Cyber scams and how to avoid them

Emails and text messages that impersonate Norton often try to create a sense of urgency by threatening to charge your credit card unless you respond. They may also include warnings about expired antivirus settings or an infection on your computer. Most include an urgent request that you contact someone, asking the reader to sign on to a spoof site, open an attachment, call an 800 number, or respond with personal or account information.

Never click on any link in suspicious emails. Forward such suspicious emails as an attachment to spam@norton.com.

Sample email:

Some scammers also send emails that look like they are from a reputable company (e.g., PayPal, Microsoft). The email contains Norton Renewal notice, includes an attached invoice, and a phone number to call to cancel a pending credit card charge.

To avoid these types of scams, watch out for offers that appear too good to be true and check for spelling or grammar mistakes in the offer.

Companies posing as software support providers claim to offer software support services on behalf of major technology companies to gain access to and exploit your personal information. They often gain your trust by misrepresenting their relationship with reputable companies, and prey on the fear of your computer becoming infected with viruses and malware. Many spend hundreds of dollars on useless software and bogus support services, which often results in unknowingly downloading dangerous software that opens their computers to scammers. For more information, read the article Tech Support Scams.

Social media scams are a variety of posts you will see in your news feeds- all with the goal of getting you to click on a link that could potentially be hosting malware. To know more about the different types of social media scams, read the article Learn more about social media scams.

Scams using a mobile phone can come in many forms, but the most common are phishing apps and scam text messages. These are designed to look like the real thing, just like phishing emails. It is the same premise, however, instead of emails, the malware is passed through a fake app or an SMS/TXT.