In today’s technological world, staying aware of cyber security measures is vital. Fraudsters have created creative ways to dupe others in a cyber scam. There have been increased reports of cases of imposter scams, and it has become necessary to learn about them. In this article, we will learn how fraudsters carry out imposter scams and how to prevent them.
What Is Imposter Scam?
An imposter scam is a scam in which fraudsters impersonate a trusted individual, brand, or organization to gain the trust of their victims and convince them to transfer money. The victims will not be able to know that they have been duped as they will think that they transferred money to a genuine source.
How to Identify Imposter Scams?
Fraudsters have grown their creativity skills and target their victims by impersonating other authentic sources. The first step to identifying imposter scams is to recognize and admit that there are imposters out there, and it is increasing rapidly. Let’s learn some common ways through which fraudsters contact their victims to be able to identify imposter scams –
- Contact you through a call, text message, e-mail, online ads, or social media posts in the name of your trusted sources.
- Claim to be a security/technical support team for a reputable organization.
- Ask for remote access to your mobile or computer.
- Prompt you to make transactions/payments.
- Prompt you to change credentials or any questionable action regarding your account.
- Ask to download software and applications.
- Check for grammatical errors and misspellings on any shared reading materials.
How to Prevent Imposter Scams?
Imposter scams have immensely increased in recent times due to our reliance on technological modes of communication. The fraudsters have noticed a communication gap between the organizations and their customers and are targeting them for cyber fraud. Preventing imposter scams can be easily done by detecting the red flags discussed earlier and taking a few simple steps. The steps are as follows –
- Confirm the credibility of the call, text, or e-mail before moving forward.
- Cut off the conversation as soon as you realize you are conversing with a fraudster.
- Never share sensitive information like account details, credentials, or OTP with others.
- Only make payments after verifying all the relevant information.
- Check the internet links precisely and validate their credibility.
- Stay cautious and take time to research before trusting anyone.
Stay Protected with Hoffman Brown Company
If you are suspicious of being targeted for an imposter scam, contact our cyber security advisors at Hoffman Brown Company. We offer cyber liability for individuals at affordable rates. A wide range of coverages are included under our cyber liability insurance. Contact us and stay protected from imposter scams. Contact us or directly ring us at (818)986-8200 for further assistance.
