Have you ever gotten a text or email warning you that something is wrong with an account online? Maybe it says your streaming account is about to be suspended unless you respond quickly. It might even have a link that will supposedly fix your account’s problems. The message looks real. But is it?
Your first instinct might be to click to solve your problems. Don’t click. There’s likely nothing wrong. Instead, it might be a phishing scam. That’s when scammers pose as well-known companies to get you to give up sensitive information via text or email. A phishing email might:
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
While real companies might send you emails or text messages, they won’t do things like send a link to update your payment information. Only scammers do that. Even opening a link in an unexpected text or email can expose you to scammers — even if you don’t enter any sensitive info.
So, don’t click on any links in unexpected emails or texts. If you’re concerned, contact the company directly using a link you already use or a phone number you know is correct. And if you think you’ve given someone your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and get a recovery plan. If you clicked on a link in an unexpected email, update your security software and run a scan to look for viruses and malware.
Then report the phishing scam. Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, forward suspicious texts to SPAM (7726), and forward suspicious emails to ReportPhishing@apwg.org.
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
- We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
- We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
- We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
- We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Its running rampant. The website that swindled me out of a lot of money is still up and running.
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