Latest Scams to Look Out for

1. Exploiting Coronavirus Scam

During the Covid Pandemic, many employees started working remotely. There has been a new scam going around to target your feelings of stress and excitement about going back to work at the office. The new phishing email is pretending to be from your HR and has a download attached. The email is asking you to download the attachment and acknowledge the new return of the office policy by providing your login credentials.

Tips:

1. ‍‍Never click or download an attachment that you weren’t expecting.
2. Contact your HR directly asking them if they sent out this email. Do not reply to the email!
3. Don’t let the bad guys toy with your emotions. Think before you click!

2. Holiday Shipping Scams

This year especially had a soaring number of online orders for the holiday season and many are still shipping now. Cybercriminals took online shopping to their advantage and have been sending out fake shipping notifications and emails. These notifications can come in form of text messages or emails. These texts and emails will usually include an urgent update about your package or shipping delay, and you will be directed to click on the link that will take you to a fake malicious website. You then will be instructed to fill out your information.

Tips:

1. ‍‍Think before you click!
2. Stay up to date on your orders by checking out the sender’s website. Make sure to use a separate browser to look up the website.
3. A shipping notification will provide you information about your order like your address, an item description, or the name of the sender. If no specific information is listed, then it is probably a fake.

3. Is This a Video of You Scam

Cybercriminals love social media just like us! They are especially good at impersonating your friends and followers. Cybercriminals particularly like sending messages to people asking, “Is this a video of you?” They will include an image or a link that will take the person to a fake social media site and prompt them to give their credentials. If you enter your credentials, the bad guys will use them to sign in to your account and scam your followers and friends.

Tips:

1. ‍‍Keep your social media accounts private and make sure your privacy settings are up to date.
2. Think before you click! Don’t let the bad guys toy with your emotions.
3. Be cautious of unexpected, unusual, or off-topic messages that include a link.

4. Capitol and Parler Scams

Since last week’s rally where protestors stormed the US Capitol Building, it has been a popular topic on social media and especially on the social media platform called Parler. Apple and Google both removed the app from their app stores due to the controversial events. Cybercriminals often use current events and news stories as the main subject for their phishing attacks and social media disinformation campaigns. They are very likely to toy with your emotions about the Parler app and the Capitol headlines. Be on the lookout!

Tips:

1. ‍‍No matter how shocking the headline may be always think before you click!
2. Lookout for Parler related emails – especially ones that give you another way to download the app.
3. Be careful what you are reading. Cybercriminals love spreading false information.