It's that time of year again...October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month! This year's theme is "Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart." What better way to kick off the month than with an overview (in no particular order) of popular scams in 2020! Some scams have been particularly prevalent over these last few weeks, including tech support scams, Amazon/Apple scams, and jury duty scams.
Unemployment Scams
Cybercriminals are after your unemployment benefits, regardless of your employment status. They are filing unemployment claims using your information. They may obtain your information through Data Broker websites, the Dark Web or they may call, email or text you (claiming to be a reputable organization like the World Health Organization) in hopes you'll be trusting and disclose what they need in order to file a claim.
Please Note: There are steps you can take to defend against this. Add a credit freeze with each of the three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and add a one year fraud alert with one of the credit reporting agencies (start with Experian--they will share with Equifax and Transunion).
Stimulus Fraud Scams
Phishing emails, fake text messages, and robo-calls, claiming to be the Treasury Department or your bank, are being used by scammers to offer stimulus help in exchange for your personal financial information, an advance fee, or charge of any kind, including the purchase of gift cards.
Please Note: Nobody will call to ask for your Social Security, bank account, or credit card number nor should you have to pay to receive any stimulus relief payment or grant.
Apple/Amazon Scams
Apple and Amazon have been very popular of late with cybercriminals. Scammers are calling individuals saying something is wrong with their account or that erroneous purchases were made. To "fix" the issue, they may try to collect personal information from you over the phone, send you gift cards only to have you give them the gift card numbers, or even attempt to connect onto your device.
Please Note:Apple & Amazon won't call you. If you receive a call or email saying you have erroneous purchases, don't click the link on the email. Instead, log into your Apple or Amazon account to confirm.
Tech Support Scams
Last are the widely popular tech support scams. With the pandemic, we saw a rise of individuals actively on their mobile devices and computers. The scammers also took note of this. They make phone calls to you and/or display fake pop up ads on your devices, saying you've been infected and they need to help you. They will instruct you to download software that will allow them to remotely connect to your device. Once connected, they may download actual malware to your device or request that you pay them to fix the "issue."
Please Note: Never let someone you don't know connect to your device. Companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, etc., won't call you. Their processes involve you contacting them. If you do need to call a company, make sure it's the correct number. Scammers will list fake support numbers in Google searches in hopes you'll call them. As a BlackCloak client, we're actively monitoring the devices you've placed under our protection. If there is an issue with a device, we'll alert you. Additionally, if you're having trouble finding a company's support number, reach out to us and we'll point you in the right direction.
Remote Working
At the height of the pandemic, most people were working from home, and cybercriminals were not going to let this opportunity slip by. They sent phishing emails for fake virtual meetings for platforms like Zoom. These emails were designed to obtain your account login information, download malware to your devices, or have you join an actual meeting in order to harass you or ask for money. With users on these web platforms for the first time, many didn't know what proper security controls to set, and as such scammers were able to join live web sessions.
Please Note: Many people have not yet gone back into an office and are still working remotely. These scams have not stopped. Always question unsolicited meeting invitations you receive.
Jury Duty Scams
Scammers are calling individuals claiming to work for the local court system or law enforcement. They threaten to arrest them or incarcerate them for missing jury duty.
Please Note: Notifications from the court are primarily mailed on official letterhead or served in person. If you receive a call like this, hang up and call your local court system to verify.
Charity Fraud
The global pandemic has kept charities very busy providing support to those in need. Scammers have recognized this and decided to create their own fake charities. They have created legitimate-looking websites, emails and have even modified their caller ID name to seal the deal.
Please Note: You always want to verify or validate the organization before making a donation. There are websites like Charitynavigator.org and Charitywatch to validate a charity.
Tax Deadline
Due the the pandemic, the IRS granted extensions for filing taxes to July 15, 2020. Cybercriminals took advantage of this by sending phishing emails and text messages and by making fake phone calls to individuals claiming to be the IRS in hopes to capture your sensitive personal information.
Please Note: The IRS will never initiate contact by phone, text, or email. They use the USPS to contact taxpayers.
For any of the scams described above, you don't have to navigate it alone.
Contact BlackCloak if you suspect you have received one and we can assist.
As always, the BLACKCLOAK Team is here to help. If you have any questions, email us at ask@blackcloak.io.
Thanks!
The BLACKCLOAK Team
We're actively monitoring your devices to ensure you're protected.
If you get a new device, email us so we can protect it.
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69%
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customers with passwords exposed on the Deep/Dark Web
27%
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customers with hacked computers, cameras, or phones
75%
Privacy Leaks
customer devices configured to overshare location and private data
