You may have heard of a “phishing” scam, but did you know that there are now also vishing and smishing scams, too?
Scammers are getting smarter, sneakier and using artificial intelligence to find new ways to get your money or information. New tactics are being used so often that it’s hard to keep track of them all!
The good thing is that if you can learn how a scammer thinks and learn the methods they use, you can avoid most scams. Here’s the latest on these newest “-ishing” scams.
Phishing - According to the Oxford dictionary, phishing is: “the fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.” It got the name phishing because it’s like “fishing for information” but it’s not legitimate, so it’s spelled incorrectly.
How to avoid phishing scams:
- Look carefully at email addresses and websites. Does the email address end is something unexpected instead of the usual .com or .org? Are there any misspellings in the email, or does the language seem inauthentic? If so, don’t click on any links in the email.
- If you do think you need to respond to an email, look up the company online and find a legitimate phone number — don’t use the phone number listed in the email you received.
Vishing - Vishing is just like phishing, only it’s where attackers use phone calls or voice messages to trick you into giving out your personal information. You may have gotten a phone call from an alleged nonprofit organization asking for a donation, or from a major online retailer advising you that your account was hacked and asking you to “verify” your personal information. Or, maybe someone from “your credit card company” is calling about a suspicious charge that never really occurred.
How to avoid vishing scams:
- Don’t just call back the number that called you or that someone left on your voicemail. Look up the main number for a company through their official website first, or don’t return the call. If it’s really urgent, they’ll probably call you again.
- Don’t give out one-time PIN codes, passwords, your Social Security Number or account numbers over the phone.
Remember: The IRS will never call you. You (or your accountant) will always receive a letter in the mail first.
Smishing - Similar to the other “-ishing” scams, smishing is an attempt to get your personal information. The difference with smishing is that it is conducted over SMS (short message service) or, more simply, text messages.
There’s a chance that you’ve gotten a text message in the past month or two telling you that you owe unpaid tolls from a highway in New Jersey. Or, that you have an undeliverable package on hold from the U.S. Postal Service.
Both of those are scams.
- Always look at the link in the text message! There’s a good chance that it looks odd or suspicious. Never click on these links.
- You should delete these messages. In addition, you should block the number and report it as spam through your mobile carrier.
The biggest rule of thumb is to trust your gut! If something seems off, it probably is. And if something seems too good to be true, it also probably is!
Want to know more about how smart scammers operate? Check out the replay of our webinar, "Protecting Yourself Against Fraud and ID Theft."
We hope you have a fantastic week ahead and we look forward to seeing you soon!
