What is Spoofing?
Spoofing is the act of disguising communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source.
- Scammers pretend to be someone you trust.
- They steal personal info, money, or spread malware.
- They target you through Email, Phone Calls, Websites, and more.
1. Chilling Calls from the Unknown
- They can make any caller ID appear.
- They create panic to make you act hastily. Perhaps telling you your loved one is in danger or your security is at risk.
- After the scam, they vanish, leaving you in the dark.
2. Emails and Websites in Disguise
- Spoofed websites can mirror real ones. Careful when hitting sponsored ads for a website.
- Scammers can easily change the display name to mimic known contacts or organizations.
- By manipulating the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), attackers can alter the “From.” “Return-Path”, and “Reply-To” fields.
3. Watching Your Every Move
Scammers are usually able to spoof successfully because they study how you interact online, who you talk to, and the cadence in which you speak.
For example, using the fact that you’re on vacation to pretend to need money because you were robbed and stuck in a foreign country.
What You Should Do When You Identify a Spoofing Ghoul?
- Report the email as phishing.
- Report and block the number.
- Never respond. Sending an email can expose your IP address and also kickstart a potential hacking.
- Make sure the website starts with “https://” not “http://.”
