Cyber Awareness

[Convert3]

Cybersecurity Awareness Reminders

Social distancing, shelter in place…phrases that express the seriousness of our “new normal.” Hopefully these phrases will soon become a memory. One thing that will be here for quite some time are the scams based upon COVID-19. Yes, we are now under a second kind of pandemic…the Scammer Pandemic.

One of the most disturbing COVID-19 scams begins with a phone call. Caller ID may indicate that the call is coming from a health care or government official and that a loved one has been hospitalized with coronavirus (COVID-19). They attempt to get you to give them credit card information, over the phone, now, to “prepay the hospital bills”. It doesn’t stop there. Scammers are now showing at your door. How do you stay safe from these predators?

When on the Phone

· Never trust caller ID.

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· Understand that government agencies are NOT going to call you. For valid information, check their websites.

· If in doubt, ask for the caller’s name and the name of the agency/organization that they claim to represent. Hang up. If it was a legitimate visit, call the organization using a number from their website directly to ask for the information.

When at Home

· Just like the phones, government agencies are NOT going to pay you a visit at home. Do NOT let these folks into your homes.

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· Ask for ID and their supervisor’s name to contact to ”confirm“ the visit.

· Again, never call a number that is provided to you, always look them up yourself and never provide personal information.

· In any case, never provide personal information.

 

[JanR]

And COVID19 scams aren’t the only con games out there.

I loved the call I got when a very rude lady said she was from the IRS, and I was about to be arrested for not paying my taxes. Since I knew I DID pay my taxes, I just laughed at her and hung up. But, you would be surprised at how many people go into panic mode when they get these kinds of calls, and think they’re in trouble when they’re not.

It got me to thinking of how cruel an agency the real IRS must be if people tremble in their shoes at the mere mention of someone being one of their agents, even if it’s bogus.

Then there are those callers who tell you you’ve just won a contents and in order to claim your prize you must give them some personal information. I’ve gotten those, and I don’t usually enter contests.

Folks, do be careful. They’re getting more and more clever each day.

 

[Convert3]

The best answer when you get one of the fraudulent IRS calls is to say the government takes the taxes out of your FBI paycheck. They’ll hang up.