Unfortunately, phishing scams seem to be the new normal.
Just recently, an elderly woman in the tri-state area was nearly scammed out of $25,000.
What started out as a run-of-the-mill phishing scam turned into something much more sinister when scammers showed up at elderly victims’ homes and attempted to physically collect the cash, according to Patch.com.
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Geek Squad scammers arrested in sophisticated phishing scam
this Geek Squad Scam The scam is nothing new, but this scammer took it to an even lower level and got caught in the process. In this particular scam, the scammer sends phishing emails to victims, pretending to send them an invoice for a high price for a Geek Squad subscription. The recipient of the email usually panics at the high price and calls the customer service phone number listed on the scam email and invoice.
The scammer then poses as a customer service representative to help cancel or refund the charge. They usually use the moment to verify the victim’s bank account information and later steal the money. Even clicking on a link or downloading an invoice from an email runs the risk of downloading a virus or malware onto your device.
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Elderly victim thwarts scammer’s ingenious plan
The elderly victim provided her bank account number and remote access to her computer. But the scam didn’t end there. The scammers went a step further, convincing the elderly woman that they had accidentally refunded a fake $25,000 to her bank account, and that she needed to first withdraw $20,000 in cash, and arrange for the remaining $5,000 to be picked up the next day. At this point, the elderly woman called local authorities. Luckily, the authorities were on the lookout and arrested the scammers when they came to collect the $20,000.
Perhaps fortunately for the elderly victim, the conman had the extraordinary greed to bundle multiple scams together.
Learn more: 7 effective ways to make your online life safer and more private
How can you avoid falling victim to this scam?
Learn about subscriptions: The more familiar you are with active subscriptions that you currently pay for, the less likely you are to realize that such an email is fake.
Organize your bills. If you still receive email or paper invoices, keep track of when they usually arrive. For better or worse, invoices arrive on a regular schedule. If they arrive in an unusual format (email instead of regular mail) or at a specific time, you’ll have a better chance of avoiding this type of scam.
Please see the official website for contact information. It’s easy to fall for this kind of scam if the scammer chooses a company you actually have a contract with. But before you click on any links, download any invoices, or call any numbers provided, you can Google the company’s official website and use the contact information provided there. If the company actually sent you an invoice, you should be able to process a refund or check if a legitimate communication was sent.
Pay attention to your language and tone: Most legitimate companies have their employees specially trained to provide excellent service to their customers. Employees are trained not to get angry, so they will not use professional language or behave in a professional manner even if they are talking to a scammer on the phone. Genuine customer service agents will not threaten or demand if you refuse to provide certain information. Providing your social security number or bank account information is usually frowned upon by legitimate companies for security reasons. Legitimate companies usually have other ways of verifying your identity and account information. If you feel overwhelmed by the phone, you can always hang up the phone. After all, an honest company will not disappear just because you hung up the phone once.
Set up payments electronically: If you pay for subscriptions electronically on a recurring basis, you know that you should not receive additional bills for subscription services. And if you pay with a credit card, make sure you use a specific card for all your subscriptions so you know when and where you are charged. And if you receive a phishing email like this, you also know that your specific banking information is not relevant for paying the bill. For example, why would a scammer ask for your bank account information if they are charging you for your subscriptions via credit card or other means?
Scammers use fake news and malicious links to lure you into emotional Facebook phishing scams
If you’ve been scammed, what should you do next?
These scammers may have obtained your email address in a variety of ways, from email harvesting to purchasing it. Dark Web; Below are proactive steps you can take to protect yourself if you feel you have been scammed.
1. Change your password: For any accounts that the scammer may have accessed or mentioned, log in from a secure, virus- and malware-free device and change your passwords immediately. We recommend creating unique, complex passwords that include letters, symbols, and numbers for each of your online accounts. If you need help generating and storing complex passwords, Password Manager.
2. Always monitor all your accounts and credit. Contact your financial institutions and explain the situation with all accounts that have been victimized by scammers. They can freeze or lock the accounts so that scammers have little to no access to your money. Contact the three major credit reporting agencies and put a freeze on your credit. This will stop anyone, including hackers, from wreaking havoc on your credit. Be sure to report errors on your credit report to the credit reporting agencies. Remember, you are allowed a free annual credit report. If you have too many accounts to keep track of regularly, Credit monitoring services It helps by constantly monitoring and alerting you to any changes or issues with your account.
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3. Set up alerts for your financial accounts: Most financial institutions have financial alerts and limits in place for all checking account or card transactions. Use these to receive immediate notification of any fraudulent transactions. The sooner you report these charges to your financial institution, the better your chances of stopping the fraudsters.
4. Enable Two-factor authentication For accounts affected by phishing scams: This includes financial accounts and email addresses. With this extra layer of security enabled, hackers or scammers would need to send a code to another device or account to gain access, even if they have the password.
5. Get identity theft protection: While using an identity theft protection service seems like overkill, many identity theft protection services can help you if your accounts have been compromised. These services continuously monitor the dark web and your financial accounts to see if important personal information, such as your email address or bank account information, has been compromised or sold on the dark web. Receiving these alerts immediately will allow you to act faster and take the steps mentioned above. If you’ve already handed your information over to potential scammers, here are some steps you should take to prevent your identity from being stolen: Check out our tips and best choices for protecting yourself against identity theft.
6. Use strong antivirus software: If you have antivirus software installed on a device where you received a fraudulent email and clicked on a link or downloaded an attachment, run a scan on that device to identify any suspicious software, remove it, and restart the device. We’ve handpicked the winners of the best antivirus protection of 2024 for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
7. Call local authorities: While we hope you will never encounter a scammer like the elderly woman who fell victim to it, if you are worried or concerned about how a scammer might use your information, be sure to contact your local authorities.
Don’t click the link! How to detect and prevent phishing attacks in your inbox
Important points about the cart
While there is little you can do about the digital information that spreads across the internet, there are proactive steps you can take to protect yourself from these types of phishing scams and, in the worst case scenario, if you do fall victim, there are ways to prevent further compromise.
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