Thieves are out in full force during the holidays looking to rip off people shopping for gifts. Some have even gone so far as to devise elaborate schemes to trick you out of personal information and steal your money. Tap or click here for details on holiday scams making the rounds and how to outsmart them.
There’s a new money-stealing scam that you need to watch for. It ditches the traditional method of attaching malware to an email or cold-calling you with some bogus scam. Instead, the scammers expect you to call them.
Keep reading to learn how this tricky scam works so you can avoid falling victim.
Here’s the backstory
Phishing emails typically follow the blueprint of including malicious links or attachments that, if clicked, will infect your device with malware. But this new technique is downright devious.
Thieves are now sending emails to unsuspecting victims that look like an invoice for a purchase they didn’t make. Instead of including a malicious link, the email provides a phone number you can call if you have questions about the purchase. And, since you didn’t make the purchase, of course, you have questions.
That’s when the scam kicks in. If you call the number in the email, you’re connected to a call center staffed by thieves.
The fake staffers will explain that you’ll need to download a…
