Is Something Phishy??

I'm sure everyone is sick and tired (no pun intended) of hearing about the Coronavirus.  However, the problems associated with this virus go beyond physical health.  Because of the recent instructions for employees to "shelter in place" and work from home, there has been a huge increase in phishing scams.  This seems to be especially true for government workers.  Let's first define a "phishing scam".  A phishing scam is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.   In other words, an email is sent from a contact with very similar characteristics as someone you know and trust.  For instance, your mother's email might be MOM@gmail.com.  A phishing scam might send you an email from MOM1@gmail.com or MOM@yahoo.com.  If you are not paying close attention, you could open and respond to this fake, phishing email thinking it is someone you trust.   Another prevalent scam we are seeing is "phising" on phone calls.  The caller will ask for your social security number an bank account information so you can receive your "government stimulus check".  The government will never call you by phone and ask for your personal information. Often times they will say they are with the IRS or some other government agency.  Please don't fall for this as they are very convincing.    Falling victim to a phishing attack could mean you give a bad actor your personal, financial information.  Many of the phishing scams will ask for direct cash payments or wires.  Once the bad actor has control of your account, or possession of your hard earned money, there is very little you can do.  We have seen a few of our clients receive these emails lately. Fortunately, they recognized the scam and just deleted the email.  It's always important to be vigilant with your personal information but especially in these times.   If you have questions about a suspicious email you received, feel free to reach out to us.  If the fake email is trying to represent a government email, you should report this to your supervisor.     Matt