About a month ago, I talked about phish scammers targeting Google emails. But recently, police officers across the country warn us of another scheme. They give us this alert: Phish scammers target cell phones.
So this is how they do it. The phish scammers call cell phones. Then, they ask the person, “Can you hear me?” The person says ‘yes’. Then the scammers record the ‘yes’. Furthermore, they use that unintentional ‘yes’ to authorize charges you really didn’t agree to. In this day and age, you need more than a recorded yes to make purchases. That should be the case, at least. But they can use the world ‘yes’ to get fake permission on charges.
But keep in mind some of these phish scammers already have credit and debit card numbers. In fact, there’s no telling what info they might have. So they can use a combination of a fake yes and stolen info to get goods on your dollar. That’s the danger police fear. In fact, that’s the danger computer repair experts and security experts fear. So what do we do about it?
Don’t answer any ‘unknown telephone calls’. Just let it go to voicemail. And if they don’t leave you a voicemail, you know how suspicious the call was. In fact, don’t answer any call unless you know the number. In the 1980s, there was little way to know who is calling. But nowadays, just about everyone has caller ID, no matter how old your cell phone is. Put it to good use. Check your bank statements and other documents…often! And if you do find something wrong, contact your financial institution and/or law enforcement immediately! Here in our Boston computer service shop, we tell customers this face to face. And of course, if they get pushy for that yes, then it’s okay to hang up. What tips do you have to keep the good guys safe?