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Spam, Scams and Shams

Being part of a connected world comes with its share of pitfalls. Sometimes these pitfalls are just annoying, but at times they can lead to serious headaches or become criminal. As options to communicate increase, so do the problems. Phone calls, texts, email, social media and more can all become ways people try to trick us. It can be even more challenging for business owners and sales professionals because we want people to be able to find and reach us! How can we avoid the pitfalls?

The efforts to prevent spam, scams and shams are ongoing, but never fully effective. A stronger response is continued education, vigilance and caution. Many IT companies offer training to help keep current on the latest scam techniques. Our partner AMBIT includes annual training to help us. They can also advise on implementing two-factor authentication, password protection and additional security measures. You can reach them at https://www.techambit.com/free-risk-scan.htm.

A common scam comes if you join a board of directors for an organization, join a community group like a chamber of commerce or join a networking organization. Organizations like these often help promote your business by publishing your contact information. While this can be immensely helpful in reaching new customers, it also feeds scammers details they will try to use against you.

While serving on boards I’ve received numerous emails and texts pretending to be from the board chair or president of the organization asking for gift card purchases or other monetary favors. If this is unusual behavior for your organization, it is likely a scam at work. A local networking organization has recently been subject to a similar scam tactic. We’ve been receiving emails and texts from other “group members” making unusual requests. Staying connected, communicating and remaining cautious is minimizing any potential damage from this latest scam.

And remember, if something “feels” off, STOP! Pause. Verify. You can read more on this subject in our blog posts, You’ve been hacked! and How to recognize a scam email.

The ongoing challenge to remain connected and avoid the scams and shams remains. Education, communication and stronger relationships are some of the best defenses. Let’s continue to build strong networks and provide quality service and products to our communities while beating the attempts to turn our connections against us.

You’ve been hacked!

Panic can cause a world of hurt and lead us to make quick, poor decisions. Data thieves and hackers understand the value of panic and work to create this feeling to trick us into bad choices.

Have you ever received an email or a notice on your screen that you’ve made some grave error and you need to follow the instructions to fix it or else! Many times, these “alerts” are not helping you, but rather trying to panic you into making that very same error.

“Your password has been compromised! Click here to fix it now!”

“Your device has been infected! Call us to remove the virus now!”

“Your password will expire in1 hour! Click here to enter your new password or lose all access to your email!”

“Your bank account has been hacked. Click to reset your online PIN immediately!”

The basic formula? You are at risk. The need is immediate. You must act NOW!

If you feel that sense of panic, we encourage you to do the following:

STOP! Pause. Verify.

To verify, never click the links or call the numbers in the notification that is causing panic. Contact your email provider, tech support team, bank or other institution directly using numbers you know. If you are a customer of Convergent Design, please feel free to email, text or call us with your question.

We live in an online world where bad players want to cause harm. Let’s become vigilant and not become our own worst enemy.

And remember… if it causes panic, STOP! Pause. Verify.

How to recognize a scam email

Scams via email come in all shapes and sizes. These email scams often try to steal your personal information, gain access to your online accounts or place a virus on your devices. There are things you can watch to help protect yourself.

1. Watch for incorrect email addresses. Large, trusted organizations like banks, retailers and government offices will never use a generic email provider like Hotmail.com or even Gmail.com.
2. Spelling errors. While spelling errors can happen to the best of us, bad spelling can be an indication of a scam.
3. Scare tactics! If the email creates a sense of panic that you must act now, STOP! Pause for a moment before taking any action. If the email is asking you for sensitive information like your social security number, bank pin or email password, do not click any links or call any numbers in the email. Contact your institution or tech support directly to verify the email is legitimate.
4. Suspicious links. Hover over links in an email and your device will often tell you where that link points. If it is taking you to a website that you do not know, don’t click.
5. Attachments. Only open attachments from trusted sources and even then, be careful and verify. Attacks like ransomware and viruses are often placed on a device when a user opens an attachment that was not legitimate.

The content of this post was based on a flyer from Security Federal Bank and the American Bankers Association. They offer more help at BanksNeverAskThat.com.

If you are a customer of Convergent Design, please feel free to email, text or call us with spam related questions.