The Federal Trade Commission warned America this week about phishing emails falsely telling people they’re invited to something.
The fake invites are sometimes made to look like they originate from companies like Paperless Post and Evite, which specialize in legitimate invitations.
Scammers are also known to use details about people the victim knows in order to make their emails look real, the FTC said in an alert Tuesday.
The false invitation emails rely on getting the victim to input their email login credentials, phone number or a special code to open the emails or RSVP to the fake event. The FTC emphasized that “that’s not how real invitations work.”
Paperless Post President Alexa Hirschfeld told ABC News that “we see a few hundred reports a week,” adding that “anything that’s asking you to download an attachment is a red flag. Anything that asks you to log in or register to do something basic like reply is a red flag.”
After victim Alexis Moser entered information for one such email, scammers got into her bank account. She told ABC News, “I opened up the transaction history, and I noticed that there were three different transactions and they total like $5,500.”
The FTC recommends people keep security software updated, use two-factor authentication and to act fast to create a new password if they think scammers have obtained their information.
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