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Three Email Scams That Trap the Unwary By Christine Durst & Michael Haaren, Dallas Morning News / Creators Syndicate Columnists Dec. 8, 2011 As we budget for the holidays and wonder whatever possessed our children to think we could pay for their recession-proof wish lists, the con artists hope we can fill their stockings, too. Here are three new and returning scams we’ve found in our in-boxes lately, and how to handle them. 1. Bogus messages from LinkedIn. With more than 100 million users, LinkedIn offers plenty of geese for scammers to pluck. To its credit, the network uses a simple email template, light on graphics and easy to read. Unfortunately, this also makes it easy to “spoof,” or counterfeit. The trap often masquerades as a notice that the recipient’s account has been closed, or an invitation to join a stranger’s network. Many friendly souls routinely accept Facebook friend requests from strangers, so why not LinkedIn, too? Alas, clicking on the link infects their system with malware. Being lazy, scammers like “oldies but goodies” – con games that have worked before, and can be brought back with little effort to snare a fresh batch of rabbits. These “evergreens” are often seen in the work-at-home arena, with rebate-processor and data-entry schemes. LinkedIn phishing emails, too, appeared last year, and will surely be with us in 2012. To spot them, mouse over the “LinkedIn” links in the email. They should match the links displayed at the bottom of your email window as you move your mouse. If you’re still unsure of the message’s legitimacy, just log in to your LinkedIn account and check for messages. 2. Bogus messages from the IRS. As the year winds to a close, consumers have been hit once again with a blizzard of phony IRS emails. Messages are baited with subject lines such as “Federal tax transfer returned” and “Rejected federal tax payment.” Messages include the IRS logo and a “tax transaction ID.” The alarming text tells you that your recent tax transaction was returned or rejected by your financial institution. A link to a “Tax Transaction Report,” with the details, purports to be a PDF file. If you mouse over the link, however, you’ll see the real destination where the con artist hopes you’ll go. These and similar emails have become so prevalent that the IRS has created a detailed page of warnings and instructions on how to report them. For more, go to the IRS site here. 3. Bogus messages from Twitter. With traffic-monitor Compete.com reporting 37 million unique visitors to its site in October, and everyone from grandparents to Elmo signing on, Twitter offers rich rewards to hackers and spammers alike. The spam often purports to be a message from one of the target’s followers. Since many Twitter users have follower lists numbering in the thousands and beyond (Elmo himself has 23,000, Lady Gaga 17 million), it’s easy to see why recipients might not know if a given message was fake. When in doubt, just log on to your Twitter account and click on “Messages.” If you find nothing new, move your finger to the consumer’s authentic friend in the Information Age – the delete button. ---- Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is Work at Home Now, a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM |
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