Have you received emails, online pop-ups or phone calls from scammers masquerading as the FBI, IRS, or other seemingly legitimate entities?
In the course of my day-to-day work helping clients navigate the technology world, I realized that there was a great need for education about online safety. As scammers become more sophisticated, it’s important for us to become more vigilant.
Here are some common scams:
- A pop-up warning you that your computer has been infected and that you must call the number shown immediately.
- An email or phone call from an IRS agent saying that you owe taxes.
- An FBI warning that pops up after visiting a certain website or clicking on a link.
- An email or phone call from your financial institution requiring that you confirm your details.
- A very legitimate-looking website that opens up in your browser offering online support. I recently saw www.microsoftsupport.co – a blacklisted site.
- Phishing emails that require login and other details for Turbo Tax, QuickBooks, etc.
These are just a few of the many scams out there.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Trust NOTHING until you have investigated further.
The IRS and FBI will NEVER email you or expect you to respond to a pop-up message.
- NEVER call the phone numbers that appear in the email or pop-up.
- Do a separate Google search for the phone numbers that appear. You’ll discover that scammers’ phone numbers have already been reported by others.
- When you receive a suspicious call, get their number and tell them you’ll call back. Then do your research. If they pressure you to act ‘now’ assume it’s a scam.
- Add an extension such as WOT (Web of Trust) to your browser to help reveal the trustworthiness of a website.
- If you receive an email from a bank asking you to confirm your details, call the institution or log into your account the way you always do to see if it contains a copy of the email. DO NOT follow the link that appears in the email.
- When downloading a program from the internet, always go to the company’s own website for the download link. Some sites offer the same downloads, but add malware to the installation.
- When starting the installation, make sure to read each window to see that there are no extra items being downloaded. Uncheck or ‘decline’ any extras. These often include search toolbars and other malware.
- When you forward a funny email to your contacts, add their names to the ‘Bcc’ line – not the ‘To’ line and remove all the contacts from within the email message itself. This prevents scammers and spammers from getting hold of all those email addresses.
These are just a few of the many scams out there. For more details, visit my website at www.sofiaroper.com and click on ‘Articles.’ If you receive a suspicious email or phone call and don’t know what to do, contact me at solutions@sofiaroper.com or call (541) 414-4117.
