Text Scams: The Long Lost Eleventh Plague of Egypt
March 15th, 2018 by admin
You’ve probably seen phishing scams before...you may have even forwarded a few. (It’s ok, this is a safe space.) We want to make sure you are aware of SMS phishing because it’s even more devious than regular phishing scams, it’s downright dastardly. But don’t worry, a little learning and you’ll have nothing to fear. SMS phishing is a relatively new scam, the earliest in modern history happened around 2012, but some hieroglyphs depict the practice as early as 1400 BC. It’s essentially the same principle as email or messenger phishing, where bad guys send messages and/or links that are meant to get the unsuspecting victim to reveal personal information or credentials. What’s different with SMS phishing is that text messages generally don’t go through the same process of filters that most email and web messages do. SMS firewalls exist, but aren’t standard issue in your phone’s operating system. That means scammers are free to attach links and even some files to their messages, and you are your only defense. To help you identify these scams, we have some examples from USA Today below:- Dear customer, Bank of America needs you to verify your PIN number immediately to confirm you’re the proper account holder. Some accounts have been breached. We urgently ask you to protect yourself by confirming your info here.
- “IRS Notice: Tax Return File Overdue! Click here to enter your information to prevent being prosecuted.”
- Your entry last month has WON. Congratulations! Go to [URL] and enter your winning code – 1122 – to claim your $1,000 Best Buy gift card!
- Beautiful weekend coming up. Wanna go out? Sophie gave me your number. Check out my profile here: [URL]
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