September 8, 2023
Our phones are a great way to stay connected and to entertain ourselves, but it’s not always fun and games.
Criminals target us with many email, phone, and text schemes which can make our phones a dangerous gateway to fraud and malware. Scams come in many forms, but the promises or threats of the communication remain the same with the end goal of getting you to send money and stealing sensitive information.
If you receive an email, phone call, or text that claims...
- You won a prize.
- You will be arrested.
- You need to decide now to receive an “offer”.
- You have an invoice.
- You owe taxes.
REMEMBER... you haven’t, you won’t, and you didn’t.
What should you do?
- Hang up.
- Use call blocking.
- Don’t trust caller ID.
- Don’t answer calls from numbers not in your phone contacts.
- Take your time, and do not act under pressure.
- Don’t send cash or pay anyone with a gift card.
- Don’t share sensitive information to unexpected callers/texters/senders.
Take action!
- Do not respond to unexpected communications that contain a promise or a threat.
- Do not answer or respond to unknown senders.
- Do not take action without verifying the claim with trusted and legitimate sources.