By Pepper Parr
January 2nd, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
They do not give up – why should they – every day new people get pulled in and taken advantage of.
Users have to be cautious. When the street crossing light is red – you at least pause. Same with the internet. Let me give you an example.
This was the message in my mail box. I don’t have, never have had a Spotify account
I know what Spotify is; I don’t use it – doesn’t meet any of my needs. So when I get a notice form them that there is a problem with my account I know a phishing scam is about to take place.
If I click on that green box the process of gathering information about me has begun.
It was easy for me to spot the scan but for the millions of people with Spotify accounts – they might think there is a problem and respond. Spotify account users are prime sources for information thieves.
The fact that I got the note does say that somewhere along the way someone got my email address (they would have bought it from a list someone on the dark side of the internet) These people send out tens of thousands of email scams daily.
They are profitable for the scammers and very damaging to the user that gets sucked in.
This is news related to Burlington? I get emails and phone calls weekly. I don’t answer the phone if it’s an unknown number. I don’t accept emails unless the sender is known to me. I don’t answer the door if I am not expecting someone.
This the world we live in. Check out hiya and turn on spam filtering at the highest level.
SteveW asks…..”This is news related to Burlington?”
Yes. A lot of Burlington residents need steady reminders to keep their guard up and not become victims. Yep, these things are everywhere, but a community “newspaper” is a great place for such a public service announcement.