The uncertainty surrounding the Pandemiccrisis has made the public an easy target for scammers and fraudsters. It has created several opportunities for hackers, robocallers, and other criminals. For starters, many people are making claims for unemployment compensations while others are waiting for stimulus checks. As such, it is harder to ignore an email or phone call from a person posing as a government or bank official.
With more people working from home, personal technology gadgets are becoming an appealing target for people seeking to infiltrate enterprises. Whereas there is little information regarding the extent of these shadowy operations, security professionals cited the rise in scams pervading phones, websites, and inboxes. VPNTesting.com recommends using a VPN to stay ahead of such occurrences.
This article highlights what you need to be on the lookout for, especially during these unprecedented times.
Fraud Calls
Robocallers may sound dumb, although, in reality, they are resourceful and work hard to get your money. They carefully study your patterns and begin adapting to your responses. They often hoax phone numbers, exploit phone networks, and prank call you from phone numbers resembling a government agency or bank.
In the worst possible scenarios, two scammers collaborate where one makes a call to your bank, and the other dials you. They ask you for your data and trick the customer care representative in your bank into providing them with access to your account. Here’s what you need to do in case you receive a spam call:
Get off the phone and call your bank
Over the years, robocallers have made a reputation as a nuisance to society. However, in recent times, people need to be on the lookout for calls from organizations or businesses. For instance, if your bank alerts you of a fraud attempt, get off the phone and dial the customer support number written on your credit card’s backside. Verify whether the previous call was indeed from your bank.
Clear your address book of any businesses
You could be tricked into believing the legitimacy of a call pops up in your contact list as a saved entry. For example, a fraudster could spoof the phone number from Citibank and dial you. If you have saved the support number of Citibank in your list of contacts, your smartphone indicates that the call is from Citibank. For this reason, it is best to remove such contact entries, so you are not blindsided.
Text Messages and Emails
Phishing is among the oldest internet fraudulent schemes where scammers impersonate people and ask for their data. However, this trick continues to deceive many people. Fraudsters have adjusted to the dynamic news cycle during the Pandemiccrisis. In texts and emails, they have put on numerous disguises, purporting to be major organizations. If you receive such emails or text messages, here’s what you need to do:
Verify the sender
Dishonest email addresses will appear legitimate, although it will miss one or two characters. In the same way, scan texts usually emerge from the phone numbers with over ten digits. To guarantee your safety online, it would benefit you to visit blog examples on how to set up VPNs.
Check the hyperlinks
You can hover around the sent link and check out a preview of the sent page. Avoid clicking on the hyperlink and delete the email. Generally, avoid opening links from unfamiliar senders and, more importantly, do not respond.