Nov. 26 will be one of the biggest shopping days in the country this year as people traditionally shop for Christmas during Black Friday.
One thing to remain vigilant of is a new and common scam called Authorized Push Payment.
The scammer will pose as a person to try and get the person they’re scamming to send money to a fraudulent bank account.
If you receive an email from someone you know asking for you to lend them money for Black Friday, be sure to double check with the person and the amount.
A newer scam uses a gift card generator that steal cryptocurrency. One of these malware viruses is called Amazon Gift Tool.exe, and if clicked will install software that hacks their digital wallets.
There are also official looking Amazon emails that make it appear that an Amazon user’s account was hacked to make a large purchase. There is a number provided for the user to call which has someone asking for their login information and financial information to fix the fake issue.
The email also looks official because it does not include attachments or links for anyone to click on.
Another scam has a bot call a person and tell them to type in a code that was sent to their phone to secure an account. Once the person enters the code, they are notified their account is secured.
This works by having a bot call the person the scammer already has enough information on so they can get the code to get into their Apple, Amazon, or any other account that has two factor authentication.
The gift card scam is still happening to employees that work from home.
Scammers will message someone pretending to be their employer and will ask them to buy a number of gift cards that they will then be reimbursed for. The employees are then asked for the pin and photos of the card.
Always double check communications with people who claim to know you and ask for money.
Related: Scammers use iPhone users to call and hack their bank accounts
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