SMARTPHONE owners have been warned by phone carrier company AT&T to be wary of scams that can access their bank accounts.
In a blog post, phone carrier AT&T explains the risks of getting scammed and what you can do if it happens to you.
One of the most common types of scams out there is phishing, which aims to steal your financial information.
In a phishing attack, attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information, often by pretending to be someone else.
In some cases, the criminals are trying to distribute malware, such as ransomware.
Phishing attacks are conducted in a number of ways – such as malicious emails, SMS, or websites.
“Bad guys have many convincing ways to trick you,” AT&T noted, but normally, reading an email, text message, or answering a call is not enough for them to steal your information.
However, these actions “may open you up for more scam attempts, because now they know you exist,” AT&T warned,
“You may want to be even more diligent in looking for possible scam messages and calls.
WARNING SIGNS
To help users learn more, AT&T shared the warning signs of a scam:
- Your device starts to act differently, perhaps running slower than usual
- Popups and unfamiliar apps or icons may show up on your device or web browser.
- Your accounts could show activity that you didn’t partake in
ACT QUICKLY
And if you think that you’ve been scammed or your device has been infected with malware, here are some steps you can take:
- If you clicked on a suspicious link, you need to close your browser quickly to prevent malware from fully installing.
- Hang up the phone as soon as you realize you’re talking to a scammer.
- If you shared any online account credentials, change your login and password immediately.
- If you shared banking information, contact your bank and freeze your cards as soon as possible.
- You can also run an antivirus scan on your computer to remove any malicious software.
