SMISHING is on the rise
Sending emails and texts that impersonate businesses and financial institutions is a common method used by scammers to obtain your personal information and commit identity fraud.
SMS Phishing, also known as “Smishing”, is a method that uses fraudulent text messages that ask you to click on a malicious link or respond with personal information. Phishing is the sending of emails from what appears to be a reputable company to entice individuals to respond with personal information.
Follow the best practices listed below to help protect yourself from Phishing and SMS Phishing aka Smishing.
Best Practices:
- Do not click on unsolicited links.
- Never verify personal details or respond to requests for personal details through a text message or email.
- Before responding to a text or clicking on URLs sent via text, ask yourself if you were expecting this SMS notification.
- Financial institutions do not request personal information or for you to send documents via text.
Indicators that an Email or Text may be Fraudulent:
- Email requests that appear to be from a business but contain personal email addresses such as iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
- Texts that are sent from unknown numbers or numbers that block Caller ID.
- Short URLs or unsecure URLs – these can be used to hide the true location of the link they want you to click.
- Requests are for gift cards and/or Western Union payments.
At US Service Center, we focus on helping our clients protect themselves against fraudulent activity. If you have received a US Service Center email or text that you feel may be fraudulent, please contact us at 310-421-4090.