Middleton high schoolers know about 'iPhone' scams; simply delete ...

February 4, 2013 ? 1:36 pm

By Robb Hicken/BBB?s chief storyteller

Speaking with students at Middleton High School last week as part of a ?Know Your Options? session, I found out just what they thought about smartphones.

I was not surprised to see that the upper classes were tuned into staying in touch by smartphone. Fewer of the younger students ? freshmen and sophomores ? owned the devices.

Of the upper classmen, nearly half already had a smartphone. And, of those who had a phone, none reported falling for the ?you?ve won a gift card? text scam. Their response was short and simple: Don?t know who it is? Delete.

The students said the texts they receive the most are: You?ve won an iPhone 5 or a $1,000 Walmart prize.

Smart students because most knew what lay in store should they click the link for the alleged prize. Clicking the link may download a harmful virus to their mobile device.

It?s important to remember that a smart phone is basically a hand-held computer, and is susceptible to viruses, malware or spyware just like a laptop or a desktop computer.? In addition, most students understood that by the time they were in college they would be using smartphones or a tablet for multiple tasks ? from paying bills to writing class papers.

I passed along ?these tips:

• Never reply to an email that is asking you for personal information. Even if the email appears to be from a trusted source, this may be a phishing attack, where someone is trying to illegitimately obtain your personal or financial information. Delete the email immediately.
• Do not click on any links from sources that you are unfamiliar with. This may be a phishing attack, where someone is trying to redirect you to a website that may automatically trigger malicious code and infect your computer. If you really want to check out a link sent to you by email, research the company or individual first to confirm they are trustworthy. If so, then manually retype the link into a secure web browser.
• Keep anti-spyware, anti-virus and anti-spam software up to date. While you are ultimately responsible for keeping personal and financial information private, these technologies are designed to help keep phishing attacks to a minimum.
• Never give personal information over the phone. Take the time to verify what the caller is claiming by visiting BBB.org to look up the organization they are representing.
• A true sweepstakes will not make its winner pay fees. Many scams involve mailing or wiring a portion of the prize back for fees or taxes. Legitimate prizes do not come with processing fees and taxes are paid directly to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after winnings are collected.

More often, text messages like these ? including claims you have won merchandise or gift cards from popular stores and brands ? are phishing scams. Clicking the link leads you to a form that asks you to provide your personal information so in order to claim your prize. The scammers either use that information to open fraudulent accounts in your name or sell it to others.

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Tagged as did i win a walmart card, harmful virus, Internet, iPhone, iphone 5, Middleton High School, smart students, smartphone malware, technology, texting scams, unknow text address keeps coming, Walmart

Source: http://snakeriverbbb.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/middleton-high-schoolers-know-about-iphone-scams-simply-delete-unknown-senders/

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