If you went directly to SSA.gov you are probably fine, just don’t click a link to SSA.gov since you have no idea where that will take you even though it look exactly like SSA. Yes, login.gov and id.gov are the prescribed ways to access your social security - they set that up a few years ago,
I’ve had Wayfair say “just keep it” for an entry way table that had a ding on the corner! I didn’t even order a replacement and it was over $200. My son used it as a sofa table and just filled in the ding with a little wood putty and a gray marker….looks good as new.
I’ve had Amazon offer me to keep an item or two for a reduced price, but they weren’t wrong, they just weren’t what I expected - I’ve returned a lot of stuff free because, it just didn’t look like the pictures to me anyway.
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I just got a very real looking Apple text saying our account was used in another state and to click here if we didn’t authorize the payment. Everything looked super authentic except where it was sent from and the toll free number wasn’t right. We double checked that our credit card wasn’t compromised and then I reported it to Apple. Sounds like they are very aware of the phishing scams.
Make sure you have two factor identify turned on and don’t ever ever click a link in a text.
I feel so bad for older people because these crooks are getting more and more savvy.
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This is a new one for me AND kind of a scary way of getting into your life. I think my elderly in-laws could easily fall for this. I had a pop-up reminder in my Outlook calendar that said a payment was due on an invoice for something. I pay everything in my house so I know who I owe what to and what my husband has spent wherever - he typically tells me ahead time if it’s something odd. So I never put payment reminders on my calendar, I just put them in my bill pay in my checking account with the date and amount I want to pay. I went to my calendar and sure enough, there is a tentative appointment to pay this invoice and the text wanted me to accept it by clicking on the link in the appointment - it was from somewhere in Caribbean I believe for what is a bogus invoice. I could very easily see my inlaws clicking that link to accept the invitation and put it on their calendar as accepted and somehow opening their computer to who knows what. Keep an eye out for invitations showing up on your calendar, they may not be harmless invites.
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Very interesting. I don’t use an electronic calendar but my husband does. I’m going to share this with him.
Wow, I just googled and guess this is a thing going on - here’s how to stop it and settings for your calendar - this is info is copy & paste from Malwarebytes:
Oh, my gosh! That’s horrible.
I was recently looking for a job, and a “rep” from Intersnack Group (a German company) contacted me – I had not applied. It was very elaborate and seemed legit… until I did some research and ascertained that, alas, Intersnack Group is not currently hiring in the US.
They were trying to get me to “purchase equipment” through their “broker” for my home office, and the method of payment was going to be bitcoin. I was going to send them bitcoin, they were going to email me a “check” to reimburse me, and then magically my office equipment would arrive.
So if Intersnack Group contacts you directly about a job, and you live in the US, ignore it.
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I’m one of those people that live by my calendar - if it’s not on my calendar it either didn’t happen or won’t happen. I use it a lot for resources in “look back” when I need to reference something as well. So weird that it must have had a short reminder (already deleted it) because I never noticed it on my calendar but got the popup reminder and that’s when I went to look at the actual calendar and it was there.
I love my electronic calendar but am careful about whom I accept any invitations from and even more about clicking any links. Yikes!
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See my post #1702. Same exact thing happened to me with the Google calendar.
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It is possible that some of my husband’s info was compromised. Should we do something like Lifelock or is just notifying the credit bureaus enough? If so, what is the best one of those services to use and how can you be sure you aren’t being scammed through them? Thanks in advance!!
I did both, after someone in another state put her picture on my license card. I let all the credit bureaus know, then joined Life Lock.
There is info on where to do a credit freeze on the Boglehead site at https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Credit_freeze In addition to the 3 credit bureaus there are 3 other sites listed on that page used for opening other accounts such as checking that you should freeze.
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Certainly make sure your accounts are still frozen (or freeze if they haven’t been) at all 3 credit agencies to keep someone from opening any new accounts or changing your contact info, etc. and let the banks know.
I am the queen of being careful, and almost got caught. Received an Punchbowl evite to a birthday party from someone I was a little surprised to have been included. While we have been friendly in the past, as she was a close friend of my closest friend, I haven’t seen her in 4 years. I figured since it was a big birthday maybe she was having a large party.
Click on the invitation, but it wouldn’t open; some weird gibberish message came up on the top. I was then directed to sign into my Google account, which I did not do. I assumed it was because I was on my cell sitting in the waiting room at an appointment, so decided to try once home on my computer.
Same thing happened on my computer. Closer look at the evite email, and it says reply by December 26th; the email came on the 22nd! Spoke with my friend who said she didn’t get the email, but her oldest daughter did.
Obviously either her gmail or Punchbowl account was hacked. I am going to assume since I didn’t login to my Google account, that I am ok. Just mad at myself for trying not once, but twice on two different devices.
I am also surprised she didn’t send out an email letting people know it was not really from her; I would assume someone told her about it.