Avoid That Fake Zoom Meeting Invite Phishing Scam
The popularity of Zoom – the world’s number one downloadable app in 2020 – has made it the target of phishing attacks, and the Better Business Bureau is now warning users to avoid sketchy meeting invitations that could actually infect your system with malware. Here’s what you need to know.
How does a phishing scam work
The fraudster will send you an unsolicited email, text or social media message with the Zoom logo containing any notification about your account, such as “your Zoom account has been suspended, click here to reactivate”, “please reactivate your account. , “Or” you missed an appointment, click here to view details and reschedule an appointment. “
These fake invitations contain links that, when clicked, either download malware directly to your computer or take you to a fake Zoom login page. The fake login page is designed to trick users into entering their Zoom email address and password, giving them control over your account. Scammers can also try to use a combination of your email address and password to log into other services or platforms (53% of people reuse the same password for multiple accounts ).
How to avoid being cheated
Throughout the pandemic – and before that – the spam mantra has remained the same: don’t click on anything . This includes links, as well as photos (which can be clicked on) and files. From experience, I almost clicked on one of these fake Zoom links a couple of months ago, despite knowing a scam existed – it’s very easy to let Autopilot take charge if you’re not focused on staying vigilant.
Better Business Bureau recommends that you take the following precautions to help you avoid getting caught by scammers:
- Double check the sender information. Zoom.com and Zoom.us are the only official Zoom domains. If the email comes from a similar domain that doesn’t quite match the official domain name, it’s probably a scam.
- Never follow links in unsolicited emails. A phishing scam always means that an unsuspecting person clicks a link or email file that will download dangerous malware onto their computer. If you receive an unwanted email and are not sure who it actually came from, never click on any links, files or images it may contain.
- Solve problems directly. If you receive an email stating that there is a problem with your account and you are not sure if it is legal, please contact the company directly. Go to the official website by typing your name in your browser and look for the “Contact Support” feature to get help.
It is also worth checking any suspicious notifications or login pages for spelling errors, which are a clear sign that they are not legitimate. I had a hard time stopping my own phishing attack after discovering several typos in the fake invitation.
If you are the target of a phishing scam, the Better Business Bureau will ask you to report it at BBB.org/Connect .