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Phishing and Extortion Scams After Security Breaches

Phishing and Extortion Scams After Security Breaches

What You Need to Know

Phishing is a type of scam that starts with an email, text message, or phone call that pretends to be from a legitimate source. The message will tell a plausible story related to a need for you to verify or provide your personal information. The goal is to get you to enter your personal information into a fake website or extort money from you.

Phishing scammers try to get their hooks in you. Don’t take the bait. Learn the signs of a phishing scam and the steps you can take to avoid being scammed. Read our Consumer Alerts Fraudulent Email - Thieves Intend to Steal Your Personal Information and .

Remember

These scams may use recently hacked data as well as data hacked years ago.

Recent Extortion Phishing Scam

The Attorney General has received reports of a recent scam using hacked information threatening to expose the recipient’s alleged viewing of adult videos unless the sender is paid $1,000 in Bitcoin. The email was fraught with misspelled words, grammar errors, and mismatched links. However, the email correctly cited the recipient’s password information for an online account.

Spot It: Watch out for phishing attempts.

  • Look for messages with misspellings, typos, and bad grammar.
  • Look for messages that use your password or some of your personal information.
  • Look for mismatched links that you can spot by hovering your mouse over a link that does not match the stated destination.
  • Beware any unsolicited message that asks you to click on a link, open an attachment, or verify your personal information.

Stop It: Consider what you share and who you share your personal information with.

  • Never reply to emails, calls, texts, or pop-ups that ask for verification or your personal information.
  • Review your privacy settings and take advantage of Facebook’s security options.
  • Change your passwords and security questions: do not recycle old passwords.
  • Report suspicious emails and Facebook messages to Facebook.

Contact the Attorney General's Office

To report a scam, file a complaint, or get additional information, contact the Michigan Department of Attorney General:

Consumer Protection Team
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll-free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form