Scam artists have a new platform in their arsenal to obtain your financial information. They have taken to phone calls with a spoofed number to make it appear to be coming from a financial institution. I have been a victim of a phishing attempt where they called me pretending to be my credit card company but when pushed to provide me the company and last for of the card in question, they were unable to provide correct information.
I am not alone in these attacks, I came across an article at Krebs On Security that published an article by Matt Haughey about an attack that happened to him. His account of the attack and the inventive way that the attackers were able to phish Matt’s financial information from him using simple social engineering tactics.
This is just another reminder of how easy it is to be fooled into divulging personally identifiable information and other sensitive information. We always need to be on guard and be mindful of what information we give to incoming phone calls. It is always better to stop the conservation and call back using a known good number. This method ensures you are talking to the company you think you are talking to.
Websites, emails, and now phone calls can all be spoofed to appear to be legitimate companies, that you have interactions with. Keep a watchful eye and ear to what you are clicking on, or answering. If something seems off, it probably is. If I ever feel that something isn’t right, whether it is a URL that doesn’t look correct, an email that does not jive with activities I have recently done, or comes from a strange email address or domain name (the part after @). I reach out to the company in another way to ensure the communication is valid.
Green Street Technology Solutions offers cyber security training that teaches users what to look for to stay safe, and weekly tips on staying safe. We are also an email or phone call away to ask for advice if something is legitimate or not. Our cybersecurity training is included with our Managed Services plans or by itself.
