Think Before You Click!

Scams happen, but here’s how you can avoid them.

You’re busy, deeply focused on something important, when your phone beeps at you. Frustrated at being pulled out of your work, you quickly look down at your screen. Great. Yet another issue with your mail. It’s probably that important, time-sensitive gift getting delayed yet again. You sigh as you open the text message and skim through it quickly.

It reads:

Your package (Ref: #UK2938J) from Azamazamom scheduled for delivery has encountered an unexpected delay. To avoid further delays and additional storage fees, your’re immediate action is required.

🔗 Click here to resolve: bit.ly/IqT6zt

📦 Track your packages status and update delviery preferences to ensure your tiems timely arrival.

Act swiftly to avoid inconvenience!

So, you click it, trying to get through the provided form quickly. You give them the info they’re asking for–ugh, they need your phone number and credit card info again?– and then get back to work.

A day or two later, your phone practically blows up with telemarketing calls, swearing they’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty. Or maybe your phone just plain stops working and you get an email with a ransom to unlock it. Or maybe you check your bank account only to find it’s been cleaned out.

The truth is, we’ve all been there. We’ve all absentmindedly clicked a link we shouldn’t have, picked up a call that turned out to be a scammer or opened an email that gave our computer a nasty virus. These scams are so commonplace nowadays that we even joke about them with each other, whether it’s the whole “we’ve been trying to reach you…” bit or jokingly debating sending some far-off impoverished prince a seed fund–he promised to return it ten-fold once he gets back to his palace and invests it, after all!

Scammers rely on the fact that we’re busy folks. They know that if they inundate you with as many scam messages as possible–and at as many times of day as possible–one will almost certainly fool you. The good news? There are a few tell-tale signs of scam texts and emails.

• Urgency: The message goes out of its way to create a sense of urgency, pressuring you to act quickly without giving you time to think or verify the information. This is especially effective if the message catches you when you’re busy or distracted.
• Generic Greetings: The message lacks personalization, failing to address you by name or provide specific details about the sender that could be verified.
• Suspicious Links: The URL is shortened or looks suspicious, not clearly belonging to a reputable carrier or company’s official domain. If it does contain words, rather than just a bit.ly like our example message does, they are misspelled or have random punctuation in places that the real company wouldn’t.
• Grammatical and Spelling Errors: While not always present, many scam messages contain subtle (or glaring) errors. Re-read our message from before–how many errors can you spot?
• Requests for Immediate Action: The message prompts you to click a link or provide information, a common tactic in phishing attempts. This data is what the scammer is after-they want your credit card number or birthday or your mother’s maiden name (or other common security question answers).

Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making them easier to fall prey to. Avoiding them requires vigilance and a proactive approach to security. Here are a few ways to avoid falling for a fast one:

• Think Before You Click: Take a moment to assess emails, messages, and phone calls before responding. Verify the sender’s identity independently rather than clicking links or using phone numbers provided in a suspicious message.
• Keep Your Computer and Devices Secure: Use reputable antivirus software and keep your operating system, browsers, and apps updated to protect against malware and other threats.
• Be Wary of Requests for Immediate Action: Many scams rely on creating a sense of urgency to trick you into acting without thinking. Always take your time to verify any requests, especially if they involve sending money, clicking links, or providing personal information.
• Report Scams: If you encounter a scam, report it to the Federal Trade Commission online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can help prevent others from falling victim to the same scam!
• Use ProtectIQ™: ProtectIQ is a network-level security application that works quietly in the background and proactively keeps malicious websites, viruses, and intrusions away from your home’s devices 24/7. By leveraging a large cloud database of known threats in real time, ProtectIQ can terminate the transfer of data before a malicious payload is delivered to any vulnerable devices in the network. As new threats are emerging daily, the threat database is continuously updated to offer protection against the latest threats.

ProtectIQ is included with your RTC Networks internet service on the Gigaspire router. If you don’t currently have a Gigaspire, please contact us to install this upgraded router for free. For more information, please visit our Wi-Fi page.