Over the last several weeks, I have received several phishing emails. If you are not familiar with phishing, it is someone who is trying to gain access to your information through nefarious means, so they can steal your identity, information or even your money. With how quickly artificial intelligence has evolved, it has made phishing a lot easier for these bad actors.
The emails I have received are written in a way that they sound like they are purchasing a new home and are in need of a home insurance quote/policy. Once we correspond and ask for a few pertinent details, they provide zero details in their response and they ask us to hop on a zoom call. They may state they have a health condition and prefer to speak over zoom, which is why they do not provide any real information about themselves. This is the phishing attempt; hoping we will click on the link, because we want something they have, so we can engage in selling an insurance policy.
If we agreed to hop on a zoom call with them, the link would most likely provide them access to everything on my computer. Fortunately, I was aware of these scams and knew better than to fall for this attempted attack. We never received a link and ceased all communication, blocked and reported the emails as phishing.
There are other phishing scams going on as well (too many to share). But one other quick story I will share is a malware scam (I believe). The email may arrive from someone you know, via Paperless POST. It is a friendly envelope with a subject of RSVP to my party or BBQ weekend with Friends and Family (similar to an evite). When you click on any link to view the card or calendar, an email will be sent to everyone in your database, which keeps the virus moving forward. Whether or not it does more damage to you or your information is not completely known (and I hope we never find out).
With scams on the rise and digital opportunities at our fingertips, please be vigilant before clicking any links or accepting any requests from people you may or may not know. When in doubt, call the person/business from the saved number you have or by googling them. Do not trust any information in the email as it could be just one digit off and one click away from giving the scam artists everything they want....your information!
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