Want to Win $1,000? Read This!

By: Marissa Miczek

Read below about this local opportunity open to all high schoolers for a chance to win $1,000! All you have to do is...

Hold up. Does this sound too good to be true? That's because it is. You’ve encountered a phishing-type scam — the kind that tricks millions of people into giving away their personal information or money every year. If you think phishing has anything to do with fishing then this article is for you! No worries, this article won't scam you. Instead I'll go over some common scams that you might be getting yourself.

Employment Scams

Scammers posing as employers or recruiters offer fake part-time jobs that seem perfect for students — flexible hours, easy work, and high pay. Over the course of less than a month I've gotten five text messages offering this "great opportunity." You might get a text or email as well where they may ask you to fill out forms or share personal/financial information.

What to look out for:

• Sender’s email address or phone number is neither legitimate, professional, or related to the company’s domain 

  • Example:

    • cool0833@hotmail.com

    • wih2lyvhm1as4@hotmail.com 

    • yanhuangxi-meimilie.1979@gmx.com

    • rwlyvnt@rambler.ru

    
    
  
  

• Offers unrealistic job or high-paying commission

  • Example: “...earn between $200 and $2,000 per day if you want”

  
  

• Include suspicious links

• Ask you to contact through unverified platforms like WhatsApp instead of a legitimate application process

What to do:

• Stop communication immediately and do not click on any links or download attachments

• Research the opportunity by visiting the company’s official website and verifying the job posting

• Check the recruiter’s email address and confirm their affiliation with the company

• Report the scam

  • Messages: Click “Report Junk” to remove

  • Email: Mark as phishing or spam

  • Job Platforms: Report the scam to the website

  
  

Tech Support Scams

Tech support scams are another common scam tactic. These scams often show up as a pop-up on your screen saying your device has a virus or there is an issue with your data. They’ll ask you to click a link, call a number, or let them “fix” your computer through remote access. Besides that they may sell useless software or install malware to gain your login credentials to your accounts.

What to look out for:

• A pop-up message on your screen claims your computer has been infected with a virus or that your personal information has been compromised

  • Example: “Your computer has been locked! Call this number immediately: 1-800-XXX-XXXX.”

  
  

• You may get unsolicited calls or emails claiming they’ve detected an issue with your device

  • Example: “We’ve detected unusual activity in your account”

  
  

• Once they have your attention, they may ask you to install software to allow them remote access to your computer

• May request payment for their services through untraceable methods such as gift card or wire transfers

What to do:

• Do not click links or call any numbers that pop-up on your device and restart your device if the pop-up remains on your screen

• Do not share your password

  • If you may have given any personal information such as a password, change it immediately

  
  

• Do not download anything requested as this may give remote access to the other person

  • If you may have given access, run a security scan with trusted antivirus software

  
  

• If you are unsure how to approach an issue, talk to a trusted person or work with a big box tech store to solve any problems

Mail Scams

You may receive suspicious letters in the mail or possibly mail-related emails or texts. This might include notices of prizes, sweepstakes winnings, vacations or other offers with valuable items. While this may sound attractive, these letters will request you to send personal information or a payment upfront to receive something of value later. Other times you may receive a text message about an undelivered USPS package.

What to look out for:

• Letters or emails claiming you’ve won something but requires upfront fees or sensitive information to claim your reward

• Requests personal information or payment

• Messages claim you have an undelivered package

• Unfamiliar sender and/or suspicious links

• Inconsistent formatting or grammatical errors

What to do:

• Note: USPS will never send you a text about undeliverable packages

• Do not click any links or call any numbers as this may lead to the scammers and their websites directly

• Verify the source by checking the official business/organization website

Credit:

• AARP.org

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

While I covered various types of scams you may or may not have heard of — phishing scams are the backbone. According to the Federal Trade Commission, phishing is "a type of online scam that targets consumers by sending them an e-mail that appears to be from a well-known source – an internet service provider, a bank, or a mortgage company, for example." Types of phishing attacks include: email phishing, spear phishing, whaling, smishing, vishing, angler phishing. No, I'm not making up these words.

Phishing is a homophone of fishing, meaning the words have the same pronunciation but different meaning. Like the act of fishing, the term describes the act of luring an unsuspected consumer into giving sensitive information to a scammer. You would be surprised by the number of students who fall for such scams from those on social media platforms like Instagram to others on job platforms like LinkedIn. Stay alert and also sorry you couldn't win $1,000!