For about as long as humans have existed, so have scammers. As humanity evolves and progresses, so does scamming. This is especially true as it pertains to any type of communication that isn't conducted face to face.Â
Email, social media, messaging apps and smartphones have been a goldmine for scammers and a nightmare for individuals, businesses and organizations that get hit.Â
A prime example is the phishing scam earlier this year that resulted in scammers getting their hands on W-2 tax records for 147 Nitro city employees. A city worker submitted the documents after getting an email request that appeared to come from Mayor David Casebolt. The email used the name "Dave Casebolt" and requested specific records that the mayor could've plausibly had a reason to ask for. The email wasn't from Casebolt's official city account, which is a red flag. But it's understandable how this could have happened.Â
Some might remember the early 2000s, when random emails began circulating with the sender claiming to be a wealthy political dissident in an African nation or exiled European royalty, asking the recipient to accept the individual's vast wealth. This seems ridiculous and was an obvious scam, but some fell for it. Now, people are receiving emails using the names of friends, co-workers or associates asking for things that are much more specific to the recipient's job. Old scams also typically used poor grammar, but even that has improved in many phishing cases.Â
These scams can be devastating, if successful, resulting in identity theft, fraudulent tax returns and myriad other problems that can take victims a long time to sort out.Â
The problem is that these scams are only going to get more sophisticated, especially as AI enters the picture. Determining what's real and what isn't over a variety of subject matter is already difficult now, and it's going to become more so.Â
As it pertains to emails seeking personal information or financial records, it's important to look at the email address it's coming from. That's still a reliable way to tell if something is legit. Don't reply and don't click on any links included in the email. Exercise the utmost caution, because it can save you a lot of trouble.Â
If you think you've been a victim in one of these scams, visit IdentityTheft.gov, which offers steps to take to handle the situation. You can also report suspected phishing attempts to reportphishing@apwg.org or by contacting the Federal Trade Commission, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
