A grim reminder of just how realistic scams can seem | Scam of the Week

CHICO — This week, a coworker was scammed out of $1,500 and upon looking at the email exchange that led to the scam, it’s jarring just how realistic it appears.

Even more upsetting is just how personalized this particular scam was. The scammer clearly either did some fair amount of homework before setting it up or was using technology I’m not even aware of to mimic someone they knew.

I’ve written columns previously about artificial intelligence being used to impersonate colleagues and loved ones and in essence, this was the email version of that. It included official-looking footers and even the email address itself looked correct at first glance. It’s little details, a misspelling in a place you wouldn’t normally check, that pop out only when you look very closely. It’s not until the very end of the exchange that the scammer starts to unravel and the facade falls.

This is something I could have easily fallen for if the email had been directed at me. With the exception of some grammatical errors in later messages, the initial requests come off as genuine.

I’ll say this about my coworker, they have an eye like a hawk, it just so happened that this email came in the perfect moment when they were just busy enough that it slipped by without much scrutiny early on.

This is a cautionary tale. If you ever receive a request for money from someone you know — even if you know them well — double back and call the person yourself and talk to them directly to solidify that the request is from them. This is important whether it’s an email, a phone call or a text message. The technology is getting better and the methods are getting much savvier.

Stay safe out there folks and stay hydrated. The weather is heating up.

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Scam of the Week generally runs every Tuesday. Readers are welcome to contact reporter Jake Hutchison to report scams and potential scams they have come in contact with by calling 828-1329 or via email at [email protected].