https://scamdrill.com/blog Practical, data-backed guides for protecting families and small teams from phishing, smishing, AI voice cloning, romance scams, and more. en-us Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:34:17 GMT 1440 https://scamdrill.com/og-image.png https://scamdrill.com/blog https://scamdrill.com/blog/holiday-package-charity-gift-card-scams-2026 https://scamdrill.com/blog/holiday-package-charity-gift-card-scams-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT Holiday scams in 2026 run on gift cards, fake stores, delivery texts and fake charities. The tell is how they want to be paid. Seven red flags, and what to do. https://scamdrill.com/blog/rogue-rmm-phishing-remote-access-smb https://scamdrill.com/blog/rogue-rmm-phishing-remote-access-smb Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT RMM phishing tricks staff into installing a real, signed remote-access tool that reports to an attacker. Seven signs, why antivirus stays quiet, and five fixes. https://scamdrill.com/blog/take-it-down-act-deepfake-nudes-parents https://scamdrill.com/blog/take-it-down-act-deepfake-nudes-parents Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The Take It Down Act makes apps remove a fake or real nude of your child within 48 hours of a valid request. What to do in the first hour, and where to report. https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-october-2026 https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-october-2026 Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The FBI counted more than $1.6 billion lost to people impersonating police and government officials between January 2025 and July 2026. Medicare open enrollment opens October 15, recall and delivery texts cluster around Prime Big Deal Days, and OAuth consent phishing walks past MFA. https://scamdrill.com/blog/applicant-data-is-your-softest-target https://scamdrill.com/blog/applicant-data-is-your-softest-target Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Applicant data is the softest target most employers own. What the FBI jobs-portal breach teaches small businesses about hiring vendors, retention and patches. https://scamdrill.com/blog/hr-system-breach-what-happens-next https://scamdrill.com/blog/hr-system-breach-what-happens-next Sat, 26 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT An HR system breach exposes what you can’t reset: your SSN, birth date, home address and family. What comes next, and the free locks that get ahead of it. https://scamdrill.com/blog/fake-equipment-dealer-scam-wire-fraud https://scamdrill.com/blog/fake-equipment-dealer-scam-wire-fraud Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Fake equipment dealer sites clone a real dealership, take a wire for a tractor or excavator, then vanish. The six tells, four checks, and the first hour. https://scamdrill.com/blog/teams-help-desk-impersonation-smb https://scamdrill.com/blog/teams-help-desk-impersonation-smb Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Teams help desk impersonation opens with a chat from outside your tenant. The chain, the four admin settings that narrow it, and the sentence to give staff. https://scamdrill.com/blog/mychart-medicare-kit-phishing-patients https://scamdrill.com/blog/mychart-medicare-kit-phishing-patients Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Got a MyChart Medicare health kit message? Learn how to verify it, recognize warning signs, and respond if you clicked or shared information. https://scamdrill.com/blog/business-funding-phishing-ascii-smuggling https://scamdrill.com/blog/business-funding-phishing-ascii-smuggling Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT A phishing wave impersonating SBA loan programs does not want a password. It wants your revenue, credit score and phone number, and you cannot revoke those. https://scamdrill.com/blog/fake-car-dealership-website-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/fake-car-dealership-website-scam Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Scammers clone real car dealership websites, down to the reviews. Two free government lookups tell you in 90 seconds whether that dealer is really a dealer. https://scamdrill.com/blog/qr-code-sticker-scam-business-signage https://scamdrill.com/blog/qr-code-sticker-scam-business-signage Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT A fake QR sticker on your meter, charger or table tent phishes your customers and nothing in your stack sees it. What the FTC warned, and what to inspect. https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-september-2026 https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-september-2026 Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Refund and recovery crews work lists of people who already paid, Medicare impersonation calls arrive before enrollment opens on October 15, and AI-cloned storefronts take payment for goods that do not exist. https://scamdrill.com/blog/mychart-phishing-scam-practice-playbook https://scamdrill.com/blog/mychart-phishing-scam-practice-playbook Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Patient portal phishing hits your patients, not your network, so none of your controls fire. The provider playbook: first 72 hours, five moves, a script. https://scamdrill.com/blog/scamdrill-iphone-app-what-it-does-and-doesnt https://scamdrill.com/blog/scamdrill-iphone-app-what-it-does-and-doesnt Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT The ScamDrill iPhone app checks a text, email, link or screenshot and tells you what looks wrong. It does not read your inbox, does not store what you check, and will never tell you a message is safe. https://scamdrill.com/blog/veterans-savings-program-postcard-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/veterans-savings-program-postcard-scam Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT The “Veterans Savings Program” on that postcard is not real. What the toll-free number really collects, six tells on the card, and how to check any VA offer. https://scamdrill.com/blog/payroll-diversion-scam-smb-playbook https://scamdrill.com/blog/payroll-diversion-scam-smb-playbook Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Payroll diversion turns a hijacked mailbox into a stolen paycheck. Here is the full attack chain, seven tells, and the four controls that stop it at SMB size. https://scamdrill.com/blog/brushing-scam-unexpected-package-qr-code https://scamdrill.com/blog/brushing-scam-unexpected-package-qr-code Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Got a package you didn't order? It's probably a brushing scam. Why it arrived, why the QR card inside is the real risk, and the seven steps to take today. https://scamdrill.com/blog/help-desk-vishing-playbook-smb https://scamdrill.com/blog/help-desk-vishing-playbook-smb Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Help desk vishing intrusions doubled in 2026. The script attackers use on small teams, seven tells that give it away, and the callback rule that stops it. https://scamdrill.com/blog/exact-sciences-cologuard-breach-what-to-do https://scamdrill.com/blog/exact-sciences-cologuard-breach-what-to-do Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT 10.9M email addresses from the Exact Sciences cancer-screening breach were published online. How to check if you're in it, and the six things to do this week. https://scamdrill.com/blog/medtech-cyberattacks-2026-supplier-playbook https://scamdrill.com/blog/medtech-cyberattacks-2026-supplier-playbook Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Eight medtech breaches in 2026, and every confirmed entry point was a person on a phone or an email. What suppliers and small practices should do next. https://scamdrill.com/blog/family-safe-word-guide https://scamdrill.com/blog/family-safe-word-guide Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT A family safe word is the low-tech defense the FBI and FTC both recommend against AI voice-cloning scams. How to pick one, test it, and use it when a call sounds real. https://scamdrill.com/blog/deepfake-job-candidate-remote-hire-fraud https://scamdrill.com/blog/deepfake-job-candidate-remote-hire-fraud Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Deepfake job candidates use AI video and stolen identities to pass remote interviews and get inside your company. The red flags, the hiring controls that catch them. https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-august-2026 https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-august-2026 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT Back-to-school is scam season: fake school fees, phantom student-loan forgiveness, task-job traps aimed at students, and the FEMA impostors that follow every storm. https://scamdrill.com/blog/aitm-phishing-mfa-bypass-session-cookies https://scamdrill.com/blog/aitm-phishing-mfa-bypass-session-cookies Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT AiTM phishing steals your session cookie mid-login, so MFA passes and the attacker walks in. How adversary-in-the-middle attacks work, and how SMBs stop it. https://scamdrill.com/blog/fake-interpol-ransomware-email-small-business https://scamdrill.com/blog/fake-interpol-ransomware-email-small-business Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A phishing campaign impersonating Interpol's cybercrime unit tells small businesses they are under investigation and pressures them to open a password-protected archive that installs ransomware. The red flags, why the trick works, and what to do if you opened the file. https://scamdrill.com/blog/fbi-ic3-impersonation-recovery-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/fbi-ic3-impersonation-recovery-scam Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A consumer guide to the IC3 impersonation scam: how criminals pose as FBI and Internet Crime Complaint Center staff using AI deepfake videos and spoofed IC3 websites to re-target people who already lost money to fraud, the red flags, and how to verify a real agency. Built on the FBI's July 2026 IC3 alert and the 2025 IC3 Annual Report. https://scamdrill.com/blog/unpaid-toll-text-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/unpaid-toll-text-scam Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT That 'unpaid toll' text from E-ZPass, SunPass, or FasTrak is almost always a scam. How to spot the fake, what the link steals, and what to do if you paid. https://scamdrill.com/blog/vendor-email-compromise-invoice-fraud https://scamdrill.com/blog/vendor-email-compromise-invoice-fraud Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Vendor email compromise is now the most common form of business email compromise. A trusted supplier emails to say their bank account changed — and the money goes to a criminal. The red flags, the verification that stops it, and what to do if a payment already moved. https://scamdrill.com/blog/utility-shutoff-scam-heat-wave https://scamdrill.com/blog/utility-shutoff-scam-heat-wave Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Utility shutoff scams spike in heat waves: a fake same-day disconnection threat, a prepaid card or barcode demand. The red flags, and what to do next. https://scamdrill.com/blog/ssn-given-to-scammer-what-to-do https://scamdrill.com/blog/ssn-given-to-scammer-what-to-do Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A step-by-step recovery plan for a stolen Social Security number: freeze your credit, get an IRS Identity Protection PIN, report at identitytheft.gov and to the SSA, and avoid the follow-up recovery scam. https://scamdrill.com/blog/first-60-minutes-after-a-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/first-60-minutes-after-a-scam Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A minute-by-minute emergency plan for the first hour after a scam: stop the money, lock your accounts, report it, and freeze your credit, plus what is recoverable by payment method. https://scamdrill.com/blog/back-to-school-scams-2026 https://scamdrill.com/blog/back-to-school-scams-2026 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Back-to-school scams in 2026: fake scholarships, loan-forgiveness fees, campus rental fraud, and phony schools. How each con works and how to shut it down fast. https://scamdrill.com/blog/zelle-venmo-fraud-department-callback https://scamdrill.com/blog/zelle-venmo-fraud-department-callback Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The pay yourself scam starts with a fake fraud alert from 'your bank' and ends with a Zelle transfer to a stranger. The red flags, and what to do next. https://scamdrill.com/blog/va-overpayment-text-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/va-overpayment-text-scam Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Fake 'you owe the VA money' texts, calls, and letters are hitting veterans. How the VA overpayment scam works, how to verify a real debt, and where to report. https://scamdrill.com/blog/crypto-courier-cash-pickup-scam https://scamdrill.com/blog/crypto-courier-cash-pickup-scam Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A crypto courier scam sends a stranger to your door to collect cash for a fake investment. The FBI warns it's hitting seniors. Spot the red flags and what to do. https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-july-2026 https://scamdrill.com/blog/scam-trends-july-2026 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Imposter scams hit a record $3.5 billion in 2025, and July gives them cover: World Cup ticket cons, post-Prime Day phishing, PCS rental fraud, and heat-wave utility imposters. https://scamdrill.com/blog/m365-oauth-device-code-phishing https://scamdrill.com/blog/m365-oauth-device-code-phishing Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Device code phishing hijacks Microsoft 365 sessions without stealing a password or breaking MFA. How the Kali365 kit works and how to block it in Microsoft Entra. https://scamdrill.com/blog/jury-duty-scam-arrest-warrant-guide https://scamdrill.com/blog/jury-duty-scam-arrest-warrant-guide Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT A jury duty scam call threatens arrest unless you pay a fine now. Courts never call to collect. Spot the spoofed-caller-ID and fake-warrant tells, and what to do. https://scamdrill.com/blog/world-cup-2026-ticket-scams https://scamdrill.com/blog/world-cup-2026-ticket-scams Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The FBI warns fake FIFA sites are selling bogus World Cup 2026 tickets and stealing data. How World Cup ticket scams work, plus the one safe place to buy.