Just as technology got better with the internet, smartphone and text messaging capability gained popularity all over the globe. But these are not always used for good.
Telephone scams have now made it to the world of text messaging as well.
A common text scam is to send people a text message asking you to click on a link. The scammers pretend to be a bank or other entity possibly associated to you so that they can grab your information from the data on your phone.
The two other main forms of telephone scams come in the form of extortion. Getting a phone call like this can be very terrifying.
The first method of phone extortion comes from perpetrators who pretend to be part of the Internal Revenue Service, IRS. These callers are very rude on the phone and request that you make a very large payment because you allegedly owe money to the IRS (a scary thought for any one).
If you get a call like this the best thing to do is ignore it. The IRS will never call and demand immediate payment, nor will they demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they claim you owe.
If you believe you’ve been contacted by these scammers you can report them to the IRS by clicking here https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing. Please note that you can see from the link provided it will take you to www.irs.gov which is the legitimate IRS website, not a scammer.
Another very common scam goes right after your technology. This scam is about 5 years old and involves a call from an alleged member of Microsoft’s technical support. The tech will tell you that your computer is full of viruses and will request for you to download software so that they can operate your computer remotely. DO NOT DO IT!
Once you do this, they take full control, lock up your computer and they have access to everything, threatening to delete the entire system if you don’t pay them money. There are many examples and horror stories online about this happening to people. Don’t let it happen to you!
Owens & Perkins does not provide legal services regarding the data breach, stolen identities or identity protection. This blog was written and published as a public service announcement to our valued clients.
If you or someone you know is contemplating filing for divorce and you would like to work with one of our experienced Attorneys, please call OWENS & PERKINS at (480) 994-8824 to schedule your free 30 minute consultation.
