The Christmas holiday season is a favorite time of the year for frauds, scams, and other phishing schemes. The TTU IT Division has received information that scammers are actively targeting individuals through SMS text messages, fraudulently claiming to represent financial institutions.

The text messages indicate that your credit card or bank account has been restricted, and direct the recipient to contact a phone number to "regain" full access to their account. Once on the phone, the victim is asked to provide sensitive personal information, such as birth date, SSN, mother's maiden name, and payment information, such as card numbers, expiration dates, and 3-digit security codes. If you have received one of these scams, do not respond; to verify if a text message is legitimate, contact your financial institution by using the phone number on the back of your card.

Common tactics that scammers use: 

• Scare tactics. These aggressive and sophisticated scams try to scare people into providing confidential information or money. Many phone scams use threats to try to intimidate you and may also leave "urgent" callback requests, sometimes through automated email lists or phone calls ("robo-calls"); 
• Requests for immediate action or information. These callers often request personal information such as birth date, SSN, mother's maiden name, etc… under the guise of "verifying the caller's identity." They may also ask for money, gift cards, credit card numbers, or Western Union money transfers.
• Caller ID spoofing. Scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like a particular organization or an official agency is calling. The callers may use official titles and fake premises to appear legitimate. They may use online resources to get your name, address, and other details about your life to make the call sound legitimate; and 
• Phishing email and regular mail. Scammers copy and use official letterhead in email or regular mail they send to victims in an attempt to make the scam look official.

We encourage you to be vigilant in practicing cybersecurity and invite you to learn more cybersecurity tips online at http://www.cybersecurity.ttu.edu. For more information or questions, please contact your local IT expert or an area IT consultant. Some area IT consultants are listed online at http://cybersecurity.ttu.edu under "Additional Resources."