Financial scams are everywhere and it’s important for you to be aware of what to watch out for. Today we’re going over part 2 of the most common financial scams.
Cryptojacking
If you haven’t heard of cryptojacking yet, to put it quick and simple – it’s when your computer is taken over by malware after visiting a website, or having a pop-up on your screen, and embeds the software onto your computer. You don’t necessarily have to download and install this, it does it automatically for you.
Now, what does this mean? It means that your computer is being taken over by scammers to perpetrate cryptojacking, or trying to harvest as they like to refer to, or mine cryptocurrency which they later convert to cash. How do you protect yourself from this? Very simple – purchase anti-malware – and be sure to install it on your computer, and keep it updated at all times.
Key things you have to look for if you think you’ve been infected by malware are:
- Does your computer run excessively? This means it’s always running, you see the hard drive running, lights lighting up.
- You may find that your processing time for tasks greatly diminishes.
- Frequent computer crashes.
Failed Delivery Notice
Around the holidays is when this scam seems to be more widespread and common. It will be delivered to your inbox as an email that says “Failed delivery notice”. It’s common to get presents from family members and friends, and we expect that. However, keep in mind that the three big shippers UPS, FedEx and United States Postal Service will leave you notices if they couldn’t deliver the package(s).
Scammers are now using the internet and email system to deliver their scams to you via your inbox. Basically, if you download their attack that they require you to download, your computer is going to be infected. Scammers are getting very good at this. They’re usually able to emulate the logos of the three biggest carriers, or package delivery carriers, and that usually causes people to drop their guard, and download the attachment that ultimately infects their computer.
Key things you want to look for if you think you may get one of these bogus delivery notices:
- Are they asking for personal information? If so, don’t fall for it.
- Is there a link to download something? Remember only scammers do that.
If you have any further questions, please contact us at [email protected] or give us a call at 651-243-3367. Thank you.