Tips for Recognizing and Avoiding RMV Phishing Scams
Today, much of our communication with others occurs online, with email, social media, and text messages accessible through an app on our smart devices. While this method of communicating is certainly convenient, it also makes it possible for fraudsters to launch sophisticated attacks mirroring these interactions in an attempt to gather personal information from even the most tech-savvy people. From deep fake videos of Taylor Swift giving away cookware to spam job recruitment messages on LinkedIn and phishing text scams, Americans are being inundated with digital fraud attempts.
Text scams, in particular, duped Americans out of $330 million in 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Additionally, Americans were on the receiving end of 225 billion spam texts that same year, a 157% increase from 2021, according to a report by Robokiller.
One digital deception that is of particular concern for us here at Gilbert Insurance is Massachusetts RMV text scams. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles released a statement in April 2024 reminding residents to stay vigilant and use only the agency’s official website for information or to renew a license or vehicle registration. The statement was issued because cybercriminals were sending phishing texts that contained links to deceptive websites, with the intention of misleading people into thinking they were interacting with the official RMV website. In many cases, the recipients of these texts supplied bad actors with personal information.
Thankfully, there hasn’t been an uptick in the number of these attacks recently. However, the Massachusetts RMV’s advice continues to apply. “We urge everyone to be vigilant when performing transactions or providing information online for RMV-related services,” the RMV said in April. “Customers should avoid using any unofficial third-party websites claiming to assist with RMV services, and inform their relatives and friends about this as well.”
In support of that initiative, our team is sharing tips for our clients and neighbors on recognizing and avoiding sophisticated phishing scams like this one.
How to recognize a phishing scam
Cybercriminals often use text messages and email to try to steal personal information, including passwords, account numbers, and Social Security numbers. With these critical pieces of information in hand, they can access email or bank accounts or sell information to other scammers.
By definition, phishing attacks trick recipients into clicking a malicious link or opening an attachment via email or text message. For this reason, The Federal Trade Commission encourages consumers not to interact with unexpected emails or text messages, even if these communications appear to be from a company they know and trust, like their bank, utility company, or the RMV.
3 tips to help protect yourself and your family from phishing attacks
- Protect your smart devices. Ensure that software updates occur automatically on your phone, laptop, or tablet. Doing so provides an extra line of defense in combating new security threats.
- Safeguard your accounts with multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a type of login method that companies use to grant user access to a website or application. The user must present two or more pieces of information to authenticate their identity, such as a PIN, a one-time randomly generated passcode, and a face or fingerprint scan. MFA makes it challenging for scammers to log in to digital accounts, which is why it’s strongly advised to set up this service on your devices when and where appropriate.
- Back up your data. Protect your data by backing it up to an external hard drive or in the cloud for safekeeping and easy recovery in case of a successful cybercrime.
In today’s increasingly digital world, staying vigilant about cyberattacks like phishing emails and text messages is essential. If you’re concerned about a cyberattack causing you financial harm or leading to time-consuming recovery efforts, exploring a cyber insurance policy designed to protect you and your family may be worthwhile.
Want to learn more about cyber insurance or determine if you have the right coverages in place to help you recover in case a cybercriminal gets access to your personal information? At Gilbert Insurance, we offer personal cyber insurance solutions that may provide the financial backing and professional support you need if you or a family member is the victim of a cyber incident like phishing. Please call us today at 781-942-2225 to learn more.
