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We’ve found a large number of phishing scams that you should watch out for, including ones relating to the IRS, Apple, RBC Bank, Netflix, and AT&T. Would you have been able to spot all the scams?
Impersonating famous brands and companies, scammers will send out phishing links (usually via text message or email) and try to entice you into opening them with various lies. As seen below, these phishing links will lead to malicious websites containing fake login pages.
With e-filing opening for the 2023 tax season in January, scammers have been trying hard to lure people onto their bogus IRS websites. They are spreading text messages and emails that instruct would-be victims to file taxes, claim refunds, or complete other tasks via the attached phishing links that lead to fake IRS pages. We’ve already detected nearly 30,000 fake IRS websites in 2023 so far and we’re not even done with January! Below are 2 examples:
These pages are designed to record any sensitive information you enter. You could end up exposing personal details such as your home address, date of birth, and Individual Tax ID Number (ITIN). With them, scammers can commit other crimes such as identity theft. Don’t let them! For a detailed rundown of other IRS scams, click here.
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We’ve reported on Apple ID phishing scams before. Posing as Apple, scammers send you a fake security alert and prompt you to verify your Apple ID via the attached phishing link:
The link will take you to a fake Apple ID login page. Again, never submit credentials here; scammers can steal all that information and use it for their own good. Be careful!
Besides brands like Apple, banks are also one of the scammers’ favorite targets. Pretending to be from RBC, the bank for Canadians living in the United States, scammers send fake security alerts warning you of fictitious fraud alerts and the like.
Netflix phishing emails are another reoccurring scam. The scammers use various lies to try to trick you into opening the phishing link embedded in the email. Their ultimate goal is always the same: to get you on a fake Netflix login or verification page and steal your account credentials. Below are some of the most common variants of this scam.
To learn more about the latest Netflix scams in 2023, please read this article.
Phishing links will also take you to online survey pages that state you can claim a gift by filling out an online questionnaire.
Got a text from AT&T that says you’ve won in a giveaway that you don’t recognize? It’s a SCAM!
The attached link will take you to a fake AT&T online survey page that features an iPhone 14 as a reward.
Scammers promise that you can win the iPhone by completing the questionnaire. In the end, you will be asked to enter your credit card information. Of course, your credentials will be stolen. Don’t fall for it!
This article was published in collaboration with Trend Micro
