Another day, another ploy to rip you off appears. It seems as soon as we find a great way to protect ourselves from cybercriminals, they are two steps ahead and find another loophole.
One of the new schematics used by thieves incorporates vishing. Of course, vishing is when criminals carry out phishing attacks over the phone. Tap or click here for a recent FBI warning on the rise in vishing scams.
A new vishing scam targeting Windows PC users threatens your wallet. Read on for more information on the new smart cyber attack that could allow hackers to take over your computer.
Here is the backstory
We are all quite familiar with phishing attacks. Usually, an email is sent in disguise to search inboxes to see who is biting the hook. Vishing is quite similar, except that it uses a different form of technology to get you. Your phone.
Vishing is when thieves try to rip you off over the phone. Their goal is to make you believe that they are affiliated with a legitimate business to try to collect your data or your money before they understand you. A new vishing scam targeting Windows users is doing the trick you need to know about.
Microsoft Defender … or not
It is the third of its kind this year. It is so well designed that it fools even the most trained eyes. It starts with a spoofed Microsoft Defender email that includes an invoice.
The spoofed email has no misspelled words, beats Google’s servers, and looks incredibly real. It also comes with a toll free number that you can call.
The message does not include any attachments or links, which is usually a red flag that it could be a phishing scam. But the email itself is not the dangerous part. You can see the smart authenticity in the email in the above photo from Armorblox.
What happens if you call the number?
The email is just the setup for the scam. If you call the included phone number, this is where you might get into trouble. Once on the phone, crooks will attempt to make you download software that allows them to remotely access your PC and everything on it.
Once you download the software, you are at the mercy of the hacker and you will be faced with potentially devastating damage.
How to deal with vishing attacks
With any scam, prevention is always the best method. Here are some suggestions to avoid falling victim to vishing:
- Do not call numbers from unsolicited messages – If you receive unsolicited emails, texts or phone calls, do not call the included phone numbers. If you are dealing with a company, find their official phone number on their website to get in touch.
- These downloads could cause problems – Computer scams are among the oldest tricks in the book. If someone calls you and asks you to download software, don’t. Tap or click here for an example of fraudulent callers pretending to be telephone operators and what happens if they cheat on you.
- Protect identifiers – If your login details are requested, do not hand them over. Legitimate businesses will not request this information over the phone.
- If in doubt, hang up – If you feel rushed, nervous or suspicious, hang up the phone and give yourself time to think.
Keep reading
Shopping scams are on the rise – Here’s how to protect your wallet
Medicare enrollment is open – and phone scams are out of control
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