Fake Invoice Scare

#cybersecurity #drcybereye #scam #spam #phishing

Hello. My name is Dr. CyberEye. I break down complicated cybersecurity stuff and explain it in a simple way to the average user.

Baddies are out there. Learn how to protect yourself.

The fake invoices. We've all seen them, right? They come through via email, from some strange innocuous looking email address, with an "invoice" attached for some expensive security service renewal.

Take the example below:

As you can see, a normal person reading this would naturally FREAK OUT if they realize their Visa card is getting charged such a substantial amount.

And that's what the baddies are banking on...

They're appealing to your fear to bet that you would pick up the phone and call the number listed on the invoice rather than going straight to your bank to verify if there is a pending charge against your card for this amount.

I know I've said it once before on my previous blog post... ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS go straight to the source.

For...ahem... research purposes, I decided to give this number a call. What picks me up better on a Monday evening than giving these little thieves a run for their money?

So I created a fake persona (Marilyn Smith sounded simple yet unique enough to be real) living on some fictitious street in Chicago. Then I used Google Voice to call the number listed (because ain't no way these guys are getting my real info).

Imagine my disappointment when the number came back out of service.

I imagine, though, if I were to be a person who genuinely thinks that my Visa is getting charged for something as expensive as this without my knowledge that I would be freaking out enough to try 15 different times to reach that number and then, ultimately, end up replying to the email in a frenzy.

Just remember the following:

* These baddies are EXPECTING you to react out of fear and do something you wouldn't normally do, like call random phone numbers or respond to random email messages

* They send out an email saying "Your Visa card was charged" yadda, yadda.... because.... how many of you have a Visa card? I'm betting a lot. So, while it may seem like it can lend a little bit of a genuine color, it's a tactic they use to force you to let down your guard.

* This email is coming from a Gmail address, not a business. In addition, there is no business actually listed on the "invoice."

* There are some strange colors happening on the Product Name and the Customer Support at the bottom of the invoice. This looks like a shoddy pass for a legitimate invoice.

* If this was a true LifeLock product renewal, the invoice would be coming FROM LIFELOCK.

In this situation, if you receive an invoice like this and feel your blood pressure start to rise and that panic begin to develop, take a pause and a breath. And then do the following:

* CALL YOUR BANK. Above all, first and foremost, call your bank or credit card provider using a known good phone number, such as the number listed on their secure website. Ask if there are any pending charges against your credit card for this amount. I guarantee that 99% of the time, they will tell you no.

* Advise your bank that, if there is no pending charge against your card, there is no need to have it frozen and a new card reissued. Like I said, a lot of these baddies don't even know if you have a Visa card for sure or not; they're just banking on the fact that you do because it's a very well used credit card provider.

* Delete the email without responding back to it in any way. Hell, you can even get saucy and block the email address if you so desire. But don't reply to it. Even if you're bored on a Monday night, like someone else who shall remain nameless, and decide you want to get smart with the baddie. It's generally best if you don't engage.

That's it for today. I've been seeing more of these recently and felt it was another good topic to cover.

As always..... stay vigilant.

~ Dr. C

Do you have something you would like Dr. CyberEye to check out and report on in a future blog post?

Feel free to email: angela@cybereye-consulting.com