yes, quite, one of them "public service" sort of posts i do every now and then, to be sure. i just figure that these might be of help to someone searching for answers if they get similar messages, look you see.
the title of this post implies plural, which is as it should be. not one, not three but most decidedly two attempts to con have been received in the last few days. it struck me as apt and useful to cover both in one post.
of these the first we shall look at is the most modern or newest of scam attempts, the text message. whereas text messages on mobile phones have been a thing for some two decades, give or take, it feels like a concerted effort to con via them has only been on the go for the last couple.
here, with some details edited out so as not to give them the air of chance of people trying, is the latest fake text.
at a glance you would be forgiven for assuming this is a valid text off of that bank called Natwest, or if you like NatWest or Nat West indeed. what the con relies on is your mind tricking you into thinking that in a glance you saw "Natwest" and so it must be legit, whereas in reality it says "Ntwest", meaning there is an "a" missing.
under no circumstances would any (proper) bank ever send you any message that blindly asks you to login to a site to "verify your details". that is a message which must be relayed and repeated again and again so no one forgets and all are aware. you may be thinking "but i know that". well, others do not, which is why this scam works from time to time.
if this is all too late and you have clicked on something like the above, perhaps it is not too late. stop reading this and contact your bank immediately for assistance. otherwise, as and when a text like this comes on your phone, just delete it straight away.
one of the perpetuated myths about texts like this is that "but how did they get my number" question. there's no intelligence or obtaining of data behind it. these scammers simply set up computers to generate millions of numbers which follow the pattern of the standard for mobiles in any particular country. the whole thing is automated, sent out in a "hit and hope" manner with the wish of catching someone.
to bring in the second, here's a look at a decidedly internet related form of scam - the scaremongering, made to make you fear pop up browser window demanding coins of money
let it not be said, at the least, that scammers don't have their finger on the pulse of the news. they know that many shall be aware of this "wannacry" virus ransomware thing, in particular as, from what i remember, it affected a number of NHS computers.
this demand pop up window is utter nonsense. no, Microsoft are not really saying they are watching your well being, and they are certainly not the ones you would contact if you followed the request for details on this.
should a pop up like this strike you whilst browsing the net simply close the browsing window and it is all gone. do not click on the links, do not call the numbers given and most decidedly do not hand over any information requested.
sometimes it seems that the browser window with this nonsense is "locked", as in it does not close easily. simply start Task Manager (on a Windows computer at the least) to close it down. you can access this by either right clicking over your tool bar (the bit at the bottom of your computer screen) (unless you have moved it to the side or top) or by pressing the Ctrl, Alt and Del keys at the same time.
well, there you go - hopefully for those concerned or curious this has all been of some reassuring help. or has given you a clue what to do if you've clicked on entirely the wrong thing.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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