Have YOU fallen prey to the boss scam?
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You may want to think twice before replying to a text message from your supervisor – a new threat dubbed ‘boss scam’ is on the rise in the US.
A New York City-based TikToker was recently the target of the attack, in which he received a text message that appeared to be from the president of his company.
Timm Chuisano revealed that he received a message from “his boss” who was on a webinar requiring $1,000 in Apple gift cards for customers to be charged to the company card.
Chuisano didn’t fall for the scam, but thousands of people did, costing companies millions of dollars.
A New York City-based TikToker was recently the target of the attack, in which he received a text message that appeared to be from the president of his company
While the scam sounds almost impossible, the Better Business Bureau explains that scammers are scouring the internet research companies.
They find a company, seek out executives, and target unsuspecting employees.
Chuisano received the message upon leaving work, which read, “Hello Timm, how are you today? I’m currently in a webinar session and I can’t make a phone call. Let me know when you hear this.”
The text ended with his boss’s name, but Chuisano blocked it from the video for privacy reasons.
Chuisano replied that he was still in the office and happy to help with anything.
The sender wrote: Okay, I’m currently doing a webinar and I need to give gift cards to some customers very quickly… please confirm that you can get Apple gift cards at any local store, you will be refunded before the end day.’
Chuisano realized something was wrong and inquired if his boss was in a webinar, which he was not.
Timm Chuisano revealed that he received a message from “his boss” who was on a webinar requiring $1,000 in Apple gift cards for customers to be charged to the company card
His experience is consistent with reports of thousands who fell for the scam.
AT&T has also warned its customers, urging them to be skeptical when receiving text messages from unknown numbers, which they should never reply to.
Gift card scams have become popular with thieves posing as someone’s friend or family member to drain their bank account.
The online thieves also gain access to a person’s email address and then write to all of their contacts asking for help – using information from the account and replicating how they speak.
The next step in the scam is to create a sense of urgency and a reason to buy valuable gift cards.
Along with the boss scam, Americans are attacked by more than 376 million scam text messages per day, posing as Netflix, Amazon, and banks to steal their money or votes.
These bogus messages claim that users’ accounts have been blocked or credit cards have expired, prompting them to click on a link that asks for personal information.
There are also dangerous communications with the name of the user, who offers a job, but they have to call a number at a certain time.
Chuisano didn’t fall for the scam, but thousands of people did, costing companies millions of dollars
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that the number of robotext complaints skyrocketed from 3,300 to 18,900 per year between 2015 and 2022.
And Americans lost $10 billion to these scams in 2021 alone.
FCC President Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement: “Scammers have found that sending messages about a package you never ordered or a payment that never went through, along with a link to a shady website, is a quick and easy way to to involve us. on our devices and fall prey to fraud.”
While many robot texts ask users to click a link, some provide a callback number.
This is a new type of scam where scammers use AI-powered tools to capture your voice and clone it in less than five seconds.
Netflix has released a statement about such arrangements urgently stating that “your account is on hold,” stating that there is a problem with current billing information.
A link has been added to the message stating that recipients have 48 hours to take action before their account is permanently suspended.
The link takes users to a site similar to Netflix and asks them to re-enter their credit card information, which the scammer steals.
“We will never ask you to enter your personal information in a text or email,” Netflix said of the fishy texts.
“We will never ask for payment through a third-party supplier or website. If the text or email links to a URL you don’t recognize, don’t tap or click on it.
“If you’ve already done that, don’t enter any information on the website that opened.”