New Postal Text Scam

Emails are a quick and easy way for hackers to phish for your information—but hackers have more than one trick up their sleeve.

Smishing, or SMS Phishing (text), is another way the bad guys are trying to dupe you. Text ads and notifications are something we are all used to receiving by now.  Legitimate promotions fron our favorite eatery, fraud reminders from our bank, and security notifications all arrive on our phones via text message. These messages—both real and fake—are brief and often include links, so it can be difficult to decipher a smishing attempt.

One recent smishing con involves scammers pretending to be your local postal service while sending malicious text messages as part of their smishing attack. The message claims that you have a package waiting for pick up, but to see more information you must click the link in the text. If you click the link, you’re taken to a phony verification page. Here, you’re asked to enter your banking information in order to verify your identity. If you provide any information on this page, your data is sent directly to the hackers—giving them full access to your bank account. Don’t be fooled!

Here’s a few tips to stay safe from this smishing attack:

• Always think twice before you click. Are you expecting a package? Is this how the postal service usually handles things? Don’t they usually leave a note on your door? Consider anything out of the ordinary a red flag.
• Never trust a link in an email or text message that you were not expecting. Instead of clicking the link, open your browser and type the official URL of the website you wish to visit.
• Go old school. Pick up the phone and call your local post office. Be sure to call their official phone number—not the one that sent you the suspicious text message.

If you need assistance with cybersecurity or security awareness training for your business contact us at [email protected]

Source: Knowbe4

Image Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/post-office-facade-2510068/

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/warning-over-convincing-australia-post-text-message-scam/news-story/4599bf412f4f61d1dd5e46ab04a788fc#:~:text=The%20scam%20works%20by%20sending%20a%20text%20message,link%2C%20and%20pay%20a%20fee%2C%20to%20retrieve%20it.