Phishing Scams: Don't Take the Bait!
Scammers are reportedly targeting people through a phishing campaign created for the purpose of acquiring personal information.
FTC Warns of Employment Phishing Scams
The Federal Trade Commission is currently warning of scammers sending out text phishing messages or emails that appear to be from trusted employment or workforce agencies. The messages direct you to click on links that will either ask you to verify your information or reactivate your UI (Unemployment Insurance) benefits account. The sites will then prompt you to enter your account and personal information, such as your Social Security number.
How Phishing Scams Work
Phishing scams have been around since the late 1990s, but many people are still unfamiliar with them. They get their name from online scammers “fishing” for your data in hopes that you will be “lured” into “taking the bait.”
Phishing scams are cleverly designed to trap even the most knowledgeable people. Official-looking emails or text messages simulate or “spoof” legitimate organizations or individuals, but link back to fake websites, often leading victims to type in their passwords, account information or other personal data.
3 Tips to Protect Yourself
1. Stop and think, don’t click that link! Slow down when sorting and responding to emails. Scammers thrive on victims not paying close attention.
2. When in doubt, check it out! By hovering your cursor over the email address, you can see if the email appears to be from the company or from some questionable individual or unknown source.
3. To protect yourself, FTC suggests ignoring messages that you receive that ask for your personal information. State agencies will NOT contact you via phone, text messages or emails for this information. To double-check on the legitimacy of the message you receive, the FTC suggests that you contact your local state workforce agency directly.
COVID-19 Scam Reported in Reno:
"I received a text message from a number I don't know with a link to a website that looks like it could be legit. It asked for demographic information. I did not fill out the form. Instead, I googled the information and saw sites that indicated the site was a scam."
If you receive a message and you suspect it's a scam, report the phishing attack to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. or copy the message and forward it to 7726 (SPAM). You can also visit https://nevadafund.org/scams for more tips on how to protect yourself from scams.
