BOA fraud right here in the Springs!

2/23/2022

Fraud Investigation Bank of America Colorado Springs Investigator

It's almost like scammers read our last post about the Zelle and Wells Fargo scam, but didn't believe anyone read it. Including us! Our lead investigator received this text first thing this morning about their Bank of America debit card, they actually don't have one, and the fraud that had occurred along with the "restriction" that has been placed on their card. Two things to note on this text message: 1. It came from 804-215-6923 which a quick Google search showed that the scammer didn't even bother to spoof the number to make it look like it came from Bank of America even though it's most likely not the true number this text came from. Lazy scammer!!! 2. The number the recipient is supposed to call is also not a Bank of America number. I'm guessing this is a scammer who's just starting out as those are two things that could easily be made to look like BofA was calling.

Don't fall for this scam. If you have, or any other scam, please give us a call to see how we can assist.

EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
719.208.4088
Serving all of Colorado and beyond

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SECURITY TIP #2: WATCH FOR SMISHING

2/8/2022

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Security tips on Smishing by Colorado Springs Professional Investigator

Today's security tip involves "smishing". Smishing you say? What's that? Although it may seem like a strange word it's used to describe something very serious. Where "phishing" involves a bad guy sending an email with a malicious link, "smishing" involves send a malicious link via a Short Message Service (SMS) text that we all get numerous times a day. In our case sometimes a hundred or more!

It all begins when the person receiving the text clicks on the link. According to Aaron Rouse, SAC, Las Vegas FBI, “You'll have a loss of access to your device, sometimes. You'll have afforded somebody access to your device, and you'll possibly lose personally identifiable information. So it's something that we just like we say with email. If you didn't ask for it, don't click on it." Rouse also described a couple of ways "smishing" is being used at this very moment. Individuals receive a text claiming to be from AT&T saying their bill has been paid, followed by a link to claim a prize, or a text claiming to be Netflix telling the target they need to click on the attached link if they want to "keep watching." Both of these give the bad guy control over your phone in most instances.

Lisa Mesa, a smartphone user who has received numerous "smishing" texts says, “I get pre-approved for certain things, or really weird texts. They actually get kind of personal. They make it sound like they're a friend reaching out to you sometimes too. It says your appointment is ready - click on this link.”

SAC Rouse further states, “They can be anywhere. It really does depend on the scheme that's being perpetrated, and the amount of effort behind it. Sometimes we see very widespread scams. It'll go out and we quickly become aware of it because people will do the right thing, they report it to IC3.gov.”

Reporting to IC3.gov is definitely the first step if you receive one of these "smishing" texts. And it should become a habit to never click on a link you receive in an unexpected text, even if it seems to be legitimate. If you have any doubts at all contact the person who supposedly sent it and see if they actually did. If not, delete it immediately.

If you think you may have become a victim of "smishing" contact one of our Colorado Springs professional private investigators who can discuss different options you pursue.

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SECURITY TIP #1: REBOOT YOUR PHONE

2/5/2022

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Security tips from a Colorado Springs Private Investigator

In a continuing effort to get useful information out to our clients, potential clients and the general public at large, today we're starting our series of Security Tips that everyone should be aware of.

REBOOT YOUR PHONE EVERY WEEK

According to the National Security Agency's (NSA) "best practices" guide for mobile device security, everyone should reboot (totally shut down your phone and restart it) their phones at least once a week. Neil Ziring, technical director of the NSA's cybersecurity directorate, was quoted in the AP as saying, "This is all about imposing cost on these malicious hackers." While it won't stop a sophisticated hacker, it will make them work harder to maintain access and steal data from your phone. The reason is that the latest malicious software typically targets your phone's root file system. But the newest phones can detect and block such malware during a reboot.

Make it a weekly habit, maybe even set a calendar reminder to do so, to turn your phone off and on.

BOA fraud right here in the Springs!

SECURITY TIP #2: WATCH FOR SMISHING

SECURITY TIP #1: REBOOT YOUR PHONE

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