Smishing Attack
The latest scam going around is a text message with a malicious link in it, better known as a smishing attack.
This text is being sent from a lookalike PayPal. It is portrayed as an urgent text message with the goal of having you click on the malicious link provided. Some of the fake messages say “PayPal: We’ve permanently limited your account, please click the link below to verify.” Others could have wording that makes you think they will delete your account and that you need to take care of this urgently.
When someone clicks on the link in the message, it prompts them to enter their login credentials and then takes them to another page asking them to give their name, address, and bank account details. Once these details are entered it goes straight to the bad guys.
Tips:
- Never trust a random link or text being sent to you. If you think this could be a legitimate request make sure you go to the official PayPal website and log in there. Do not click the link in the message.
- Check for poor grammar. Many bad guys will word things differently or have grammatical errors.
- Always stop and question the text. Did you ever give PayPal your phone number? No? Then don't respond or click on the link.