Chilling Cybercrime
While the internet can be a scary place, so can your mailbox, as scammers hone their craft.
This week we will cover the 3 most common cybercrimes and how you can identify them.
Identity Theft
What is Identity Theft?
Identity (ID) theft happens when someone steals your personal information to commit fraud.
Identity Theft | USAGov
Who can become a victim?
Anyone can be a victim of identity theft.
According to Identity Theft Crime and Punishment: 2022 ID Theft Crime Statistics and Sentencing, published by the National Council on Identify Theft Protection-
•Someone becomes a victim of identity theft every 4 seconds
•33% of Americans have been the victim of identity theft
•2.5 million identities are stolen every year
How will you know if you’ve been a victim of identity theft?
Look out for these 16 common signs from Debt.com:
- Withdrawals from your bank account that you didn’t make
- Missing bills or other mail
- Collectors calling you about debts that aren’t yours
- Unfamiliar accounts or charges on your credit report
- Medical charges for services you didn’t receive
- A denied health insurance claim because records show you’ve reached your benefits limit
- A health plan won’t cover you because your medical records show a condition you don’t have
- Notice from the IRS that you have income from an employer you don’t work for, or that your tax return was already filed when it wasn’t
- Receiving a tax transcript that you didn’t request
- You receive a tax refund that you didn’t request
- You get notified that your personal information was stolen during a data breach at a company where you do business or have an account
- You’re turned down for credit or offered a credit line at a higher interest rate
- A stranger is trying to collect unemployment benefits in your name
- Your credit score is suddenly rising for no apparent reason
- You identify small charges on your credit card (known as “test charges”) that you didn’t make
- You receive a much larger amount of solicitations for “big-ticket” items
Take a look at the FTC’s report on Theft types reported in Texas:
Phishing
What is Phishing?
Phishing attacks come from scammers disguised as trustworthy sources and can facilitate access to all types of sensitive data.
What is Phishing? | Microsoft Security
Phishing emails and texts usually use these 4 tactics to get you quickly respond without questioning the sender:
•Sense of urgency
•Emotional manipulation
•False sense of trust
•Unassuming text
Who can become a victim of phishing?
Like identity theft, anyone can become a victim of a phishing scam.
How can you identify phishing attempts?
Take a look at this email example. Do you notice anything wrong with it?
Phishing.org has provided this guide to help you identify red flags in emails. There are 22 components you can look at to identify phishing emails.
The following tips are available at What is Phishing? | Microsoft Security:
- Don’t trust display names
- Check the sender’s email address before opening a message—the display name might be a fake.
- Check for typos
- Spelling mistakes and poor grammar are typical in phishing emails. If something looks off, flag it.
- Look before clicking
- Hover over hyperlinks in genuine-sounding content to inspect the link address.
- Read the salutation
- If the email is addressed to “Valued Customer” instead of to you, be wary. It’s likely fraudulent.
- Review the signature
- Check for contact information in the email footer. Legitimate senders always include them.
- Beware of threats
- Fear-based phrases like “Your account has been suspended” are prevalent in phishing emails.
Report Phishing
Did you know AgriLife IT has a fast and easy way to report phishing emails?
When you receive an email that you suspect as being a phishing email like below:
1.Open the message, then
2. Select the Report Message option in your menu bar
3. Then click on the Phishing option
4. Click on Report to send the phishing email to Microsoft to improve filtering
The message is then marked as Phishing and moved to your deleted items.
Imposter scams
What is an Imposter Scam?
Imposter scams come in many varieties, but work the same way: a scammer pretends to be someone you trust to convince you to send them money.
Imposter Scams | Consumer Advice (ftc.gov)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has identified the following as common imposter scams. Click on each for more information about that specific scam:
Who can become a victim of imposter scams?
Like phishing scams and identity theft, anyone can become a victim. According to the FTC’s February 2022 Press Release,
More than $2.3 billion of losses reported last year were due to imposter scams—up from $1.2 billion in 2020
How can you protect yourself?
Staying alert and applying safe practices when you’re online or using your devices only makes a thief or scammer’s job difficult. Here are some helpful tips you can use to help protect yourself:
- Be aware of scams
- Make sure your account security is strong
- Never give out personal or financial information
- Verify who you are conversing with
- Do not click on anything suspicious
- If in doubt, don’t respond or hang up
- Report anything suspicious
You can also check out these resources that are related to specific scams:
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