DIRECTV Fraud Awareness & PreventionPhishing
What’s Phishing?
Phishing is a type of attack involving deceptive messages over the internet or sent in a text message to get you to unknowingly share personal or confidential information. The messages appear to be legitimate, as if they were sent by real people or companies. Fraudsters will “phish” to bait or trick you into giving up information to steal your identity and fraudulently use your accounts. Phishing attacks often come in the form of an email, but they can also come as a text message, sometimes called smishing, or as a phone call when a scammer engages in an actual conversation, also known as vishing.
How to Spot a Phishing Scheme
Phishing messages often tell a story to get you to take some sort of action. Look out for the following signs of a potential phishing attack:
- Emails or text messages that require or pressure you to
act now or suffer the consequences - Requests for confidential, personal information, including user logins, passwords and credit card information
- Unexpected or unfamiliar messages that include attachments, pictures, and/or links that may not even work
- Messages written with poor grammar or spelling errors
- Emails or text messages that include odd or unfamiliar ways of greeting you at the start of the message
You’re in Control
If you get an email or a text message that asks you to access a link or open an attachment, think before you click. Carefully review the message and the sender, then consider taking the following actions:
Don’ts:
- Don’t open emails or text messages from unknown or unfamiliar sources
- Don’t open attachments, click on pictures, or click on links in suspicious messages
- Don’t give in to pressure to react quickly – ask yourself if the request makes sense before sharing private or sensitive information
Dos:
- Use customer support channels you know are valid, like an official website, to contact a company and confirm a suspicious message. To verify DIRECTV messages, call us at 833.962.3258, or reach out on one of our verified social media pages.
- Report a phishing attempt:
- Forward the suspicious email to the Anti-Phishing Working Group
- Forward a phishing text message to SPAM (7726)
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Delete suspicious emails or texts after reporting them