Block the new 'Enterprise Spoofing' scam

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - To add insult to injury, the many data breaches we've all endured have birthed a new scam. It's called "Enterprise Spoofing."

It developed because of those data breaches, but also because we are less likely than we used to be to pick up a scam call. According to "Consumer Reports," 70 percent of us don't pick up unless we are absolutely sure we know who is on the other end. Scammers know this so now when you do pick up, they really need to get your money.

The new approach is called "quality over quantity." Here's how "Enterprise Spoofing" works. The bad guys impersonate a legit businesses' outbound number, so it looks like the real deal. When you answer they start the chase looking for your social security number, birth date, address and more, despite already have some of this private information. They're greedy. They want more.

3 WAYS THE INDUSTRY IS HELPING

Mobile carriers just got the go-ahead by the FCC to be able to block robocalls by default rather than waiting for you to opt-in to a program. Both the House and the Senate passed bills imposing stiffer fines on illegal robocallers. And, the government has rolled out a program called Stir-Shaken. It's created a call-authentication standard which should make it harder to spoof calls.  

Here's what can you do: Don't answer calls if they're not from friends or family or a business you're expecting. Let's say you do pick up. Don't make decisions on the phone. Hang up then call the company directly using the number from their website. That's a good way to find out whether it's real.

First Orion, a data and network integration company, has done a deep dive into Enterprise Spoofing. Take a look at what they've found. Check it out.