📧 Prime-time panic: Amazon just mass-emailed 220 million Prime users about a rise in account impersonation scams. Phishing, phone calls and fake Prime renewals are the flavor of the month. Frequent scams include phony iPhone purchases and “click here to cancel” traps. You’re not special. Everyone got this email. But don’t click anything. Seriously.
Over 225 billion
The number of cyberattacks Cloudflare sees every single day. The twist? One of the biggest targets is gamers. Hackers love snatching accounts, changing the login details and reselling them. So give your kid a heads-up: Phishing emails are scammers’ favorite move. If a link says “free loot,” it’s a trap.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Bookmark your bank’s login page. Hackers create look-alike sites to trick you. Using a saved, official bookmark sidesteps typos that lead to phishing traps.
Have mandatory cybersecurity classes at work? New research from Purdue found anti-phishing training may make workers worse at spotting scams. Turns out, binge-watching security videos doesn’t build instincts, it builds false confidence. One group even clicked more after “interactive” training. That’s right: Your IT team’s monthly guilt-trap quiz might be actively hurting.
🩸 The FBI’s waving red flags: Scammers have a new angle. They’re impersonating health fraud investigators to steal sensitive data. They’ll slide into your texts or inbox asking for health info or fake reimbursements. Watch out for phone calls, too. Don’t bite, it’s all phishing designed to use your medical ID for something or someone else, along with stealing your cash. Have an older family member? Warn them about this one.
🚨 AT&T data leak: Hackers just exposed 86 million customer records, including names, phone numbers, emails and addresses. Worse? Nearly 44 million Social Security numbers were leaked in plain text. That’s prime info for scammers and identity theft. PSA: Stay alert for phishing attempts and keep a close eye on your accounts, folks.
Phishing got a glow-up: Scam emails used to scream “Nigerian prince” with typos galore. Now, AI makes them sound more legit than your actual bank. No weird phrasing, no broken English: just a well-written lie in your inbox. Even tiny languages like Icelandic aren’t safe. Slow down reading your email, and don’t jump to act.
57%
Of all spam emails in the world come from the U.S. We’ve got loads of data centers, which makes it difficult to enforce regulations properly. This isn’t just inbox clutter, either; 67% of those messages contain phishing or malware links. You could say we’re the outbreak monkey of the internet.
⚠️ Crypto hackers get crafty: A hacker group called FreeDrain has built an entire phishing empire targeting desperate crypto users. They do it by poisoning search results with over 200K malicious links. Victims are lured by fake wallet support pages, asked for their seed phrases and drained faster than a Solana transaction. The heist? Already in the millions.
🔥 Mac scam spreading: A new phishing scam makes your Mac pretend to freeze, throw a meltdown alert, then sweet-talk you into handing over your Apple ID like it’s a lost kitten. It’s fake. It’s bad. And it’s targeting typo-prone Mac users who think “MacOsHelp.vip” is a real Apple site.
💬 Got a weird text from Home Depot? Like “your order is ready,” but you didn’t buy anything? Someone might’ve typed in your number by mistake, but it could also be a scam. Hackers can spoof five-digit numbers to send “view your order” phishing links. Don’t click anything. Log in to your account to check.
23%
That’s how many HTML attachments are malicious. They usually show up in your inbox with names like “invoice.html,” and when you click, they redirect you to phishing websites. That’s where scammers steal your info or drop malware on your device. Moral of the story? Stay sharp and use real-time protection. My pick is TotalAV, just $19 a year.
📧 Google phishing scam: If you get an email saying there’s a legal subpoena tied to your Google account, don’t panic and don’t click. It’ll send you to a fake support page to steal your login info. Google says they’re working on a fix. Imagine getting sued by Fake Google, and losing.
🛡️ Google scrambles to fix Gmail phishing mess: I told you about this on Saturday, but it’s still going in full force. Don’t fall for spoofed emails claiming your Gmail account is about to be closed down. These are passing Gmail’s scam filters, slipping into inboxes looking squeaky-clean. You know it’s bad when the scammer gets better deliverability than your friend’s birthday email.
💍 Diamonds aren’t forever: What if a mystery red box with a diamond ring arrived in your mail? Ask Tiffany Grove. She got one from the “Global Gemological Research Academy,” did some digging and realized it was a scam. It came with a QR code for a “warranty” that leads to a phishing site. Apparently, the only gem they’re offering is emotional damage. Don’t scan it, just report it.
🚨 It’s not from Apple: There’s a phishing text going around that claims your Apple ID was used to approve a transaction, usually with a dollar amount included. Don’t click the link or call the number. Real Apple account alerts come through iOS push notifications or official emails, never texts.
⚠️ Your browser is a big honkin’ target: Reading this on Chrome? Hackers are sending phishing links via email that infect your system with malware as soon as you click. A fix is coming soon, so restart your browser when you see the update icon near the URL bar. Sigh, just one more reason you need solid antivirus protection.
One of the worst phishing scams: It’s coming for Mac owners, with hackers trying to steal your Apple ID. While you’re browsing in Safari, a fake pop-up appears pretending to be a security alert. What makes it extra sneaky? The page you’re on actually freezes, making it feel like your computer’s locked up. If it happens, don’t click anything. Just restart your browser.
🫨 Gone phishing: If you use Gmail or Outlook, watch out for deceptive emails asking for sensitive info or trying to trick you into clicking a malicious link that takes over your computer. Make a mistake and the hackers will hold your PC or data hostage until you pay a ransom. This one’s spreading, so watch out!
📨 Inbox under attack: Beware if you use Microsoft 365. Hackers are putting phishing links in emails sent from Microsoft addresses. Yep, even those from “.onmicrosoft.com” can be fake. This is getting around security checks. Be extra careful about clicking on links. Search the email address in your inbox to see if it’s familiar.