(Fremont County, WY) – As students and families gear up for the school year, cybercriminals are stepping up, too – taking advantage of back-to-school shopping season with a host of scams.
Scammers are flooding the web with phony promises of “amazing” deals on backpacks, school supplies, electronics – even laptops. Some of these sites take your money and vanish, while others ship counterfeit or low-quality goods.
“Also popular are phony shopping sprees and giveaways, which also lure shoppers into handing over their account and personal info,” online protection firm McAfee says in a recent blog post. “In all, with online shopping hitting another seasonal peak, it’s time for shoppers to give those ads and deals a particularly closer look. Scammers are out there in force.”
Also on the rise are fake shipping notifications mimicking USPS, UPS, Amazon, or other retailers. These text messages and emails often urge you to click a link or open an attachment to “reschedule delivery” – a scheme designed to lead to phishing or malware attacks.
“With the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s important to be knowledgeable of how to recognize and avoid scammers using this technology,” according to a recent advisory issued by the Federal Communications Commission. “Scammers can create “deepfakes” to mimic students’ or teachers’ voices to deceive parents or students into making urgent payments for school or sharing sensitive personal information.”
College students in particular have become prime targets for scams disguised as opportunities. They may receive calls or messages about “official” scholarship offers, or even housing and rental deals that sound too good to be true.
Experts encourage verifying any offers you receive with your school’s financial aid office or housing services.
If you have been receiving unwanted (spam) calls, you can report them directly to the FCC here.