The top scams this week involve various schemes designed to steal your personal and financial data. They’re particularly deceptive, so you’ll definitely want to keep reading to learn how to recognize them and stay protected.

Exceed in Coding LLC (PayPal Invoice Scam)

This scam is a resurgence of a type that was very popular with scammers last year: the PayPal invoice scam. This time around, the scammers have been misusing the name of a company called “Exceed in Coding LLC.” Here’s how it works:

The scammers send you a fake invoice via PayPal, often for a large sum, to try to scare you into calling the included phone number (blurred above). Once they’ve got you on the phone, they will do their best to trick you into sharing your personal and/or financial information — which they can use to commit any number of other crimes or sell on the dark web.

Hotel Phishing Scam

If you’ve ever booked a hotel via an online travel agency, this is a scam you need to be aware of. Here’s what it looks like:

In this scam, the scammers impersonate a hotel with which you have a reservation but have yet to stay. They contact you directly through the online travel agency’s chat system, adding a high degree of deception to this scam. The scammers provide a link (blurred in the screenshot above) and instruct you to click it to verify your details, complete early check-in, or perform another task that requires your personal information.

The website the link leads to is malicious — controlled by the scammers, allowing them to access any personal data entered. Although the message was sent on the online travel agency’s legitimate chat system, it was not sent by the hotel. It’s likely that the scammers have somehow gained access to the hotel’s account on the online travel agency’s website. This is definitely a scam you need to watch out for!

Fake Payment Scam

This type of scam often occurs on websites such as Craigslist, eBay, and OfferUp. It’s designed to make you think you’ve received payment for an item you’re selling, even though you haven’t. Here’s how one scammer operates:

As you can see, the scammer is trying to persuade the seller to accept payment via Zelle or Venmo, rather than the seller’s preferred method, cash. If the seller were to agree and accept payment this way, the scammer would send a fake email containing Zelle/Venmo payment confirmation. Falling for such a scam would result in losing your item and never receiving genuine payment for it.

Security Tips: How to Avoid Scams

Remember these key points to protect yourself from scams:

• Be Skeptical: Treat unexpected texts, emails, and messages with suspicion, especially those requesting personal or financial details.
• Avoid Clicking on Links: Don’t click on links unless you’re certain they come from a trusted source.
• Verify the Source: If a text, email, or message claims urgent action is needed, or that you’ve made a payment or need to make a payment, be highly suspicious and verify its authenticity by contacting the institution directly.
• Use ScamCheck: The newly updated Trend Micro ScamCheck can protect you from all kinds of scams. See below for more information.

Protect Yourself Against Scams with ScamCheck

With the sheer number of scams and scammers that are out there, staying one step ahead is more crucial than ever. Introducing the newly updated Trend Micro ScamCheck. Available for both Android and iOS, ScamCheck offers comprehensive protection from phishing and smishing scams, spam and scam text messages, deepfakes, and more:

• SMS Filter & Call Block: Say goodbye to unwanted spam and scam calls and messages. Minimize daily disruptions and reinforce your defenses against phishing.
• Scam Check: Instantly analyze emails, texts, URLs, screenshots, and phone numbers with our AI-powered scam detection technology. Stay secure and scam-free.
• Deepfake Scan: Detect deepfakes in real-time during video calls, alerting you if anyone is using AI face-swapping technology to alter their appearance.
• Web Guard: Surf the web safely, protected from malicious websites and annoying ads.

To download Trend Micro ScamCheck or to learn more, click the button below.

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