This week’s scam is not a specific scam, but a category of scams that prey on the elderly. Whether we consider ourselves “elderly”, or have someone in our lives (parents, grandparents, beloved friend or neighbor), this population in our society is targeted as easy prey to scams.
The article from the Center for Internet Security (CIS) can be found here. It explains the six common type of scams targeting the elderly:
- Grandparent Scam
- Sweepstakes Scam
- Home Improvement Scam
- Telemarketer Scam
- Internet Scams
- Charities
Phishing scams have been reported to abuse@uthsc.edu this week:
- Your Long Overdue Compensation Fund – pretending to be from the United Nations, it puts the person on the defensive stating “you” have been in collaboration with known bad people. “They already have your information”, but want you to give your personal information for verification.
- Password Ex-pire Today – yes, there was a hyphen in expire! Looking like it came from Outlook, it was an email address from the Netherlands.
- You have a new Voice Message – someone was paying attention that we were changing our voicemail system and tried to slip one in.
Report any suspicious UTHSC communication to abuse@uthsc.edu. We can investigate and let you know if it is a phish or a legitimate email.
Stay safe everyone!