I regret to report that I have been targeted again by phishers and fraudsters on the Internet. It is a really disturbing and uncomfortable experience, and it can become serious if you fail to pay close attention to unsolicited emails and offers and continue to communicate with the senders.
I had forgotten how disturbing it is to be targeted in this way, and I now know that the phishers and fraudsters are getting very sophisticated. In my case, they purport to be very interested in my books and accurately reference some of the content. They sound very legitimate UNTIL a close look at the wording of the email discloses the voice of AI, which draws from content on websites and other personal information sources in the public domain.
Many of these phishers and fraudsters are assuming false identities and are using the names and titles of other people. So a search on Linkedin or Facebook or your other search tool of choice will confirm the identity of the person the email sender purports to be and can lure you into a false state of security. You feel like you have done your due diligence, but it is not enough.
You need to take additional steps. You need to check the email address of the sender and compare it with the email address of the actual person you have discovered in your search. If the emails are different, it should be a huge red flag that you are dealing with someone who has stolen an identity.
And if the email includes a photo of the sender, compare that photo with the photo you found on Facebook or another search source. If the photos are different, you have further proof that someone wants to do you harm. And if there is no photo on the email, a Zoom call will accomplish the same verification — or lack of it.
The bottom line is that you absolutely must not send money or your work product or anything else you value to these people. I know of one lawyer, someone I respect very much, who did that, and lived to regret it. Lawyers are vulnerable to flattery just like anyone else.
This kind of fraud is running rampant today. Get the protections you need and be diligent. And if you are attacked by someone who has stolen an identity, report it to the victim of the identity theft. And to law enforcement. This is very serious stuff.
