Keeping Up With Email Scams & Learning About Two Of The Latest
by AMAC, D.J. Wilson
Scam # 1 – Spoofing scam involving G-Mail, Outlook, and others:
Spoofing occurs when a bad actor intentionally disguises an email address, sender name, phone number, or website URL by changing something as simple as one letter or number. Scammers use this to trick victims into believing they are communicating with a trusted source when truthfully, they are dealing with imposters. It’s always important to take the time to verify the accuracy of a sender’s address before opening an email. Here are a couple of other helpful tips. First, never open suspicious emails. Second, if it looks to be from a familiar source, stop and carefully check before opening it. If you do not trust the identity of the sender, simply do not open the email. Third, if you open an email and you immediately have doubts, exit, and delete the email. The FBI warns people to be wary of emails containing links. Never click on links in suspicious emails. The FBI also reminds people that companies do not seek passwords or personal information via random emails. Pressure for you to provide such information or act immediately are red flags of scams. Do not engage.
Scam #2 – Google scam involving prizes:
In this email con, the scammer pretends to be from Google. They offer prize money to you for helping them reach a search milestone. But it is not legitimate. The email may read something like, “Congratulations, you’re our 18th billion search.” One may be instructed to click on a link or be asked to provide personal information or buy gift cards to get the prize money. Or a potential victim may be asked…
New ‘Cardboard Envelope’ Tax Scam Is Targeting Taxpayers: IRS
by Outside Contributor
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning to taxpayers about a new scam mail scheme that attempts to trick people into believing the government owes them money.
“The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service,” the IRS said in a statement on July 3.
Inside the cardboard envelope is a letter on IRS masthead while fraudulently claiming that the notice is “in relation to your unclaimed refund.”
While dangling the prospect of obtaining unclaimed tax refund dollars, the letter asks taxpayers to provide sensitive personal information, including detailed photographs of drivers’ licenses. The data that the scammers are trying to obtain can be used by thieves to try and obtain a tax refund or other sensitive financial information.
“This is just the latest in the long string of attempts by identity thieves posing as the IRS in hopes of tricking people into providing valuable personal information to steal identities and money, including tax refunds,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement.
Warning Signs
The letter sent out as part of the brand new scam features several telltale signs that the mailing is fraudulent…