09/04/2024

Don’t take the bait on phishing scams

FTC

Have you ever gotten a text or email warning you that something is wrong with an account online? Maybe it says your streaming account is about to be suspended unless you respond quickly. It might even have a link that will supposedly fix your account’s problems. The message looks real. But is it?

Your first instinct might be to click to solve your problems. Don’t click. There’s likely nothing wrong. Instead, it might be a phishing scam. That’s when scammers pose as well-known companies to get you to give up sensitive information via text or email. A phishing email might:

• say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
• claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
• say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t

While real companies might send you emails or text messages, they won’t do things like send a link to update your payment information. Only scammers do that. Even opening a link in an unexpected text or email can expose you to scammers — even if you don’t enter any sensitive info.