At a recent lab meeting, a student of mine shared they had just received an impersonated scam email. Stitt, a senior in college and co-author, showed everyone an auto-renewal subscription saying they had paid $321.55 toward Norton 360 Security. As a senior in college, that amount was a red flag. Although they knew this to be a scam, it was nerve-wracking and concerning to receive the message.with more than $1.1 billion reported losses in 2023 alone.
Why do they work? Impersonation scams leverage authority and credibility to increase compliance with the ask. The approach seeks to motivate the consumer to comply with requests from institutions and well-known companies that may be viewed as credible. The bottom line is to beware of suspicious business or government emails, texts, or phone calls. Never click a link or call a number without verifying the source. If you think the message to be true, always contact the company through their official website, not by navigating through the email/text. Don’t believe that you need to give bank information, buy gift cards, or use a Bitcoin ATM, and don’t rush. A scammer will want you to send money as quickly as possible.