HOUSTON – Houstonians, be aware! The Better Business Bureau is warning people of a well-known scam with a new twist.
Most people check their emails multiple times a day, and most of us also have multiple subscriptions we have to maintain.
Now, the BBB is saying scammers have stepped up their antics by posing as businesses you may have a membership or an account with and stating that your membership or subscription has expired. The goal is to trick you into clicking on the link and providing your personal and credit card information.
How it works
The BBB said you will receive an urgent email from a business you have a membership or subscription with, which will state that your membership has expired.
The email will then ask you to click a link and provide your credit card information.
According to the BBB, the email may look legitimate and include the business logo and may come around the time your subscription or membership is set to expire. The scammers may also send an email stating that your subscription to a certain business has been auto-renewed, causing you to worry. There will then be a customer service number to call, which will be fake.
The BBB has reported multiple reports of this same. Here are some ways you can avoid email phishing:
- Take a second look at the email. There are several red flags that identify phishing emails. Look at the sender’s email address – if it’s a long string of numbers and letters that don’t make sense, or if the email address just doesn’t look right, it’s likely an impostor. Scare tactics and urgent requests are also quite common for phishing emails, as are spelling errors and poorly written emails. Read BBB’s tips on how to recognize a phony email for more red flags.
- Go to the business to confirm the email. If you receive an email stating your subscription has expired or payment is needed, first verify the information on your own. Consider calling the business’s real phone number directly (don’t use any phone numbers that are included in the questionable email you received) and verify your account details with them.
- Keep track of your subscriptions and any auto-renewing payments. Keep track of any subscription or membership renewal dates and the anticipated charges on a calendar so you know when to expect them. That way, you can have a better idea of determining when a subscription renewal email is fake or not.
- Think twice before providing payment for something you didn’t initiate. Don’t provide your payment information to anyone if you did not initiate the purchase. If you’re being asked to pay with your bank account number, prepaid credit cards, digital wallet apps, or wiring money, this is a red flag.
- Check with BBB Scam Tracker. If you’re questioning an email you received from a business, look up the details on BBB Scam Tracker and verify if anyone else has received the same type of email. This can help you verify whether or not the email is fake.
- Once you verify the email is fake, report it as spam and delete it. Your email provider may provide an option for you to mark an email as spam. If you’ve verified that the email is a scam, report it and delete it right away.