Social engineering is the act of tricking someone into disclosing a piece of valuable information about themselves online – such as a username, password, credit card number, or even Social Security Number. These attacks take advantage of human vulnerabilities like emotions, trust, or habits to convince individuals to take an action like clicking a fraudulent link, visiting a malicious website, or sending unrecoverable funds to someone (sometimes outside the United States). In today’s blog, we’ll be examining hallmarks of social engineering attacks, red flags to watch out for, and ways you can avoid becoming a victim of one.

Hallmarks of Social Engineering Attacks:

• Contact arrives unexpectedly and/or suddenly. If you receive an email from a distant family member you’ve never heard of, it could be a simulated attacked to steal your information
• Usually provides very little detail or an overly complex backstory
• The message contains a sense of urgency that can sometimes seem extreme and/or penalties for not complying fast enough. If the company requires immediate action or you’ll face a penalty, this could be a sign of a social engineering attack
• Requires you to perform an action like clicking a link, entering a username and password, or sending a money order

Red Flags of Social Engineering Attacks:

• Receiving overpayment (sometimes extreme) for an item sold online – especially if the payment is received in the form of a check or money order
• A job, email, or phone call that requires you to provide your online banking username and password in order to gain access to your account for any reason
• A person requests that you receive one form of payment and then send it somewhere else in a different form
• You receive an email that indicates that you need to do something in order to avoid something bad from happening
• You receive an email notifying you of a package delivery you didn’t expect

Ways You Can Protect Yourself Against These Attacks:

• Never give your online banking information to anyone
• Add an extra layer of account protection with Automated Fraud Alerts
• Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) across all accounts, devices, and applications – including social media and email accounts

In today’s digital world, protecting yourself against social engineering attacks is more important than ever. Safeguard your personal information, verify requests before accepting them, and stay informed of the latest scams to stay on top of your privacy protection. Staying vigilant is your best defense against fraudulent activity and tactics. Please visit our Fraud Prevention Center for additional fraud prevention information.