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Atech MSP
3434 Truxtun Ave Suite 250
Bakersfield, California 93301
Scams are a scary prospect, and with today’s technology and current events being what they are, it’s all the more important that you remain aware of them so you can avoid them. With a whole year ahead of us, let’s consider some scams and scam-based trends that will likely continue throughout.
The thing about artificial intelligence is that it is a tool, and as such, it can be used by anyone for any goal. This includes scammers.
Unfortunately, scammers will be able to use these tools to improve their efforts, writing more convincing phishing messages, even creating images or even voice and video to enhance their scams. In addition to really investing in employee training to help them better spot these scams, it is wise to consider upping your authentication processes in the near future to ensure that your workers are interacting with legitimate entities.
Smartphones offer scammers a variety of ways to take advantage of their targets in addition to the robocalls that plague so many of us already. Malicious apps, malicious QR codes, malicious links shared via text messages… there’s a lot that the smartphone and its Internet connectivity can do to support a scam attempt.
Of course, scammers can—and almost certainly will—continue to use their old-fashioned methods. Some scammers will still call, pretending to be any of a cast of trusted characters to convince or scare the person on the line to share sensitive information.
Modern scams come in many different varieties, each of which is designed to take advantage of the target’s emotions in a different way. Not only does this make it more challenging to keep track of them all, it makes it far easier to be blindsided by an attack that comes from an unexpected source. We’ve discussed phone scams, sure, but cybercriminals are also using apps to their advantage now. One scam now consists of a scammer pretending to be with a bank’s fraud department calling to report an attempted theft via a peer-to-peer payment app, and while helping the target “fix” the “issue,” the scammer guides the target through the steps to transfer the money away themselves.
Plenty of other scams also take advantage of people in specific situations. Employment scams consist of a long con, targeting job seekers and taking them through what seems to be a real process, only to steal personal information. Those looking for love can be targeted as part of a romance scam, a supposed match stringing them along until the trap is sprung. Some scammers target those still hoping that cryptocurrency is a wise investment, luring them in with promises of getting in early or participating in a giveaway.
This is a good thing, because it means that many of the same precautions and defenses we’ve always recommended are still applicable and effective. For instance:
If you do make a mistake (as we all do at times) and have a scammer take advantage of you, there are a few steps you need to take to prevent further damage to yourself and potentially others later on.
One of the most important things we can do to try and stop scams is to prove to scammers that their efforts aren’t worth their time and energy. Remaining aware and mindful is the best way to do that.
At Atech MSP, we’re all about helping businesses around Bakersfield remain secure and productive. If you’re interested in how we can help your organization, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask at (888) 814-4843.
Learn more about what Atech MSP can do for your business.
Atech MSP
3434 Truxtun Ave Suite 250
Bakersfield, California 93301
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