Hurry Up and Click this Link

If you receive an important notice—one that comes with instructions involving a ticking clock—it’s probably fake.

Who Is It Targeting: Account holders

What Is It: Phishing scam that goes after customers from major institutions

What Are They After: An ITRC staffer recently received a phishing email—which gets its name from scammers sending out thousands of these emails a day, hoping someone takes the bait—that included instructions to click the link in order to correct an issue with her Bank of America account.

First, she doesn’t have a Bank of America account. But more importantly, the wording in the email made it sound like there would be dire financial consequences for not clicking the link immediately. This is a classic example of a common scam tactic, which is to get the victim to act quickly so they don’t have time to think it through.

How Can You Avoid It:

• NEVER click a link or open an attachment in an email or message if you weren’t expecting it.
• If you receive a message that says you’ve got to hurry up and take action, stop and think about it.
• If you do have an account with that company, contact them directly using a verified phone number. Inquire about your account and make sure everything is okay.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here.

For full details of this scam check out this article from Bank of America.