Have You Been a Target of the Most Common Phishing Scam in Maine, Massachusetts, & New Hampshire?

If you have a smartphone, an email address, or a social media account, there is a good chance that you have been the target of a phishing scam at least once or twice.

A 'phishing' scam is one where the scammers attempt to convince you to divulge enough information to allow them to access your accounts.  Attacks are often made through unsolicited emails, messages on social media, and text messages.

Sometimes, the phishing attacks even come through actual phone calls.

In many cases, the scammers impersonate representatives for legitimate companies.  These fraudulent messages are sometimes difficult to distinguish from actual messages from a company or organization.

For example, the target might get an email from 'Netflix' that says they need to click on a link within the email to update their account information.  Such emails will often tell the target that they will lose access to the account of they do not click the link.  Of course, the link does not take you to Netflix.  Instead, it takes you to the scammer's website.  Entering personal information (account name, password, credit card information, etc) sends that information directly to the scammers.

Generally, there are clues in the URL that indicate the website is not legit.  Misspellings and incorrect domain suffixes (.ru instead of .com), for example.

What is the most common type of phishing scam in New England?

According to a report by Full Stack Academy, the most common variety of phishing attack in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts is the Package Delay/Shipping scam.

That's where the target gets a message from a delivery company, like the United States Postal Service or FedEx, that explains there is a package that has been sent to the target.  However, due to an issue with the address, the target needs to verify some information.

In many cases, the information requested goes beyond the street address.  It often includes full name, phone number, and even the target's social security number.

The most common companies and organizations impersonated in this type of scam are Amazon, the USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

If you ever get a message from a company that feels sketchy, don't risk it.  Instead of providing the information requested, call the company to double check.