• Don't Get Phished In

Phishing is getting out of hand, and increasingly clever. 

So much so that you really can't click on any links either in a text, email, or personal message on social media without potentially inviting a disaster to your doorstep.

I just got an email at my city council email, on a Sunday afternoon from AJ.

That return email looks SUUUPer DOOOPer legit. 

"Who's AJ?" You ask...  ELEPHINO (the answer you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros = 'ELL IF I KNOW if you're unsure). Kids love that dad joke. 😀

You see kids when a mommy elephant loves a daddy rhino a whole lot...

Seriously though, just delete texts, emails, social media messages, or phone calls that come out of left field... even if they seem to be coming from a friend. 

Better to delete something real than open something that is a scam

The downside is too great and if the IRS is really concerned about your automobile warranty expiring, make them come to your door... which I suggest that you don't answer if it's not someone you already know too. 

Below is the email from AJ... 

1. I’M AJ.
2. Text / Call @ 760-805-4834
3. To Officially Enact The “City Payroll” Policy, We Must Have A Meeting With All Of The Mayors Of:
1. Wildomar.
2. Lake Elsinore.
3. Temecula.
4. Murrieta.
4. The Major Parties iNVOLVED
1. The Federal Reserve Bank.
2. City Hall.
3. Police / Hospital / Utility Companies.
4. DMV.
5. iRS.
6. iNDiViDUAL Businesses.
7. City Residents.
5. 7 Major Parties Are iNVOLVED.
6.  
7.  
8. The Meeting Will Help Me Brief You On The “City Payroll Policy”, But Briefly …
9. All Citizens Will Be Paid Daily @ 00:00 (Their Time).
1. Pay = Age * 24 Hours * 366 Days.
10.  All Citizens Will Be Paid The Full Amount if They Are Registered With City Hall As “Working”.
11.  All Citizens “Not Working” Will Only Be Paid 10% Of Their Daily Pay.
12.  Working = 4 Hour Minimum Per Day ( Or 8 Hours Depending On How Others Feel ), Reported By The Business “Supervisor” To The City Hall Database.
13.  Tax Of 11% Added To All Sale Transactions & iS Given Back To The City Where The Purchase Was Made.
14.  
15.  
16.  Please Text Me With A Time When You Are Available To Meet, Thank You.

Sent from Mail for Windows

The interesting thing is that this phisher added specific items like "Wildomar" and other local cities to try and pull the wool over my eyes... and he even included a phone number. I'm not calling it, but you can if you're that curious. 

Now, look at the peculiar usage of random capital letters, not to mention blanks in the numbered items (facepalm goes here).

I sure hope that I'm not costing the residents all that promised money by dismissing it as fraudulent. 

To round out this topic I can share that I've had several phishing attempts through google docs regarding copyright claims on my more recent YouTube videos. 

They both looked VERY legitimate, but I could tell that something was amiss.

To the point that the first time that it happened I spent about twenty minutes trying to contact YouTube about it. 

In short, caveat emptor (buyer beware) even if you haven't even contemplated a purchase recently. 

Here is some valuable consumer advice from the Federal Trade Commission (How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams).