"Scams are a big part of the internet, as they can endanger personal information, hard-earned money, and more. These frauds affect people around the world, but there are ways of telling whether something is a scam—and how to report it." --Violet Hirsch, 6th grade
Scams are a big part of the internet, as they can endanger personal information, hard-earned money, and more. These frauds affect people around the world, but there are ways of telling whether something is a scam—and how to report it.
Phishing
One type of con is called “phishing,” and it is a very common scam. One article by the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice explains what phishing is.“Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company.”
One CISA infographic also says that “[the] Bait typically consist[s] of an email with a subject line that entices the user into opening the email, e.g., the subject line contains an alert, an action, or request for information.”
The Guardian explains that a famous phishing scam was against Sony Pictures, where hackers sent emails pretending to be from Apple. A few employees working for Sony clicked the link, and as a result, the hackers got access to everyone’s emails, including private emails and salaries for actors. It made the company lose over $100 million, and they had to face embarrassment from others.
Phishing scams don’t always target big companies–they also target individuals. Oakland resident Justine Hirsch is the victim of a recent scam. “I was scammed in an email effort which looked like an invitation from somebody I knew, but only clicking on the link to open the invitation made somebody able to completely commandeer my email address.”
She then said that the hackers “sent all of the people in my contacts the same hacking email”.
If you ever see a suspicious email, check these factors:
If any of these are in the email, contact the person or company directly instead of replying to the email. Ask questions specific to what they’re offering. If you find out that it is a con, report it using websites like the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
If you’ve opened a phishing email by accident, here’s what to do:
Blackmailing
Another type of scam is called blackmailing. If a person potentially knows dangerous or hurtful information about you or a loved one, they will usually offer not to share that information if you pay them money or give them personal info. An article by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that “A blackmailer’s mission is to scare you into sending them money by threatening to distribute private content—from your computer or phone, or shared with them over an email, text, or social media—that could embarrass you.”
If someone is blackmailing you, or you’ve already responded with information, follow this protocol:
Voice Cloning & Deepfaking
New AI technology has made it so that you can copy other people’s voices and make it say different words. This can be a very effective type of scam, as if you pretend to be someone else, you can trick someone into giving you information or money. NYC Consumer and Worker Protection has an article that rephrases it, saying “One type of scam uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Scammers can impersonate your family and friends using AI technology to ask you for money or personal information.”
Deepfaking is a similar type of scam that combines voice cloning with an AI powered video to look like a recording taken by a loved one.
Voice cloning and/or deepfaking often asks for personal information or money. One common con is to ask for money to get out of a predicament with law enforcement.
If you’re not sure whether something is a voice cloning or deepfaking scam, check for any of these:
Voice Cloning
Deepfaking
The article by NYC Consumer and Worker Protection also says to “Ask questions. Caller ID can be faked. Although a scammer may sound like a loved one, they won’t be able to answer personal questions that only your real loved one would know the answer to. You can ask them to confirm details that aren’t publicly available.” Another tip is to hang up and then call the person back. Ask them if they had just called you. If not, it was a deepfake or voice cloning scam.
It’s important to share knowledge around the world about these cons. Let others know not to click on random links, or to always question fishy emails. Most of all, you can help by reporting these frauds to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. All of this and more can help you and others avoid becoming victims of online scams.
Phishing
One type of con is called “phishing,” and it is a very common scam. One article by the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice explains what phishing is.“Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company.”
One CISA infographic also says that “[the] Bait typically consist[s] of an email with a subject line that entices the user into opening the email, e.g., the subject line contains an alert, an action, or request for information.”
The Guardian explains that a famous phishing scam was against Sony Pictures, where hackers sent emails pretending to be from Apple. A few employees working for Sony clicked the link, and as a result, the hackers got access to everyone’s emails, including private emails and salaries for actors. It made the company lose over $100 million, and they had to face embarrassment from others.
Phishing scams don’t always target big companies–they also target individuals. Oakland resident Justine Hirsch is the victim of a recent scam. “I was scammed in an email effort which looked like an invitation from somebody I knew, but only clicking on the link to open the invitation made somebody able to completely commandeer my email address.”
She then said that the hackers “sent all of the people in my contacts the same hacking email”.
If you ever see a suspicious email, check these factors:
- Urgent Threats
- Poor Grammar
- Suspicious Sender (eg. if an email address is support.amaz0n.com instead of amazon.com)
- Non-Specific Greetings (eg. “Dear Customer" instead of your name)
- Unusual requests
If any of these are in the email, contact the person or company directly instead of replying to the email. Ask questions specific to what they’re offering. If you find out that it is a con, report it using websites like the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
If you’ve opened a phishing email by accident, here’s what to do:
- Don’t provide personal information
- Disconnect from the internet
- Check for malware
- Change passwords
Blackmailing
Another type of scam is called blackmailing. If a person potentially knows dangerous or hurtful information about you or a loved one, they will usually offer not to share that information if you pay them money or give them personal info. An article by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that “A blackmailer’s mission is to scare you into sending them money by threatening to distribute private content—from your computer or phone, or shared with them over an email, text, or social media—that could embarrass you.”
If someone is blackmailing you, or you’ve already responded with information, follow this protocol:
- Keep calm.
- If you are a minor, tell an adult what’s happening.
- Don’t talk with the blackmailer.
- Keep the email they sent as evidence if possible.
- Contact websites like Internet Crime Complaint Center and tell them about the scam.
Voice Cloning & Deepfaking
New AI technology has made it so that you can copy other people’s voices and make it say different words. This can be a very effective type of scam, as if you pretend to be someone else, you can trick someone into giving you information or money. NYC Consumer and Worker Protection has an article that rephrases it, saying “One type of scam uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Scammers can impersonate your family and friends using AI technology to ask you for money or personal information.”
Deepfaking is a similar type of scam that combines voice cloning with an AI powered video to look like a recording taken by a loved one.
Voice cloning and/or deepfaking often asks for personal information or money. One common con is to ask for money to get out of a predicament with law enforcement.
If you’re not sure whether something is a voice cloning or deepfaking scam, check for any of these:
Voice Cloning
- You are contacted with no warning.
- You are told to act immediately.
- Your loved one is requesting money or personal information
- You are asked to keep the call a secret from others.
Deepfaking
- Look for signs like no blinking, shadows under the eyes, or weird movements.
- The sentences are choppy or unrealistic.
- The caller is asking for unreasonable things.
The article by NYC Consumer and Worker Protection also says to “Ask questions. Caller ID can be faked. Although a scammer may sound like a loved one, they won’t be able to answer personal questions that only your real loved one would know the answer to. You can ask them to confirm details that aren’t publicly available.” Another tip is to hang up and then call the person back. Ask them if they had just called you. If not, it was a deepfake or voice cloning scam.
It’s important to share knowledge around the world about these cons. Let others know not to click on random links, or to always question fishy emails. Most of all, you can help by reporting these frauds to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. All of this and more can help you and others avoid becoming victims of online scams.