“It looked so real”! Or how about, “But I just did (whatever) from my bank and then I got the e-mail“. I also hear about, ” I just did not think about it before it was too late“!
Having worked in “IT” for the better part of 20 years I have heard / seen / been told it all. Years ago it shocked me when a customer could literally “destroy” a computer from the time I installed it to the time it took me to drive back to my shop. It really can just take one single click.
The same can go for e-mails. The other day I shared how I went for, and now have been approved, for 3 new credit cards. They were the British Airways Visa Signature® Card (link) and the US Bank Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature® Card (link) and finally the BofA Alaska card. Two were instantly approved and the last one is now AOK as well. So I have kept my 100% streak of approvals going for a number of years. But, right after I had applied I got the above email. Yikes!
Now here is why I say YIKES! I had not applied for any AMEX cards because I have to wait for my next round of cards before I go for one of them (it will be the AMEX Premier GOLD card (link) so I can get 3x points for buying Delta tickets next year)! But, rather than just click the link in the email I did some looking and “hovering”.
“Phishers” are getting really good. The email I got “looked” really good but there were some instant warnings. Like, no last 4 digits of the card that they were mentioning. Also, not to me directly i.e. just customer. Lastly when I hovered my mouse over the linked URL it wanted to take me to a (dot) ru address or RUSSIA. I think most of us are not really big fans of the old bear right now (maybe even including our Rusky Skyteam partners?)!
Anyway, you can see that in the middle of the “rush” of earning a ton of new points and adding to my millions already on hand I could have, in the moment, slipped and clicked where I should not. I did not and I hope you do not either. Just like a skier friend of mine who is a master carpenter always says when it comes to wood working “measure twice and cut once” – I am sure you know the quote but unless you apply it it does you no good! – René
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