BBB Says Beware Of Zoom Invite Scam

With Zoom meetings now being a part of many people's daily lives, is it any surprise that scammers are looking to capitalize on millions of potential new victims?

Of course not. Scammers go where the people are, because that's where the money is. And if it's not money they're after, maybe it's just the joy of disrupting others. With the huge numbers of people on Zoom, both hackers and scammers are trying their best to get your information, money, or irritation.

Here's how the Better Business Bureau (BBB) says the scam works.

Out of the blue, you receive an email, text, or social media message that includes Zoom’s logo and a message saying something like, “Your Zoom account has been suspended. Click here to reactivate.” or “You missed a meeting, click here to see the details and reschedule.” You might even receive a message welcoming you to the platform and requesting you click on a link to activate your account.

That's where the scammers hope that you'll click on the link they provide. According to the BBB, scammers registered almost 3,000 domain names in April and May alone this year. What they're hoping will happen is that you'll click their provided link and be taken to a website they control. There, you'll be asked for your log-in and password information.

If you're already a Zoom member, this gives them access to your account and account information. If you're not a member, the scammers will attempt to use your log-in and password on any other online account of yours that they can find, in the hopes that you use the same information across other platforms.

The BBB says it's important to note that Zoom.com and Zoom.us are the only official domains for Zoom. If an email comes from a similar looking domain that doesn’t quite match the official domain name, it’s probably a scam.

Bottom line, if you didn't request that text or email, don't click on any links that are provided to you.