PHISHING SCAMS: DON'T TAKE THE BAIT!
Phony emails have been streaming into our inboxes for years. Why do we still get duped? Scammers have crafted new ways to get our attention. We will toss the email from the African Prince, but we jump on the message that comes from our bosses. How do the scammers do it? Sometimes, they use your own email system against you. In April, a large nonprofit lost $21,000 to a scammer posing as their Executive Director. They used the Director's email address to instruct staff to send payment via a doctored invoice with banking information. They took the bait and sent the money. Sometimes, they hide in plain sight. An Engineering firm received an email invoice from a scammer pretending to be one of their suppliers. The message said they had recently changed their billing procedures and now required that all payments be made via ACH. The email address included the Vendor company's name with a slight misspelling. No one caught it. The victim sent $21,000 to the bank account lis