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Fun fact: Sticky Keys, one of the oldest accessibility tools in computing, was invented twice: once at a lab at the University of Wisconsin, and once by a programmer fed up with his stiff IBM keyboard. The lab’s version shipped with Macintosh System 6’s Easy Access bundle, and PC Magazine published STAYDOWN in April 1988, the same month.

Phishing Vultures and the World of Re-Scams

Getting scammed is bad enough. What could be worse? The FBI answered this week by issuing a warning: “recovery scams.”

Scammers find recent fraud victims, sometimes because they ran the original scam themselves, sometimes by lurking in social media support groups. Many created fake persona profiles and joined groups for financial fraud victims, posing as fellow victims before steering people toward the fake “recovery” contact.

Either way, someone claiming to be an FBI agent reaches out with good news: your money has been recovered, or can be, if you click this link or pay this fee.

The “polish” behind these attempts is what’s new. Some victims saw AI-generated videos of a real, senior FBI official directing them to file a complaint on a lookalike version of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website. Some received messages from profiles impersonating the IC3 or FBI.

The fake site collects your name, phone number, email, and how much you lost, then hands you a reference number and promises follow-up. The follow-up is the next round of the scam: a malicious link, a request for your bank details to “process the return,” or a fee to release your “recovered funds.”

Here’s how to spot it (worth sharing with anyone you know who’s been hit by fraud):

• The IC3 has no social media accounts, so any profile claiming to represent it is fake, and no legitimate FBI account will ever DM you about recovering money.
• The FBI never asks for payment to recover lost funds. “We found your money, small fee required” is always a scam.
• Type www.ic3.gov directly into your address bar and skip sponsored search results, which are often paid imitators.
• Real follow-up on an FBI complaint comes from a local field office, not a DM.

This playbook shows up in the business world too. After a company loses money to wire fraud or a compromised email account, “recovery specialists” tend to come calling. Work only with your bank, actual law enforcement, and your IT provider.

Had a security incident, or want to prevent one?

Call us at (309) 689-3900 for a complementary cybersecurity assessment and harden your defenses.

Facet out and about and in the news:

Facet Senior Account Executive Trey David was featured in a WMBD story about new phishing techniques. Check it out here!

On July 19, Jason, Marie, and Trey beat the heat at Five Points Washington’s Annual Golf Outing supporting Five Points Memory Makers Cafe, a social program for individuals living with memory loss and their caregivers. We were proud to sponsor this event for a great cause!

Now Available On-Demand: AI-Fluent Leader Sessions 1-6

The AI Fluent Leaders Series resumes August 19.

In the meantime, you can catch up on our previous sessions and be ready to join for Session 7!