Even prosecutors get scam emails trying to steal their bank info. Watch out for these
By Amy Renee Leiker – The Wichita Eagle (TNS)
Dec. 31—No one, it seems, is immune to scams. Even the people who investigate and prosecute them.
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said this week that both he and an investigator in his office recently received emails that may look legitimate to the average person.
But they are really scams.
Bennett received a “activity alert” email on Dec. 30 from someone posing as a bank, warning that several hundred dollars plus a fee had been deducted from a personal checking or savings account, according to a news release from his office.
The message says Bennett is “a valued customer” who can “get refunded now” by simply clicking on an included button.
The other email, received by a DA’s Office investigator on Christmas, was a realistic-looking alert about a failed payment and expiring subscription from TV and movie streaming service Paramount Plus.
A link and button in the email promise to extend the subscription for free for 90 days. Just click and “update my payment details,” the message encourages.
But neither message was real, the release says.
The investigator’s family doesn’t even subscribe to Paramount Plus, Bennett said.
Emails like this have become so commonplace that the DA is again urging citizens to be on the lookout for them and avoid clicking on any links or buttons that promise quick fixes to these fake issues.
They’re a type of phishing fraud that tries to trick people into giving out personal information that can be used to compromise bank and credit card accounts, lead to identity theft or leave malware on your computer, authorities say.
Usually, they look like they’re coming from a company you know or trust — like a bank, TV service provider, utility, credit card, online payment website or an app — and warn about suspicious activity or another problem with your account. They may also urge you to update your personal or financial information, ask you to click links to make a payment or offer refunds or coupons for freebies, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Experts say people can help safeguard against falling for these types of scams by:
— Being suspicious of any email that appears to be from a business or official, claims an urgent matter needs to be resolves or plays on emotion
— Carefully checking the sender’s email address — often it won’t be from a legitimate source
— Looking for grammatical errors, generic greetings and other mistakes, which are telltale signs of fraud
— Not clicking on any links or buttons contained in a questionable email
— Contacting their bank or service provider directly to see if there really is a problem
— Using email spam filters and other security software
If you think a scammer has gotten a hold of your personal information, authorities suggest:
— Updating your security software and running a scan
— Contacting your financial institutions and get replacement cards or accounts when necessary
— Changing passwords on accounts
— Watching for charges you don’t recognize
— Reporting phishing attempts to the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov or your local authorities
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