There is a new trending scam going around. This is very similar to the Under Attack Scam (aka Bank Investigator Scam) we covered here a few months ago. This time, the victim gets a call from somebody pretending to be government federal agents. The scammers use spoofing to change the display caller id information to further push the scheme. The victim is told that their devices have been hacked. They are also informed that their money in the bank account is no longer safe. To protect their money, the federal agents urge the victim to transfer their funds to the agents. This is done for safekeeping.
Meanwhile the account is cleaned out and there never was an issue to begin with. There have been multiple reports of this, according to the Beverly Hills Courier who reported on this.
The Under Attack Scam we mentioned earlier is similar. This scam starts with somebody calling and pretending to be your bank. They say that your account is under attack. Scammers are trying to make large withdrawals or charges in your name. The “Bank” will say that in order to protect your account, they are going to send somebody over to gather your bank and credit cards so they can put a stop to everything. They show up and you hand over your card and the details. You soon learn that there was never an issue, and that your accounts have been cleaned out by the scammers.
Both of these scams work on the same principle, scaring you into action. They are using the Fear and Urgency reaction triggered by an Authority figure. We covered these in Social Engineering: What The Scammers Are Using To Trick You. Scammers are always using Social Engineering to try to scam you.
How to Protect Yourself
The easiest way to protect yourself from these types of scams is to stay alert when answering the phone. Assume that the caller is a scammer. That way, you are always on guard. If it says it is the bank calling, hang up and call them back. If it is some other agency calling, get the name. Look up the contact information for yourself. Then, call them back.
A Bank or otherwise will not ask you to hand over your bank and credit cards or will they ask you to transfer your money to another account.
