Beware of Missed Delivery Parcel Scams This Christmas

 Millions of people go Christmas shopping online. Fraudsters exploit the shopping season by sending scam emails and texts and that's why you should never forget to boost your cybersecurity. These scammers claim that they’re from a trustworthy company and they want to inform you that they were unable to deliver a package.

They also provide a link to a website where you will be asked to key in your bank card details so you can pay additional postage costs. If you don’t your item will be returned to sender. A few days later, you’ll get a call telling you that your bank account is compromised and you have to move the money to a secure account. What you don’t’ know is that the secure account their referring to is still under their control.

A lot of consumers have reported to have fallen victim to missed delivery parcel scams. Some messages even claim that address information provided is incomplete that’s why the parcel wasn’t delivered. They'll say that the need to get more details so they can try to redeliver the parcel. They will then offer collection from their warehouse and say that the arranged delivery isn’t for free.

 

 

Always remember that legitimate firms don’t ask for bank details through texts or emails. You should be careful of these kinds of scams. It’s best if you know how to spot fraudulent texts and email.

Never click on links form emails that come from people or entity you don’t know or not familiar with. It’s better if you type the website address directly into a web browser.

Cybercriminals are looking to cash in on people who are sending and expecting to receive gifts during the holidays. Consumers who are tricked into clicking on the infected links will later on get a call from the fraudster pretending to be from the fraud team of a bank and will try to convince the unsuspecting victim to move their cash to a new account or provide their passcodes.

Never do this whether it’s through text, call, or email. Take the time to think before you part with your money or information. Don’t click on links in a text message or email because it could be a scam. If you receive these kinds of emails or text, be sure to report to the authorities right away. You should also improve your email security.

Scammers are also exploiting the COVID vaccination program by saying that people are given the opportunity to get the shot much sooner. These are done via text or voice message through phone. In both cases, the victim is asked to reply by pressing 1 after they receive the call or by clicking on a link in the text message. They will then be asked to provide their financial details and personal information to book for the vaccination. Don’t be fooled. Always be careful.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let us help you improve your company’s cybersecurity Florence SC strategies so you’ll be less at risk of falling victim to cyberattacks.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

5 Types of Phishing Scams and How To Protect Against Them

Phishing scams come in different forms. They do not just use different online methods like pop up ads and fake emails but could also include phone calls. The individuals behind such scams tend to employ fear tactics to force their victims to take the bait.

Phishing can be considered as an online con game. Phishers, or people who run this scam, are tech savvy identity thieves and con artists. They use malicious websites, spam, instant messages, and email messages to trick individuals into giving out sensitive information. Credit card accounts, banking information, passwords, and usernames are just a few of the details that phishers are looking to exploit.

5 Common Phishing Scams and How To Avoid Them

Phishing scams are made to appear as though they come from dependable sources, it’s smart to know the difference between fraudulent and real messages and how to identify a few clues that the message could be a scam. Here’s a list of the five type of phishing scams and how you can avoid them.

Email Phishing Scams

Email phishing scams are fraudulent emails that look like a company or person that’s known to the victim. It tries to illegally accumulate personal or/and financial details from the recipient.

A phishing Florence SC message generally includes at least a single link to a fraudulent website, which is designed to replicate the website of a legitimate business. The message encourages the recipient to give out information that could be used for online financial theft or identity fraud.

Avoiding email phishing scams

• Don’t download attachments or click on links from an unfamiliar email.
• Pay attention and always be vigilant.
• Double check the URL for misspelled web address.

Vishing Scams

Voice or VOIP phishing is just like email phishing but scam involves voice, instead. It’s a phone scam wherein a person is scared or tricked into giving out personal information or valuable financial details to scammers.

Avoiding vishing scams

• Don’t give personal or any confidential information over the phone.
• Don’t call the number the caller provides. Instead, check the company website and make sure that they are running a legitimate business.
• Watch out for misspellings or other red flags.

Tech Support Cold Scams

Scammers call their targets and pretend to be from a well known security company. They will lie and tell you that they detected malware on your computer. They will pretend to give you a solution by asking you to allow them to install a certain kind of remote desktop software. This will let the attacker gain access to your computer to install real malware. Apart from trying to install software on the computer, they will also ask for a fee for the repair service.

Avoiding tech support call scams

• Look up the number of the company that the tech support agent is claiming to be working for.
• Don’t allow remote access to your computer.

Popup Warning Scams

Popups come up when someone is browsing the web and notices a small ad or graphic appear on their screen. Generally, these popups are related to the content that you are viewing and link to a different website with a similar merchandise or content that is related to the content.

Malicious popups could be intrusive, which will make it hard for you to close the ad or graphic. They might show a message that states that the computer is infected with malware and provide a phone number for help with getting rid of the malware. Generally, the cybercriminals create popups appear like they originate from a reliable source in hopes that they will look like a legitimate company.

Avoiding popup scams

• Check the message closely.
• Don’t click on the pop-up.

Fake Search Results Scams

Fraudulent firms tend to use paid search ads for what they refer to as support services to make it look like they are a legitimate and reputable company. These listings may appear on top of a search results page, which is a prime location. The results look like it’s real and they will promise to provide support and deals that are too good to be true. This is one of the common ways they use to trick people into allowing them to “fix” their computer. But when you click on the ad, you end up downloading a malware to your device, which will compromise your computer security.

Avoiding fake search result scams

• Check the url closely.
• Use a secure search service.

What to do if you have been scammed?

If you think that you have been a victim of a phishing scam, here are the things you can do:

• Change the passwords of your accounts.
• Scan for viruses on your computer by running a full system scan.
• Call your bank and report that you may have been a victim of a phishing scam.
• Use a reliable anti-virus program.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. and let our team assess your email security. We also have a range of IT solutions to help boost your cybersecurity.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence