Warning: seasonal scammers digging for data
THE email from my broadband provider was fairly authentic looking with logo and colour scheme. “We contacted you last month to let you know about changes we are making to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy”, it read. (A correct statement, as it happens.)
It went on: “These changes are key steps towards creating what’s next for our consumers, like you, while empowering them with transparency and controls over how and when their data is used.” (Blah, blah).
There was advice on how to check revised polices and all the usual reassuring stuff about privacy.
Then came the dodgy part which invited me to click a link so that I could continue to use my email account. This action would “confirm acceptance of the new terms of service and help manage data choices in relation to the processing of that data”.
That’s when I re-checked the identity of the sender – and you can probably guess the rest.
The clever thing about this attempted scam wasn’t just that the appearance was right but that it chimed with an earlier notification. I’ve no idea if that was by design or just coincidence but it shows how sophisticated the conmerchants have become.
A rule of thumb readily applies in instances where you get a message out of the blue telling you that a service is about to be terminated unless you act quickly is to pause and carefully check the sender’s email address. It’s very likely to be a scam.
Looking for other tell-tale signs, like poor spelling or bad grammar, is also good idea.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure the link would have urged me to give up my email address and password. This would potentially open several doors for the scammers who know that many people use the same password for a variety of applications, including online purchasing.
Quite often, clicking on a link has no visible effect. What you don’t see though is that the action can place “spyware” onto your computer – which enables future scams by collecting information.
That’s because villains trade on plausibility. They know most of us are immediately wary of “get rich quick” offers. However, we tend to be intrigued when the message includes something personal to us; like where we live or a service we regularly use, such as email.
Tomorrow is Black Friday, which means the scammers and fraudsters will be hard at it. So, besides taking extra care to stay safe from the crooks, I’d recommend a quick visit to the Stop Fraud website on https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/
This will tell you about a national campaign that offers straightforward and impartial advice to help protect against preventable financial fraud. It’s definitely worth it.