According to the security firm, ProofPrint, mobile phishing attempts increased by more than 300 percent in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the second. Most come in the form of alerts going to your text messages and voicemails from popular delivery companies such as USPS, Amazon, and PayPal.
These scams are designed to target people who are susceptible to online usage for purchasing, sending, and communicating due to having to stay home because of the current pandemic. Such phishing attempts are meant to grab the consumers financial information.
Amazon phishing scams, which are designed to make you click a link in order for the scammer to hack your info, are one of the most popular, assumingly due to the large population of Amazon customers. Due to the amount of people ordering from Amazon daily, it’s easy for people to click these links without even thinking.
Here’s how the scam works:
You get a text message appearing to be from Amazon (but the link is obviously not an Amazon link, as it is just a series of numbers and letters with the word “info” included). The link tells you “congratulations” and that you have won some sort of item in a raffle through Amazon. It then asks you to click a link. When you click this link, you become vulnerable for that cyber-criminal to steal your sensitive information.
Just so you know, Amazon will never ask you to provide sensitive personal information like your social security number, tax ID, bank account number, credit card information, ID questions like your mother’s maiden name or your password.
These attempts are not always by email! It can also happen in your Facebook Messenger, SMS, and even via a phone call.
If you have been a victim of a phishing scam or identity theft, you can contact us at Kay and Associates Investigations where we can help you find the culprit, sometimes regain lost funds, and help you protect your identity and online safety in the future.
info@kayandassociates.com
Call us today.
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