The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has warned that scammers are targeting high-profile employees and influencers with fake invitations to appear as a guest on popular celebrity podcasts.
The scammer poses as the podcast’s production manager, offering the target $2,000 for the appearance. If the victim agrees, the attacker will ask them to hop into a virtual meeting to test their setup before the podcast. During this meeting, the attacker will attempt to take control of the victim’s computer and/or steal login credentials for their social media accounts.
The BBB offers the following advice to help users avoid falling for the scam:
- “Be skeptical of emails with strange formatting and language. In this specific scam, the podcast invitation email may have strange formatting with your full name in bold letters in a font size much larger than the rest of the email.
- Check the email address of the invitation. Impostors will use fake email addresses that look very close to a real one. Take a good look at the email address before responding. Most official podcasts or businesses have their own email domain and will not use a ‘@gmail.com’ email domain, for example. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of the email address, do a web search for the podcast’s real contact information. You will be able to see the podcast’s email domain and can verify if the communication is real. You can also reach out to the podcast on your own to verify the request you received.
- If you’re being offered a lot of money out of the blue, take it as a red flag. A popular scam tactic is to entice consumers or businesses with money. If you’re asked by an unknown person to do something, and are told you’ll get paid to do it, take caution.
- Never let a stranger take control of your computer. It’s the classic tech support scam – a scammer will pretend to be trustworthy and attempt to take control of your computer from another location. If they are successful, they may access your files and web browser to steal your information. Never let anyone take control of your computer. If you’re ever asked to enter a code onto your screen, call a number that appears on a pop-up, or initiate a connection to another device, stop communication with the person and shut down your computer.”
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The BBB has the story.
