Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – May 24, 2024 – The Hidden Danger of Drive By Downloads
We all generally know to avoid sketchy websites that may be infected with malware that can lead to serious problems if you unwittingly download the malware such as ransomware, keystroke logging malware that can lead to identity theft or other types of malware. However, even if you make a concerted effort to avoid websites that may be likely to contain malware, you still may find yourself in danger. According to a study by Menlo Security 42% of the most visited websites on the Internet were vulnerable to malware being planted on these thought-to-be safe websites.
A major problem is that many popular websites use outdated servers that make them vulnerable to malware and data breaches. Another problem comes from many websites including content from third parties such as companies that provide advertising. Malvertising is the name for malware infected advertising that can turn up on legitimate websites and can be downloaded on to your computer or phone by either clicking on links in the advertising or even, in some cases, by merely going to the website where the tainted advertising appears even if you never click on the ad.
In other instances scammers infect legitimate websites with malware by exploiting security flaws. Merely by going to an infected website you can end up downloading the malware without clicking on any links.
TIPS
The first thing to do to protect yourself from being victimized by malware found on websites is to avoid those websites that may appear not to be legitimate. You also should have strong security software on all of your electronic devices including your computer and cell phone, making sure that you update your security software with the latest security patches as soon as they are made available. Keeping your browser updated with the latest versions is also important as many browsers provide some level of protection from malware infected sites.. Finally, you may wish to install ad blocking software that prevents you from becoming victimized by malvertising in all forms.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and click on the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”
#malvertising
Phone calls, emails, and text messages are among the primary ways that scam artists, the only criminals we call artists, contact their targeted victims. Scammers have a knowledge of psychology that Freud would have envied, and they are adept at luring us to click on malware-infected links, provide personal information that can lead to identity theft, or make a payment. Anyone can be scammed. For years, I have told you, “Trust me, you can’t trust anyone,” and that you should be skeptical of emails, phone calls, and text messages prompting you to act. But how can you know if a phone call, email, or text message is legitimate? Fortunately, there is a terrific new product called ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali that you can turn to quickly to let you know if that communication is a scam. It can be a lifesaver. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as Staples – that have recognized that providing ScamAssist to its customers helps protect them and generates goodwill.
Scam of the day – May 23, 2024 – DocuSign Phishing Scam
DocuSign is a company that provides technology for the transmission of contracts and other documents with features for electronic signatures and is used by many businesses. There has been an increasing number of scams in which phony DocuSign messages are being used to send malware infected links luring people into providing personal information that is used for identity theft purposes.
Copied below is an email I received that purports to be sent by my landlord in regard to a change in the terms of my lease that required my immediate attention. This phishing email prompts me to click on a link to open a document that needed my signature. The phishing email looked very professional and contained the DocuSign logo and appeared legitimate. However, the email address of the sender was one totally unrelated to either DocuSign or anyone with whom I do business. Most likely it was the email address of someone whose email account had been hacked and made a part of a botnet used by the cybercriminal to send out large numbers of these emails. Additionally, I do not rent any real estate so the email couldn’t apply to me. Scammers send these emails out in large numbers hoping that many people who do rent their homes will be lured into clicking on the link
This phishing email was designed to lure the person receiving the email to click on the link and either provide personal information that could be used for identity theft, or, as more likely in this particular phishing attempt, merely by clicking on the link would have downloaded malware such as ransomware or keystroke logging malware into the computer of the person clicking on the link. Keystroke logging malware would have enabled the cybercriminal to steal all of the personal information from the computer and make that person a victim of identity theft. I removed the link from the email displayed below.
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TIPS
In this case, I actually followed my own advice as to never click on a link regardless of how legitimate the email or text message may appear until confirming that the message is legitimate. In this case I didn’t even need to confirm that it was not legitimate because of the telltale evidence of the email address of the sender and the fact that I do not have any leases.
The lesson here is clear. You can never be sure when you receive an email as to who is really contacting you. Although sometimes it is obvious when the email address of the sender does not correspond to who is represented as sending the email, other times the email account of someone or some company you trust could have been hacked and used to send you the malware. Therefore you should never click on a link or download an attachment in an email until you have absolutely and independently confirmed that it is legitimate.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
#Docusignscam
Technology in general and AI in particular has enabled scammers to make their scams via phone calls, text messages, or emails much more believable. Fortunately, technology can also be used to help individuals avoid becoming scam victims. ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali uses advanced technology coupled with actual human intelligence to recognize and flag scam solicitations – individuals simply need to submit the dubious solicitation online or by phone. Iris’ experts analyze the suspicious messages using rigorous technology, comparing them to known scams and phishing schemes. The team then sends a detailed assessment of the likelihood of the message being a scam and recommended next steps to minimize the damage. ScamAssist is easy to use and can be a lifesaver – for individuals as well as a business in an industry prone to scams. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to offer a standalone scam assistance micro-experience or bundle it with a product package to help provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Create a seamless experience for your customers by offering ScamAssist in your branding. Contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn more.
Scam of the day – May 22, 2024 – Scammers Leveraging Spam to Take Over Your Computer
Identity thieves seeking to hack your computer to steal your passwords and other credentials for your online accounts have started using a new technique to persuade their victims into giving the cybercriminal access to their computers. This new technique involves flooding the targeted victim with junk emails, often called spam, in such large amounts that they are often able to overwhelm their victims’ email accounts spam protection capabilities. The spam sent is not in and of itself harmful, but generally appear to be newsletter sign up confirmations from actually legitimate companies that are unaware that their companies are being used in this scam. The next step in the scam is a phone call from the scammer posing as your email provider in which they indicate that they have noticed the large amounts of spam the victim is receiving and offers help in remedying the problem. They tell the targeted victim that in order to help, they will need remote access to their victim’s computer and convinces the victim to download remote management software such as AnyDesk. Unfortunately, once the victim provides remote access to his or her computer, the cybercriminal is able to steal the passwords and credentials required to access the various online accounts of the victim.
TIPS
As a rule you should never provide remote access to your computer to anyone other than someone you regularly use for maintenance of your computer. In addition, as I often remind you, whenever you get a phone call, text message or email from someone, you can never be sure who is actually contacting you so you should never give anyone remote access to your computer based on such a communication without absolutely confirming that the communication is legitimate and the remote access is actually required, which it never will. A quick call to your email provider will confirm that the call was from a scammer. Finally, your email provider will not be calling you about spam you receive in your email account.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
#spam #remoteaccess
Technology in general and AI in particular has enabled scammers to make their scams via phone calls, text messages, or emails much more believable. Fortunately, technology can also be used to help individuals avoid becoming scam victims. ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali uses advanced technology coupled with actual human intelligence to recognize and flag scam solicitations – individuals simply need to submit the dubious solicitation online or by phone. Iris’ experts analyze the suspicious messages using rigorous technology, comparing them to known scams and phishing schemes. The team then sends a detailed assessment of the likelihood of the message being a scam and recommended next steps to minimize the damage. ScamAssist is easy to use and can be a lifesaver – for individuals as well as a business in an industry prone to scams. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to offer a standalone scam assistance micro-experience or bundle it with a product package to help provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Create a seamless experience for your customers by offering ScamAssist in your branding. Contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn more.
Scam of the day – May 21, 2024 – How Scammers Avoid Dual Factor Authentication Protection
A Subscriber Identity Module, more commonly known as a SIM card, is an integrated circuit that stores information used to authenticate subscribers on mobile devices, such as a cell phone. The SIM card is able to be transferred between different devices, and often is, when people update into a newer cell phone. SIM Swapping is the name for the crime where someone convinces your phone carrier to transfer your SIM card to a phone controlled by the criminal.
Identity thieves with access to their victims’ SIM cards are increasingly becoming able to intercept security codes sent by text messages for online banking as part of dual factor authentication and thereby providing the identity thief with the opportunity to empty their victims’ bank accounts and cause other financial havoc.
The best thing you can do to protect your SIM card from SIM swapping is to set up a PIN or password to be used for access to your mobile service provider account. This will help prevent a criminal from calling your carrier posing as you and convincing your mobile carrier to swap your SIM card to the criminal’s phone merely by providing personal identifying information or answering a security question.
Now, however, clever scammers are avoiding even having to do a SIM swap by using social engineering to convince their victims to provide the security code sent when dual factor authentication is used. The scam starts with the scammer getting the password of their targeted victim either through purchasing passwords stolen through data breaches that are sold on the Dark Web or by using social engineering through spear phishing emails or text messages to lure the victim into providing the password. The next step is a phone call from the scammer posing as security for your bank or another company with which you have an online account telling you that there has been unusual activity on your account and that they are sending you a security code to your phone for you to provide to confirm your identity. Of course, this is a total scam. The scammer has just used the stolen password to start access to the account. At that point the dual factor authentication on the account sends a security code to the targeted victim’s phone which the concerned victim provides to the scammer thereby enabling the scammer to get the security code and hack the account without even having to do a SIM swap.
TIPS
I have written in the past about how to avoid SIM swaps by setting up a passcode or PIN on your mobile service carrier account to avoid a scammer being able to access the account merely by answering a security question, however, that will not protect you from this type of social engineering method of defeating dual factor authentication.
B.S. Be skeptical. Whenever you receive a phone call, text message or email, you can never be sure who is actually contacting you. Even if your Caller ID indicates the call is from a trusted source, such as your bank, scammers can use a technique called “spoofing” to make their call or text appear to come from whatever number or source they wish. Therefore, whenever you are asked for personal information, to make a payment or click on a link you should refrain from doing so until you have absolutely confirmed that the communication is legitimate.
In this particular scam, remember that security code are only sent as part of dual factor authentication and if you get such a code sent to you, it is an indication that your password has been compromised and someone is trying to access your account. A call to your bank will confirm that the confirm that it was a scammer and not the bank that called you.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address in the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”
#simswap
For years here on Scamicide, I have told you, “Trust me, you can’t trust anyone.” Using modern technology, scammers contact people in vast numbers through computer-generated phone calls, text messages, and emails that lure you into becoming a scam victim. Being a scam victim can be devastating, and it can be very difficult to determine if that call, email, or text message you receive is from a scammer. That is where ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali comes in. Using Iris’ proprietary technology and real human resources, ScamAssist can tell users the likelihood of the communication they received is to be a scam. If Iris believes the solicitation to be fraudulent, their team of identity fraud resolution experts will report the scam to the authorities and help the individual minimize the damage. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Create a seamless experience for your customers by offering ScamAssist in your branding. Contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn more.
Scam of the day – May 20, 2024 – Exotic Pet Scams
I have written many times in the past, particularly during the pandemic, about scams involving sales of non-existent puppies. People buy dogs or other pets online and, although they think they are taking proper precautions, they often end up getting nothing in return for the money that they wire to the scammer who may have a website or some other way of marketing their non-existent pets with photographs and false information. Recently the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning about scammers posing on social media including TikTok, Instagram and Facebook as sellers of exotic pets such as rare birds. Following up on the social media posts will take you to a legitimate appearing website, but it is simple for a scammer to create a phony website.
One telltale sign of exotic pet scammers is that they all require prepayment through Zelle, bank wire transfers, cryptocurrencies or gift cards. These are the preferred payment methods for scammers because once the payment is made it is impossible to get your money back.
TIPS
It is simple for a scammer to construct a website that appears to be legitimate and scammers can readily steal the name of a legitimate pet retailers. Always check into the reputation of the seller with the Better Business Bureau, your state’s attorney general and even Google the name of the seller with the word “scam” to see if a legitimate seller’s name that is being used has been stolen for scams previously.
There also are a number of ways such as using the website http://www.tineye.com to do a reverse image search of the photos sent to you of the pet to see if they appear elsewhere other than the website attempting to sell you a pet. If so, this is a good indication that you are being scammed. Finally, you are always going to be better off buying a pet that you can see in person prior to buying the pet.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address on the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”
#exoticpetscam
What do Steven Spielberg, Kevin Bacon, and John Malkovich have in common? In addition to being famous entertainers, they are also scam victims. Anyone can be a scam victim. Scammers have a knowledge of psychology that Freud would have envied, and they know how to manipulate us into becoming victims of scams. Phone calls, emails, and text messages are favorite methods scammers use to contact their victims, and it can be all but impossible to know who is really contacting you. Through a technique called “spoofing,” they can make their call or text message appear to come from anyone they wish. So, how can individuals help proactively avoid becoming a scam victim? The answer is ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali. Anytime a ScamAssist customer gets an email, text message, or phone call luring them into providing personal information or making a payment, all they have to do is use ScamAssist to learn whether the communication is likely to be a scam. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as major retailers like Staples – that have offered ScamAssist bundled with other core offerings to help differentiate themselves in the market and provide their customers with a tool they will truly utilize.
Scam of the day – May 19, 2024 – Hacking Your Computer Through Your Smoke Detector
I have been warning you about dangers in the rapidly expanding Internet of things for more than eleven years. The Internet of Things is made up of a broad range of devices connected to the Internet including home thermostats, security systems, medical devices, refrigerators, televisions, cars and toys. Our homes have become filled with these devices including Alexa and Siri. The FBI has longed warned consumers about the dangers of posed by hacking of various devices that makeup the Internet of Things.
Cybercriminals hack into your devices that are a part of the Internet of Things to enable them to enlist your devices as a part of a botnet by which they can distribute malware while maintaining their anonymity. They also can hack into your Internet of Thing devices to access your home computers or cell phones to steal information for purposes of identity theft or to implant malware on your home computers and cell phones. Any device you have in your home that is connected to the Internet poses a threat. One device that people hardly give any thought to is your smoke detector. Newer, sophisticated smoke detectors have the capability to send data to your phone or the manufacturer which they do through your router and this make them vulnerable to being hacked.
TIPS
Most of the devices that make up the Internet of Things come with preset passwords that can easily be discovered by hackers. Change your password as soon as you set up the product. Also, set up a guest network on your router exclusively for your Internet of Things devices. This is important so that you can keep the sensitive personal information you have on your computer or cell phone from being accessible through a hacking of any of your Internet of Things devices.
Configure network firewalls to block traffic from unauthorized IP addresses and disable port forwarding. Make sure that you install the latest security patches as soon as they become available. Use encryption software for the transmission of data and find out where data is stored and what steps are taken to secure the information.
Make sure your router is secure and use its whitelisting capabilities which will prevent your device from connecting to malicious networks. Routers are a critical part of your smart home security. Make sure it will automatically download and install the latest security updates from its manufacturer. If your router is an older router that does not have this capability, you can check the manufacturer’s website regularly for the latest updates, but frankly, you are probably better served by getting a newer, more secure router. Make sure you have a unique password for each of your Internet of Things devices and use dual factor authentication whenever you can for all of these devices.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address in the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”
#internetofthings
Phishing, smishing, spear phishing. They may seem like odd terms with which you may barely be familiar, but scammers use these effective techniques to reach out by phone or email to their targeted victims, and the results can be disastrous. Interestingly, according to the FTC, people lose the most money to scams that start on the phone. It can seem almost impossible to determine if a scammer is contacting you. But now there is an easy-to-use new online tool called ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali that allows you to submit suspicious solicitations electronically or by phone. Using Iris’ team of trained experts and rigorous technology, ScamAssist will analyze the messages before sending a detailed assessment of how likely it is to be a scam and recommendations for minimizing potential damage. It is easy to use and dependable. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as major retailers like Staples – that have recognized that providing ScamAssist to its customers helps protect them and generates goodwill.
Scam of the day – May 18, 2024 – New Developments in Dell Data Breach
Recently, Dell Technologies contacted its customers to inform them that Dell had suffered a data breach in which personal information of 49 million of its customers had been stolen. Dell downplayed the data breach saying that the information compromised was not particularly sensitive although it did include the names and addresses of its customers, but did not include email addresses, phone numbers or other sensitive financial information. Now, however, the hacker who identifies himself as Menelik has disclosed that in another data breach against Dell, Menelik does have phone numbers and email addresses of Dell customers.
Last year, there were more than 1,800 reported data breaches and probably many more that were not reported affecting 422 million people. The question is not if you will become a victim of a data breach. The question is when.
So what can you do to protect yourself from these data breaches that will be occurring?
TIPS
You should make sure that you have a unique password for each of your online accounts so that if one of your passwords is compromised in a data breach, all of your accounts will not be in danger. If your information is compromised in a data breach, you should immediately change the password for that account. You also should use dual factor authentication whenever offered by any site you use to protect your security even if your password is compromised.
One way to get strong unique passwords for all of your accounts is to use a password manager. If you are interested in using a password manager, here is a link to an article from PC magazine that compares many of the legitimate password managers available to you. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-password-managers
If you do decide to use a password manager, you should remember not to use your password manager master password for any of your other accounts. You also should use dual factor authentication so that even if someone were to gain access to your password manager master password, your password manager account could not be accessed.
However, if you would like to use the helping hand you find at the end of your own arm and generate unique, complex passwords for each of your accounts that are easy to remember, here is a strategy that is very effective. You can start with a strong base password constructed from a phrase, such as IDon’tLikePasswords that has capital letters, small letters and a symbol, add a few symbols at the end so it may read IDon’tLikePasswords!!! and then adapt it with a few letters for each particular account you have so that you will have a secure and easy to remember password for each of your online accounts. Thus, your Amazon password could be IDon’tLikePasswords!!!AMA
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
#delldatabreach
Phone calls, emails, and text messages are among the primary ways that scam artists, the only criminals we call artists, contact their targeted victims. Scammers have a knowledge of psychology that Freud would have envied, and they are adept at luring us to click on malware-infected links, provide personal information that can lead to identity theft, or make a payment. Anyone can be scammed. For years, I have told you, “Trust me, you can’t trust anyone,” and that you should be skeptical of emails, phone calls, and text messages prompting you to act. But how can you know if a phone call, email, or text message is legitimate? Fortunately, there is a terrific new product called ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali that you can turn to quickly to let you know if that communication is a scam. It can be a lifesaver. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as Staples – that have recognized that providing ScamAssist to its customers helps protect them and generates goodwill.
Scam of the day – May 17, 2024 – Homeland Security Tackling Gift Card Drainers
The Department of Homeland Security has launched a task force to combat gift card draining, a scam in which criminals use stolen or altered gift card numbers to drain money from gift cards before the purchaser of the gift card can spend it. The task force named “Project Red Hook” is focused on Chinese organized crime involvement in this scam. In perpetrating the crime, criminals referred to as “runners” remove, tamper and then restock gift cards. According to Homeland Security assistant special agent Adam Parks, a runner can go from store to store tampering with cards. One accused runner, Ming Xue in a single day went to 14 Walmarts before being arrested. Law enforcement found 2,260 Visa, Apple and Mastercard gift cards in his car.
The most common way gift card draining occurs involves scammers going to racks of gift cards in stores and using handheld scanners that are easy to obtain, read the code on the strip of the card and the number on the front. They then put the card back in the display and periodically check with the retailer by calling its 800 number to find out whether the card has been activated and what the balance is on the card. Once they have this information they either create a counterfeit card using the information they have stolen or order material online without having the actual card in hand.
Another common way gift card draining occurs is when scammers place a sticker with the barcode of a a gift card that the scammers possess over the actual barcode of the gift card in the rack. Thus when the card is taken by the gift card purchaser to the checkout counter to have the card activated, the funds used to purchase the gift card are credited to the card of the scammer. It is not until the gift card purchaser tries to use his or her card that it is discovered that there are no funds credited to the card.
Some retailers, in an effort to reduce gift card fraud put a PIN on the gift card so that if the card is used online, the user must have access to the PIN which is generally covered and must have the covering material scratched off in order to be visible. Unfortunately, many purchasers of gift cards are not aware of this so they don’t even notice that the PIN on the card that they are purchasing has already had the covering material scratched off by the scammer who has recorded the PIN.
TIPS
When buying a gift card, only purchase cards from behind the customer service desk and if the card is preloaded, always ask for the card to be scanned to show that it is still fully valued. This avoids all of the problems of tampering with the card before it is sold.
Always inspect the card carefully to make sure that the barcode has not been tampered with in any fashion and that the PIN is still covered.
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/
#giftcardscam #giftcarddraining
For years here on Scamicide, I have told you, “Trust me, you can’t trust anyone.” Using modern technology, scammers contact people in vast numbers through computer-generated phone calls, text messages, and emails that lure you into becoming a scam victim. Being a scam victim can be devastating, and it can be very difficult to determine if that call, email, or text message you receive is from a scammer. That is where ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali comes in. Using Iris’ proprietary technology and real human resources, ScamAssist can tell users the likelihood of the communication they received is to be a scam. If Iris believes the solicitation to be fraudulent, their team of identity fraud resolution experts will report the scam to the authorities and help the individual minimize the damage. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Create a seamless experience for your customers by offering ScamAssist in your branding. Contact Iris at IrisIdentityProtection.com/Scamicide to learn more.
Scam of the day – May 16, 2024 – Online Bank Scams
Online banks and banking service providers offer desktop and mobile banking services without actual brick and mortar physical branches. Because these banks don’t have to pay for the cost of maintaining buildings, they are often able to pass the savings on to their customers in the form of higher interest rates for bank accounts and CDs. Forbright Bank and Everbank are examples of two good online banks offering attractive interest rates. However, their rates don’t compare to the terrific high interest rates being offered by scammers posing as online banks. Scammers will set up phony websites for online banks whose sole purpose is to get you to provide your name and Social Security number which will lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft and luring you into wiring them money that you will never see again.
TIPS
It is important to remember that merely because a Google Chrome or other search engine search brings up a website at the top of the page doesn’t mean that it is legitimate. Some scammers are adept at manipulating the search engine algorithms so that the phony website gets prominently featured in a search and other times the scammers merely pay for a high position in a search engine search. Either way, as I always say, “trust me, you can’t trust anyone.”
One place you can go to verify if a bank is legitimate is the Bank Find service of FDIC which will allow you to see if the online bank you are considering is legitimate and if the URL used is of the legitimate bank. Here is a link to that service.https://banks.data.fdic.gov/bankfind-suite/bankfind
If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive free daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and insert your email address where it states “Sign up for this blog.”
#onlinebankscams
What do Steven Spielberg, Kevin Bacon, and John Malkovich have in common? In addition to being famous entertainers, they are also scam victims. Anyone can be a scam victim. Scammers have a knowledge of psychology that Freud would have envied, and they know how to manipulate us into becoming victims of scams. Phone calls, emails, and text messages are favorite methods scammers use to contact their victims, and it can be all but impossible to know who is really contacting you. Through a technique called “spoofing,” they can make their call or text message appear to come from anyone they wish. So, how can individuals help proactively avoid becoming a scam victim? The answer is ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali. Anytime a ScamAssist customer gets an email, text message, or phone call luring them into providing personal information or making a payment, all they have to do is use ScamAssist to learn whether the communication is likely to be a scam. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as major retailers like Staples – that have offered ScamAssist bundled with other core offerings to help differentiate themselves in the market and provide their customers with a tool they will truly utilize.
Scam of the day – May 15, 2024 – REAL ID Scams
The most effective scams are the ones that capitalize on real things that apply to you. Many people are familiar with the REAL ID, which is a new version of your driver’s license mandated by federal law. The federal REAL ID Act established new security requirements for driver’s licenses and identification cards with which all states must comply and which will eventually be needed by you if you wish to board an airplane or enter certain federal facilities although you can still do so if you have a passport.
The original date by which you had to get a REAL ID was set at October 1, 2021, however due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the deadline was postponed until May 3, 2023. However, in December of 2022, the deadline was extended again. The new deadline is May 7, 2025 which is just about a year away. This is both good news and bad news. It is good news because it gives you more time to get your REAL ID, but it is also bad news because it gives scammers more time to contact you posing as governmental officials seeking your personal information under the guise of helping you apply for your REAL ID when their real purpose is to harvest your personal information and use it to make you a victim of identity theft.
The scam is turning up in many forms. such as emails, text messages and phone calls in which you are urged to either provide sensitive personal information or click on links taking you to websites that appear to be official where you will either unwittingly have downloaded malware such as ransomware by clicking on the link or, again, be prompted to provide personal information used to make you a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
No states are initiating contact with people by emails, text messages or phone calls asking for personal information to apply for your REAL ID. An important thing to remember is that whenever you get a phone call, text message or email, you can never be sure you is really contacting you even if the email address, phone number or Caller ID indicates that the communication is legitimate. This is why you should never provide personal information or click on a link in an email or text message unless you have absolutely confirmed that the communication is legitimate.
Sometimes, you may be able to pick up on obvious (or not so obvious) mistakes in the communications from scammers such as in text messages to residents of Illinois that purported to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles. This is a mistake because Illinois does not have a Department of Motor Vehicles. The name of its agency dealing with these matters is the Department of Driver Services. In any event, if you receive a communication pertaining to the REAL ID, your best choice is to contact your state agency that deals with them at an email address you know is legitimate.
Here is a link to a listing of the websites for all of the state agencies that deal with REAL IDs. https://www.dhs.gov/real-id
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Phishing, smishing, spear phishing. They may seem like odd terms with which you may barely be familiar, but scammers use these effective techniques to reach out by phone or email to their targeted victims, and the results can be disastrous. Interestingly, according to the FTC, people lose the most money to scams that start on the phone. It can seem almost impossible to determine if a scammer is contacting you. But now there is an easy-to-use new online tool called ScamAssist® from Iris® Powered by Generali that allows you to submit suspicious solicitations electronically or by phone. Using Iris’ team of trained experts and rigorous technology, ScamAssist will analyze the messages before sending a detailed assessment of how likely it is to be a scam and recommendations for minimizing potential damage. It is easy to use and dependable. While Iris® Powered by Generali doesn’t offer ScamAssist for direct purchase, if you’re a business professional looking to fill a product gap in your portfolio and want to provide customers a service they’ll truly value, contact Iris to learn how you can get started. Join a growing list of companies – such as major retailers like Staples – that have recognized that providing ScamAssist to its customers helps protect them and generates goodwill.