My phone started ringing around 9:30 P.M. from an Unknown Caller and an anonymous phone number. Instant red flag! I let it go to voicemail, and when I listened to the message, it was a robotic voice informing me that my debit card may have been used out of state. It then instructed me to press 1 or call back a number to speak with their "card security team." Aside from the obvious robotic voice cluing me into nature of the call, there was no mention of the name of my bank. I deleted the voicemail, but it got me thinking about the various scam methods and identity theft. I personally do not know anyone who has gone through the painful process of having their identity stolen, but I do have a friend who had been scammed.
She received one of those letters to be a secret shopper that included a check. She called the number, and they explained what they wanted her to do as a secret shopper. She said the details and everything they were asking for seemed legit. So she went to her bank, deposited the check, and went off shopping. After she was done, she called the number back and they asked her to send them back the remaining funds - which she did. Days later, the check had bounced and now she had a large negative balance in her account (she never disclosed the exact amount because she was embarrassed for falling for a scam.) Although the bank was nice enough to not charge fees, she still had to pay the money back on a payment arrangement.
I also once had a customer call in needing to update his credit card information because he was a victim of the SIM Card scam. He said he was lucky enough to be at his computer when he started getting e-mail alerts for a new device logging into his e-mail, bank, and etc. He also said while he was on the phone with the cell phone provider, he watched as his bank account was emptied! It made me realize that convenience with having Google remembering all of our passwords can come at a steep price.
I hope that I stay sharp enough to not fall for a scam. With all the new technologies and fast paced nature of the world, I feel bad for our elderly generation who are usually the victims of these horrible scams. Anyway, this ended up being longer than I intended, but I guess I could ramble on forever about this topic and the many different thoughts that stem from it.
Thank you for the three examples of social engineering (scams). I hope your friend has recovered since then.
ReplyDeleteThe first example is likely easily brushed off by most people. The second example is a variation of a very old con. The third is actually quite on-target for today's digital world as it illustrates single-sing on (SSO) = single point of failure (SPOF). A later article in IS101-3022 will give a blow-by-blow walkthrough for a comparable situation of SPOF.
Stay alert and vigilant :-)
Thank you for the warning! I am thankful that I have never been the subject of a scam, but I have certainly received phishing emails. My friend has actually been a victim of fraud when she used her debit card at a 7-Eleven pay-at-the-pump to fill up her gas tank. Apparently, her card information was stolen and it emptied her bank account. She mentioned that it took several months for the bank to return all her money. We all must do our due diligence to stay alert. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry your friend had to deal with all that. I have never been scammed but unfortunately when I worked at CaptionCall I heard a lot of people being scammed. The majority of the people that would utilize our service were elderly. We would put out a warning with the FCC that scam calls were being placed but by the time they knew about it, it was already too late.
ReplyDeleteAfter entering the IT world, I gained an education in Cyber Security that helped me avoid potential issues such as the one you explained. I have backups upon backups of my important information offline, rather than using Google to remember all of my passwords. In today's environment, it's inevitable that at one point in your life you will be a victim of a scam or breach of private data.
ReplyDeleteScams seem to be at an all time high because of all pandemic relief funds. The last guy seemed to part of an unfortunate hack, and hacks happen more often than people are aware. People should be more precautious with their personal info, but modern technology is too convenient.
ReplyDeleteSomeone used my card before to make online purchases and when they checked where they were made from, it was a vacant lot. Luckily, the bank shut it down.
ReplyDeleteI actually had someone try to use my card in the beginning of the year. luckily, the bank I use thought it was shady and didn't allow the money to be taken.
ReplyDeleteAll the ways people are scammed online are really intimidating but at the same time I am also thankful that online banking lets has its safety nets and we gives us ways to recover from loosing money.
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