Scammers are using phishing scams to target the trans community in the Washington, D.C. area. Emails using stolen personal information were recently sent to the employers of trans individuals in the area, trying to change their payroll information to be sent to a separate account.
These scams are continuing to develop as transphobic incidents and bills rise across the United States.
Phishing is a type of scam where scammers will send fictitious emails or texts impersonating a reputable authority to try and get users to enter their confidential information.
SC Nealy, the nonbinary, genderfluid, and queer founder of the company LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, was working on payroll when they received an email from an employee asking to change their banking information.
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They were asked for a voided check showing the new information, and when that was received, they made the requested changes. It was only after speaking to this employee did they realize that they fell for a phishing scam.
Nealy said that this is yet another way the trans community is being marginalized.
“And not just with the phishing emails,” Nealy said. “The fake consultation requests that aren’t actually real, the hate mail, things like that.”
Influencer SK Smigiel also almost fell for this type of scam as well, having received a similar email asking them to change their banking information.
“Since the election, I’ve been doing a lot of discussion about trans rights and stuff, and my platform is very visible, so I was wondering how they were connected,” Smigiel explained in a recent news segment. “But I had literally the day before just shared a post and tagged my studio in it on my story on Instagram, so I immediately had this connection that this person must have seen that.”
According to the FTC, there are three warning signs to a phishing scam.
- The message has a generic greeting.
- The message says your account is on hold because of a billing problem.
- The message invites you to click on a link to update your payment details.
They recommend these steps to protect yourself.
- Protect your cell phone by setting software to update automatically.
- Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication.
- Protect your data by backing it up.
- Protect your computer by using security software.
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