I’m a security expert – five risky calls and messages you must ignore now

SECURITY experts have highlighted five red flags to watch out for when you answer the phone, read texts, or look at your emails.

Whether you use Android or iPhone, it’s hard to avoid some social engineering attacks but, if you spot the signs early, you can keep your money safe.

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Five examples of common social engineering scams have been highlighted in a recent Kaspersky blog post.

The first is a tech support scam that is a classic social engineering attack.

According to a post from Alanna Titterington, a security expert at Kaspersky, this attack often involves a scammer calling or texting you at the weekend.

A criminal will ring claiming there is a problem at your place of work and offer to fix it.

Titterington explains: “Not many folks want to go to the office on a weekend, so the tech support guy “reluctantly” agrees, “as a one-off”, to break company protocol and sort out the issue remotely.

“But to do this they’ll need the employee’s login credentials. You can guess the rest.”

The next scam on the list involves authentication requests.

If you receive spam authentication requests or a phone call asking you to confirm them, it’s best to avoid this.

One confirmation can let a hacker access important information that you’re supposed to protect.

The next scam on the list involves a fake CEO.

Titterington explains: “The idea behind it is to somehow initiate correspondence with company employees, typically posing as a manager or an important business partner.

“Typically, the purpose of the correspondence is to get the victim to transfer money to an account specified by the scammers.”

This attack is an example of a business email compromise (BEC).

Another common BEC attack is called conversation hijacking.

It involves a hacker getting hold of a real piece of correspondence and information and using it to gain your trust.

The fifth and final social engineering scam on the Kaspersky list involves bogus law enforcement claims.

If you get a message or phone call from someone pretending to be the police and they’re asking you to send money, ignore the request.

Some cybercriminals even hack email accounts that belong to law enforcement agencies.

If you’re certain an email or text you have received is a scam, report it and delete it.

It’s best to hang up on scam calls and block the number.