The Copyright Violation Scam

Scams are ever present, and always changing. In a recent phishing scam, the scammers told users they had violated copyright laws and would have to take immediate action to protect their account. The claim the scammers used was that content shared on a social media app or website (Instagram, YouTube, etc) violated copyright law. Urgency in the victim taking action to prevent an account suspension or deactivation is pushed. Now, however, the scammers have taken this one step further and are using fake support techs to actually get you on the phone. 

What makes this scam work and look legitimate, is the scammers send a fake Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) complaint that informs users of a possible copyright violation. You, as the user, are instructed to click on a link to see the original copyright complaint or they offer a phone number for you to call to contact technical support. If you choose to click the link, you will be directed to an error page, prompting you to take the next course of action and call the phone number instead. Once you have made the phone call, the fake technical support team uses social engineering tactics to pressure you into revealing sensitive information.

Don’t fall for this trick! Follow the tips below:
•    Beware of urgent messages. Cybercriminals use this sense of urgency to pressure you into acting quickly.
•    Never give away sensitive account information. Organization’s IT teams will not ask for sensitive information, such as passwords, over the phone or over email.
•    Don’t call without verifying the phone number. Verify the organization’s phone number by checking their official website.