Mars Hill crime watch leader warns of phishing email scam making the rounds

INDIANAPOLIS— Tina Graham doesn’t feel safe.

She’s a crime watch captain in the Mars Hill neighborhood.

“My dad lives across the street, and I want to protect him," Graham said. “He has Alzheimer’s. You can’t trust anybody.”

Lately, it’s not just the crime on the streets that concerns Graham—it’s the crime on her phone.

She’s receiving emails with invoices claiming to be from well-known companies like PayPal and McAfee, showing she made purchases to the tune of hundreds of dollars.

Screenshot provided

“It confuses me,” Graham said. “I’m like, ok, did I order something? I’m not sure why I’m getting them.”

Graham reached out to WRTV Investigates.

“You guys do more investigation on these types of things than anybody else,” Graham said.

WRTV shared Graham’s emails with the Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana, and BBB spokesperson Jennifer Adamany said they are a phishing scam.

“The invoices do look real because they'll use the logo of a real business,” Adamany said.

The emails sometimes do not have links to click.

Instead, they have a number for you to call to dispute the charges.

“They want to get you on the phone,” Graham said. “They want to say ‘Oh you were hacked and that's why this happened. Give me your information so I can look up your account,’ or they want you to pay a fee to get it reversed or pay the invoice if they say it's overdue."

WRTV Investigates tried the phone numbers listed on both invoices claiming to be from PayPal and McAfee and both phone numbers were out of order.

Scammers can shut down quickly to avoid detection.

WRTV shared the email and invoice with PayPal, and the company confirmed it’s a scam.

“It is very clearly a scam aimed at parting people from their money,” Aidan Kelly, a spokesperson with PayPal, said. “All communications from PayPal to account holders are sent to the secure message center within their PayPal account. You will have a secure message waiting if PayPal does need you to take any action. “

Graham says she can see how easily people could fall for it.

“If I had not been aware, I would have called those numbers right away and discussed this with them,” Graham said. “I wouldn't have given them my information but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't."

Bottom line is scammers want to get you on the line to get your personal information.

Graham is spreading the word to protect her neighbors and people like her dad.

"I know there's a lot of elderly people who do have a computer and do read those emails,” Graham said. “Somebody will see it and they'll tell grandma or mom not to fall for that."

“McAfee is aware of reports of emails to consumers masquerading as legitimate McAfee invoices," a McAfee spokesperson said in a statement. "These fraudulent emails are being sent direct to consumers and include an attachment of a fake invoice that lists incorrect McAfee information, including a false phone number. McAfee always works to help resolve any criminal activity online by those looking to mislead, defraud, or obtain personal information by inappropriately using the McAfee name. McAfee prioritizes online protection and supports education to help consumers feel confident, especially when it comes to phishing prevention. Consumers should be vigilant in vetting any emails they receive for signs of phishing. This McAfee blog provides more information on how customers can protect themselves from phishing scams.”

Tips to avoid phishing scams:

• If something sounds suspicious, call the company directly or checking the company website directly. Don’t click on links in an unexpected email – type the URL for the company into the browser or do a web search to find the right website.
• Don’t click, download, or open anything that comes from an anonymous sender. This is likely an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install malware on your computer.
• Question generic emails. Scammers cast a wide net by including little or no specific information in their fake emails. Always be wary of unsolicited messages that don't contain your name, last digits of your account number or other personalizing information.
  

PayPal also offers the following tips to avoid scams:

• Log into PayPal: If you receive a suspicious email, don’t act on the message or click on any links. Instead, open your browser, log into your PayPal account directly and check for any new activity. PayPal will also email or notify you in the app if you’ve received any payment or have any updates to your account. 
• Check the basics: Look out for misspellings, typos and grammatical errors, which can be a common tell-tale sign of a fraudulent message. A genuine PayPal email will only ever address you by your first and last name, or your business name – anything that starts differently should immediately raise your suspicions. 
• Verify an email’s authenticity: Phishing scams will often mimic the look and feel of PayPal emails, and ask you for sensitive information – something that real PayPal emails will never do. We will never ask you for your full password, bank account, or credit card details in a message. 
• Beware false sense of urgency: Many scam emails tell you your account will be in jeopardy if you don’t act straight away. Common examples include warnings that your account may be suspended unless you click a link, download an attachment or respond immediately. 
• Avoid following links:  If you receive an email you think is suspicious, do not click on any links or download any attachments. You can check where a link is going before you click on it by hovering over it – does it look legitimate? If in any doubt, log into your PayPal account through your browser. 
• Be careful with your information: Limit the number of places where you store your payment information online by using a secure digital wallet like PayPal. If you are making a purchase online, consider using a protected payment method such as PayPal, so if your purchase doesn’t arrive or match the product description, PayPal can reimburse you.
• Use common sense: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is! Stay clear of exceptional deals or anything that is significantly reduced in price from what you would expect to pay.