In today's digital age, scammers and phishing schemes have become extremely prevalent and troubling. Most of these scams are fairly well-known and relatively easy to spot. Recently, however, a new phishing scheme involving fake party invites has become popular, with many people falling victim to it. In this blog post, we'll discuss what exactly this scam is and what you can do to stay safe from it.
What is the scam?
Unlike previous scams, which typically try to entice people with offers of free prizes, trips, or money, this scam often imitates popular electronic invitation sites, telling would-be victims that they have been invited to a party or other event by someone they know. The scam will typically provide a fake link to RSVP for the event that is similar to what would be found in legitimate invitations, but instead of registering for the event, the link will provide the scammers with an opportunity to steal your information using malware or fake password entry pages, or take over your device by downloading software to your computer, such as ScreenConnect. Clicking these links can be disastrous, potentially allowing scammers to gain access to your email, banking information, or important documents stored on your device.
What should you do and look for?
While these scams can be dangerous, like all scams, once you know what to look for, they can be fairly easy to identify. Popular invite sites such as Evite, Punchbowl, and Paperless Post have posted guides on how to spot scams that are trying to imitate their sites. We highly recommend referring to these guides whenever you receive an invite claiming to be sent from one of those sites, but we will summarize the basic points here:
Always verify that the sender’s email address is legitimate and associated with the company before opening any links or attachments. Legitimate emails should have the company's name as the email’s domain (e.g., email@paperlesspost.com). For a list of emails that belong to Evite, Paperless Post, and Punchbowl, please refer to the guides above.
Before clicking on any links in the email, hover over them with your mouse to see the links destination. Links from invite sites should go to a page associated with their website, and the links address should reflect that. If the link does not have the company's name as its domain (e.g., https://evite.com), then it is likely not a safe link.
Verify the event's legitimacy before opening any links or attachments. Many of these scams will use a person or organization you are familiar with to create invites to fake events such as birthday parties or class reunions. Always confirm with the relevant individuals or organizations that the event is real before going further.
Consider downloading antivirus software for additional protection on your device if possible. Many devices have built-in protections to help protect you from malicious software, but sometimes these features aren't 100% effective. Look into what protection, if any, your device has, and if you feel like you want an extra layer of protection, research different products that are compatible with your device and decide what the best option is for you.
If you believe you may have clicked a fraudulent link or attachment, it is recommended you immediately do the following:
Disconnect your device from the internet. This includes turning off cellular data if you are on a mobile device.
Use a different device to change any important passwords as soon as possible.
Check to see if software such as ScreenConnect was downloaded to your device after clicking the link. If so, delete the software immediately.
While this guide is not comprehensive, we hope it helps you identify any of these scams you may encounter. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at (855) 524-2976 or contact us online!