The Hex Files
Scams and phishing
How scams reach a business today, and how to spot them before anyone pays.
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Scams and phishing
How scams reach a business today, and how to spot them before anyone pays.
- Explainer
How phishing works when your email is in the cloud
A fake sign-in page, a hidden inbox rule, then invoices sent from your real mailbox.
1 min readRead - Explainer
When a vendor's bank details suddenly change
A real-looking email asks you to pay an invoice to a new account. This is one of the most expensive scams a business can fall for.
1 min readRead - Checklist
How to spot a phishing email
Seven checks that take a few seconds and catch most phishing messages.
1 min readRead - What to do if
What to do if you clicked a phishing link
Act quickly, tell IT and get your password reset. Speed matters more than embarrassment.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Why would your boss want gift cards?
A message that seems to come from a manager asks you to buy gift cards and send the codes. It is always a scam.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Text message scams: unpaid tolls, missed deliveries and fake banks
Texts about tolls, parcels or blocked accounts are some of the most common scams today, and they increasingly reach work phones.
1 min readRead - Explainer
QR codes are links you can't read
A QR code is just a web address in disguise. Scammers use them on stickers, letters and emails to get around link checks.
1 min readRead - What to do if
The pop-up says your computer is infected. It isn't.
A loud warning fills the screen and gives a phone number to call. It is a scam designed to get you to let a stranger into your computer.
1 min readRead - Explainer
When the voice on the phone isn't real
Attackers can now clone a voice from a short recording and fake a video call. Checking through a second channel matters more than ever.
1 min readRead - What to do if
What to do if you paid a fake invoice
Call your bank immediately and report the fraud. The first few hours make the difference between recovering money and losing it.
1 min readRead - Explainer
“Your page will be suspended”: fake social media warnings
Messages claiming your business page broke the rules and will be deleted unless you appeal lead to fake login pages.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Calls about your business listing that are really a sales trap
A caller warns that your business listing will be removed or is out of date. A yes on the call becomes an invoice.
1 min readRead - Checklist
Charity scams follow every disaster
After a disaster or tragedy in the news, fake charities appear quickly, by email, text, social media and phone.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Microsoft will not call you about a virus
Callers who say they are from Microsoft, your bank or “IT” and want to fix your computer are almost always scammers.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Requests for employee tax forms are a favorite of scammers
An email that seems to come from an executive asks HR or payroll to send copies of every employee's tax forms. It is a common seasonal scam.
1 min readRead - Explainer
The email asking to change where a paycheck goes
A message that looks like it comes from an employee asks to update their bank details before payday. The money ends up with a scammer.
1 min readRead - What to do if
The email that quotes your old password and makes threats
An email claims to have hacked your computer and recorded you, and shows a password you once used as proof. It is a bluff.
1 min readRead - Explainer
The renewal receipt for something you never bought
An email says your subscription renewed for a large amount and gives a number to call to cancel. The call is the scam.
1 min readRead - Explainer
The fake invoice that asks you to call
Some scam emails have no link and no attachment, only a phone number to call about a charge you did not make. The call is the trap.
1 min readRead - Checklist
How to read a web address before you sign in
The quickest way to spot a fake sign-in page is the address bar. Here is how to read it in a few seconds.
1 min readRead - Explainer
“Someone shared a document with you”
Notices that a file has been shared with you are one of the most common ways to steal Microsoft 365 passwords.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Fake recruiters and job offers
Scammers pose as recruiters on professional networking sites and by email to steal personal details, install malware or get money from job seekers and employees.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Letters that look like your domain renewal
Official-looking letters and emails about your website domain, trademark or business listing are often sales pitches or scams dressed as invoices.
1 min readRead - Explainer
The top search result might be an ad for a fake site
Scammers buy search ads that look like the real company, leading to fake sign-in pages and software downloads.
1 min readRead - Checklist
Five pressure tactics every scam uses
Scams change their story constantly, but they use the same few pressures to stop you thinking. Learn the pressures and you will recognize the scam.
1 min readRead - What to do if
I gave someone my sign-in code
If you read out or typed a sign-in code for someone else, treat your account as taken over and act straight away.
1 min readRead - Explainer
Phishing without the spelling mistakes
Scammers now use AI tools to write convincing messages in perfect language. Judge a message by what it asks you to do.
1 min readRead
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