Have you received messages asking for personal information? Alert! NY reports alarming rise in phishing scams

Photo: ISSOUF SANOGO/Getty Images

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If you receive a text message to your phone, supposedly from your bank, where you are informed of an “unusual activity” or other eventuality that could cancel your account, and for this you must confirm your data: Stop! Keep in mind that there are high chances that you are being victimized by a digital scam scheme, which has the sole purpose of steal your personal information.

The warning about the high proliferation of this scheme, known as electronic fraud (‘phishing’) did it this week New York State Division of Consumer Protection.

“Anyone who receives unsolicited dubious text messages should delete them immediately,” he said in a statement. Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez.

In a nutshell, the advice is that do not share your bank informationmuch less your social security number and other personal information, with whom they could be false banking agents or other institutions. Neither for calls, nor for answers to requirements on web pages or text messages.

the tactic

The scam network’s tactic is generally to ask users to confirm their account information, make a payment or claim a prize.

The link can also ask unsuspecting users to click to a web page, within an SMS text, which directs them to a fake site that looks like your financial institution’s website. This can allow criminals to install programs on your phone, which will make it easier for them to spy on all your data and even “clean” your bank accounts, in the worst case.

“Anyone who receives a fraudulent text message, you must delete the message immediately”, warned the state official.

For his part, the director of information for the state of New York, Angelo Riddick, reiterated that One of the most common online scams is ‘phishing’, which is nothing more than an attempt to request personal information from users, pretending to be a trustworthy entity.

“New Yorkers must remain vigilant and remove the fraudulent text message immediately. The public must always remember the importance of protect your personal data from cybercriminals”, he indicated.

Care with the elderly of NYC

According to data from the New York Attorney General’s Office and the New York City Consumer and Worker Protection Agency (DCWP) There is a consensus that elderly people have frequently been the most vulnerable victims of all kinds of fraudincluding phishing.

The balances of federal agencies indicate that this group of victims, are extracted through various methods, the alarming amount of $3 billion, on average, each year.

Even during the pandemic crisis, fraud schemes emerged in the Big Apple for appointments for vaccines and other supposed benefits, which ended only in a criminal tactic to extract personal data and money.

So throughout the year, families are encouraged to keep an eye out for movements of the elderly in the digital world.

The Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center of NYC Department for the Aging (Aging NYC) help older victims Protect yourself from crimes committed by strangers. crimes can be financial, physical, emotional.

Perpetrators who don’t know their victims often target them for money through the IRS, investments, home improvements, charities, and other types of scams.

In this new wave of text message fraud, Aging reiterates this call: “Never give personal information to unknown people. If in doubt, hang up and call the official institution. Always protect your bank account, Social Security number, and Medicare and Medicaid information”.

If you are a resident of the Big Apple and suspect that you are being victimized by a digital scam, call 311 to connect with the services available by the City.

Basic tips to stop cybercriminals:

The New York Division of Consumer Protection in these times where digital fraud reports have risen considerably recommends:

• Inspect the sender information to confirm that the message was generated from a legitimate source, but never click the linkor call the number that appears in the text .
  Don’t reply to the text. even write STOP It will let the scammer know that your number is real, and they can sell your number to other scammers.
• Always remember: banks will never ask you to provide confidential information through text messages. Requests to do so, as well as poor spelling, are telltale signs of a scam.
• If you are suspicious, call the suspected bank or financial institution directly to understand the protocols for alert customers to possible fraud.
• No post sensitive information online. The less information you post, the less data you make available to a cybercriminal to use in developing a potential attack or scam.
• Be on the lookout for misspelled words being used to bypass the fraud filter system from a phone provider.

You can lock your phone:

A simple method to prevent spam text messages is to block unknown senders from your cell phone:

• Go to your phone settings
• Click messages or block numbers (depending on your phone type)
• Press “Filter unknown senders” or tap “Block numbers” (depending on your phone type)

Find free resources to help you:

• The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist and empower consumers in the State. You can contact the Consumer Assistance Helpline at 1-800-697-1220 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. m., except state holidays. You can also file a consumer complaint at any time https://dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection .
• For more information on phishing scams, as well as steps to mitigate a fraud attempt, visit the New York State Office of Information Technology Services Phishing Awareness resource page at https://its.ny.gov/resources
• You have the option of learning about the Division of Consumer Protection Phishing Scam Prevention tips page: https://dos.ny.gov/identity-theft-prevention-and-mitigation-program .
• For more consumer protection tips, follow the Division on social media on Twitter: @NYSConsumer and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nysconsumer .

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