Most scams that we hear about warn of scammers pushing messages to us through email, text messages, and phone calls where the scammers are actively searching for someone to victimize. Malwarebytes Labs, a company that provides products that secure business and personal computer systems from intrusion, says that it has found a trend of fraudsters using online ads to scam people who are looking for help with their utility bills.
The assumption is that the fraudsters will have an easier time of tricking a potential victim if the victim is searching for help instead of receiving a call out of the blue.
The fraudsters will buy ads that show up on search engines such as Google. So far, the ads are only showing up on mobile phone searches. Malwarebytes found ads taken out by fraudsters masquerading as companies providing a legitimate service and ads by legitimate US entities that have been hacked. When someone clicks on a link in the ads, instead of sending them to a website it prompts them to call a phone number.
By calling the number, the scammer has a chance to control the interaction in their favor. Often, they will threaten the caller and try to scare them into making poor decisions, especially if the scammer is offering help with paying an overdue bill. They can also offer a deal that is too good to be true in paying your utility bill. But to get out of trouble, or receive your deal, you need to act right away.
Malwarebytes lists several domains that appear to be promoting utility scam ads (see the Malwarebytes article below).
Malwarebytes recommends,
·
Avoiding any ad that you see in your search
results. Most ads are marked as “Sponsored” or “Ad” or similar marking. Malwarebytes
claims that malicious ads outnumber legitimate ads.
·
Watch out for ads or people you are talking to on
the phone, etc. who try to give you a sense of urgency, such as threatening to
cut off your power in a few days or a few hours.
·
Never disclose personal details over the phone.
·
Beware of requests for payment by money transfers
or prepaid cards.
·
Contact your bank immediately if you realize
that you paid a scammer by wire transfer to see if you can stop the payment.
·
Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at
https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.
If you have been victimized by a utility scam, the AARP also
recommends that in addition to notifying your bank and the FTC, that you,
·
Contact the Washington State Attorney General’s
Office, Consumer Protection Office at https://www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint.
·
Contact that Washington Utilities and
Transportation Commission at https://www.utc.wa.gov/consumers/consumer-complaints.
Malwarebytes:
The following article from AARP lists several ploys that utility
scammers use to steal your money,
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/utility.html?intcmp=AE-FWN-LIB4-POS13
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