Scam Warning Follows Global IT Outage

07.20.2024
Small Business

State officials have issued a warning about the increased potential for scams following the July 19 widespread IT outage that impacted businesses around the world.

The Department of Consumer Protection warned that “scammers follow the news specifically to take advantage of situations.”

“Scammers know many people are waiting for direction and assistance from their Information technology teams today,” said DCP commissioner Bryan Cafferelli.

Cafferelli warned that the outage, which affected Microsoft-based systems following a software update from cybersecurity company Crowdstrike, created “a prime opportunity to send phishing links, impersonate IT teams, and gain access to sensitive information.”

“It is important to remain vigilant and be wary of anything that seems suspicious in order to prevent this outage from causing even more problems,” he said.

Warning Signs

Agency officials said businesses should watch for “an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from someone you’re expecting to hear from—like your IT team or customer support representatives from Crowdstrike or Microsoft.”

Common scam warning signs include:

  • The email address the message came from isn’t correct or looks suspicious. It may have a different suffix, or extra numbers or letters added.
  • The email is generic, contains typos or language that doesn’t make sense. Watch out for messages that don’t sound like the ones you normally receive from your IT department.
  • The email contains links to unknown websites. Hover over any links with your mouse prior to clicking on them. If you don’t recognize the web address, don’t click on it.
  • The message instructs you to provide a password, or other personal or financial information. It is unlikely your IT department will ask for this information. If you’re not sure, call or send an email to the contact information you know is correct to ask if the email is legitimate.

DCP officials recommend reporting phishing emails or text messages to the Federal Trade Commission.

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