always check the legitimacy of the organization using sites similar to:
- Better Business Bureau
- Charity Resources
- FBI Internet Crime Center, IC3
- Charity Watch
- AARP Scam Watch
- IRS, Social Security, FBI, Local Police or Sheriff
SOURCE