We’ve seen some ‘old favorites,’ some seasonal, and some new email scams. Here are a few examples to warn family and friends so they don’t get tricked, and you should stay away from them too!
Microsoft supposedly called our office to let our sales person know that there was a problem with their machine. All they had to do was let ‘Microsoft’ log in and take a look – this was NOT Microsoft; it’s a scam. Microsoft is not going to call you and they are not monitoring your machine. Delete the email right away. If you think something on your computer might need attention, call your IT provider; do NOT give anyone access to your machine.
Here’s a seasonal one – Turbo Tax says they have my tax return started. All I have to do is log on and finish it up. I don’t use Turbo Tax, so ‘delete’ was my response.
American Express is another ‘oldie but goodie.’ I regularly get email messages saying there’s a problem with my account; I don’t have an American Express account. Delete! If you think there might be a problem, delete the email and call them!
The bank scams look better and better. There are fewer mis-spellings, and the logos are looking better too. How do you know? Call your bank; how do they communicate with their customers? Find out what to expect. If this is really your bank, delete the email and call them. It’s way easier to apologize for deleting an email that seemed ‘suspect’ than it is to cleanup or lose data because you clicked on a malicious email. Just call! Why do these keep happening? Why do we tell you about these more than once? Because they’re successful! The hackers are making wonderful profits because these tricks work. Be on guard. Be cautious. – CMW