A new warning has been issued for Verizon users awaiting confirmation of the refunds or credits due following the U.S. network’s outage last week. But one of the texts you may now receive is not what it seems — delete it immediately, before you’re hacked.
The new warning comes from Guardio. “Following the Verizon outage in the U.S. last week, Verizon has started sending text messages to customers offering a $20 credit. While many suspected these messages were scams, they are actually legitimate.”
My advice would be not to click any links in any texts that take you to account pages. Instead, use your app or log into the service provider’s website the usual way. These attacks steal security credentials to access your Verizon and other accounts.
But the fact there are real texts being sent is a perfect cover for attackers to send texts of their own. Guardio says “we have spotted other scam messages recently that imitate Verizon, claiming users can ‘redeem points’ to win prizes. These are definitely malicious and lead to fake sites aimed at stealing credit card and login information.”
The fake text will take you to a “Member Verification” website, which is designed to enable hackers to steal your contact details and security credentials. That’s why the advice at times like these is a blanket no — never click links in texts.
Reports suggest the process by which Verizon customers claim the $20 credit and confirm their eligibility are still confusing. That’s good news for hackers who can take advantage of that uncertainty to push out millions of texts. Don’t fall for it. Don’t give these hackers access to your account.
Google has just warned that text-based threats now affect almost all smartphone users. It’s too easy for attackers to push out lures with dangerous links. Unfortunately, you now need to assume none of these are real unless you can verify for yourself.
“Scammers are actively trying to take advantage of the confusion caused by the outage to target people via phone calls, texts, and emails,” Guardio says.
You have been warned.