Another common method is to ask you to enter information into a fake website that looks and feels just like the real one. The message may contain a nefarious link leading to an unsecure page that could put your security and privacy at risk. It occurs when a user receives a fake message via social media channel or email from a hacker or social engineer posing as a legitimate business. Then you should be able to see if this mysterious order actually appears in their system.Phishing is a type of “ social engineering” where a scammer (threat actor) tries to collect personal information from you. If you have an account with them, open your web browser to a new tab and use your own saved favorite or internet search to sign into your account. Go to their official website and contact them at their published phone number. If you still want to confirm if the message is real, open your web browser to a new tab and do an internet search for the organization the message claims to be from. If you're still not sure if the message is real or fake, ask a friend or family member whose advice you trust. Look closely for clues like the ones we just talked about. They know you probably won't be fooled if you stop to think about it, so they want you to react before you've stopped to think about it. Then, curiously, says you need to contact them "within 48 hours", or "right away." Notice in this example that it claims that "$499.99" will be withdrawn from your bank account TODAY. Scammers usually try to create some false urgency in order to get you to react quickly and emotionally before you've had time to think about it, or to ask a trusted advisor for their opinion. Weird spacing like that is one of the big clues that this message is likely to be fake. Notice the odd spacing in the phone number? Just like with the logo that's a trick to try and get around any filters that might be looking for their phone number. Why is "Subscription" used as a proper noun, and why is it a different color? Phrases like ".in your bank account statement" or "auto-paid" don't seem like how a professional company would write a customer message. That doesn't mean real messages never have errors, but this much poor writing is suspicious. That's another clue that this probably isn't a real confirmation message from a professional company.Īside from the date, the entire message is awkwardly worded and formatted. This message uses an odd date format: "Jan/05/2022". You should quickly find examples of their actual logo you can compare it to. If you get a message with a suspicious-looking logo and you want to see if it's real or not, open your web browser to a new tab and do an internet search for the organization the message claims to be from. Tip: Notice the weird spacing in the "N O R T O N" logo? That's intentional to try and hide from filters that might be looking for the word "Norton" and it's another clue that this message is bogus. In fact, it's a malicious macro designed to steal or damage your personal data, install ransomware on your machine, gain access to your machine, or use your device to attack other people. If you're on the phone with the scammer they will insist that enabling the embedded active content is perfectly safe, and entirely necessary, to complete the cancellation. When you open the file, you'll see a notification at the top of the screen asking you to Enable Content. This file will almost certainly include malware. The scammers may ask you to download a file, usually a Microsoft Word or Excel file, enter your information into the file, and send that file back to them to cancel the order. They want that information so they can actually charge your credit card, steal money from your bank account, or use your identity to open other accounts. If you protest, they'll insist they only need that information to confirm your identity.ĭon't be fooled. They'll want your name, address, phone number, and very likely your credit card or banking information. They'll claim it's for the purposes of canceling the fake order. Either way, the ultimate goal of the scammers is to get you to give them some personal information. In order to cancel the fake order, you'll either have to click a link or call them on the telephone. Where they get you is when you try to cancel the fake order. Operators are standing by.to steal your information Then it casually offers instructions on how you can cancel the order if you want to. The message looks common enough, and it says that money will be charged to your credit card or withdrawn from your bank account for the product or service. Of course, you never ordered whatever product or service it's confirming. The way it works is that you get a message, usually in email or text, that appears to be a routine confirmation for an order. A popular tactic of criminals is the "fake order" scam.
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