Look Out: Today’s Thieves are Putting on a Professional Face
Forget “You may have already won!” Today’s criminals are putting on a professional (and much more believable) face to nab personal information and dupe their victims.
Everyone knows to steer clear of e-mails titled “Urgent Message from Nigerian Account” or “You may have already won!”.
Nor are many people likely to fall for “Your credit card is ready” scams.
But what about when a defrauder poses as your very own bank? Perhaps the e-mail includes information that you would think only a legitimate source could have. Or the message is so serious—or even threatening—you just can’t help but open it.
You think you can tell the difference between an internet scammer and the real deal. But can you? Today’s hackers, phishers and con men (and women!) are better than ever at instilling believability…and stealing your personal information.
Playing on Emotions
According to experts in the field of identity theft prevention, the evolution of computer thievery has now come full circle. Once a simple matter of technical sneaky ability (such as hacking or installing viruses), the most prolific criminals today play upon the emotions of their victims.
For example, how would you react to your bank notifying you that it had been hacked and that your account, along with thousands of others, might be at risk? The bank’s security software has immediately been updated, of course. But in the process, some information may have been lost. It’s easy to remedy: simply call their 800 number to update some of your personal information.
Yes, smart (and sneaky) criminals know how to pose as your bank online, even stealing its logo, your account number and obtaining a temporary (and phony) toll-free number. What does it cost the thief? Not much. Amazingly, all these M.O.s can be virtually untraceable…and seem remarkably on-the-level.
The irony is that in pretending to be protecting you from hackers, they’re the ones doing the hacking—a “hiding in plain sight” method that is working well…and causing ID theft rates to rise.
You’ve Been Served
Another way to elicit a knee-jerk response from potential victims is, believe it or not, to send a phony subpoena. Incredibly, this method is gaining momentum among the criminal community and causing frightened individuals to relay their information in a panic to prove the “court” in error.
In fact, phony legal issues seem to be a favorite among ID thieves due to the high rate of response. Included in this category are notifications of bad checks, moneys owed and other issues that victims fear could result in trouble with the law.
Staying Calm; Unraveling the Truth
If you receive notification of actions you are certain you didn’t take (such as bouncing checks), the rule of thumb is to stay calm…and do your own investigating.
First, look up the phone number of the company organization yourself. Do not call a phone number that’s included in a frightening/threatening e-mail. (This includes “direct numbers” to your county if the issue is supposed to be a legal one.) When you call, you may be notified that no records of any such letter or e-mail exist. If so, call the police immediately and file a report. Don’t let it go—criminals who go unchecked will only get bolder, causing the identity theft problem to escalate.
If you receive “notification” via phone call, tell the individual you will call him or her back. Many times, this will result in a hang-up, telling you everything you need to know. (Again, report it.) If the person does read off a phone number for you to dial, hang up and again, look the number up yourself.
ID criminals may be getting smarter, but so are consumers. Stay in the know so you can avoid becoming tomorrow’s victim of a scam artist who thinks he’s got your number.
