Phishing pressure tactics to make you talk
Phishing the human side of computer security
I remember fishing off a dock when I was younger. We used live bait then. I just dropped my line down into the water without casting it, watching the injured minnow slowly swim down into the water until I couldn't see him anymore. There were others fishing at the end of the dock and they were all trying to out-cast each other. I guess the thought was that the farther out you cast the better the chances of you catching something. What I learned that day is that you don't need to cast far and you don't need to work hard either. You just needed patience and the right fish to come along that likes the bait you put down there.
"What does that have to do with security and me using my computer?", you may ask. Quite a bit actually. Most of the pressure tactics used by scammers are well known. See the links below for common but successful phishing methods. None of them are really that complicated and there is always someone who is too much in a rush or too distracted to not take the time to look at what they are clicking on or take an alternative approach to a seemingly urgent situation. Easy prey for a patient attacker. It happens to everyone. You get that urgent text message, phone call or e-mail telling you that the sky will fall if you don't immediately do something. There is a link in the text or e-mail telling you where to go to fix the problem. Someone is asking you for information like a password, pin, or credit card number over the phone in the guise of helping you out while they do the exact opposite. Why do we fall for these? Maybe certain recent events coincide perfectly with the scenario the scammer has used against you and your guard is down. That small gnawing feeling in your stomach is ignored because it all seems to make sense. And sometimes there is a new wrinkle like the qr-code scam. You can read about it in the link called "New qr-code scams". Covid has brought a new set of possibilities for the scammer to abuse.
If you want to know what current scams are running out there in your area do a google search. Something like "latest scams (put in your city, province, or country here)". You could also try "latest scams city covid" to see how covid has been used by scammers. That should give you a heads up.
Technology isn't a substitute for your gut. Scammers know how to apply pressure and can use that pressure to make you do things you would not normally do. They are very good at breaking down security layers using social engineering to manipulate you with fabricated circumstances. Learn the easy tried and true methods they use in your own back yard and also listen to that gut of yours. It might be telling you something important.
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