Friona has a phishing problem
There has been an outbreak of computer scammers in Friona recently. Marca Herring at Friona Interbank called and told us that several people have had to close their accounts because of the problem. While viruses can be bad, phishing is the larger issue.
Modern computers aren’t as susceptible to viruses as they used to be. Operating systems like Windows have had years to learn what viruses look like. Most web browsers and email programs are great about blocking harmful content.
To gain access to people’s computers, scammers usually require help from the victims themselves. It is a process called phishing, and it is very common.
The way it works is:
1.) You click on an email or visit a web page that looks like a legitimate windows message. The message might say something like, “Your computer has a virus! Call this number to fix the problem!”
2.) You call the number and the person on the other end says, “No problem, visit this other website and tell me the code it shows you.”
3.) You give them the code, and they say thank you. Now your mouse pointer is moving by itself and the scammer has full control of your computer.
Once a scammer has access to your computer, there are many things they can do to extort money from you. Remember that if your computer ever tells you to call a phone number, it is probably a scam. Be careful about what you download, and don’t install anything unless you know for sure what it is.
