A client just got this email (the circles are ours, of course):

It is not from Charles Schwab. Nor has Charles Schwab been hacked. Scammers target companies like Schwab due to their ubiquity. Think Apple, Amazon, FedEx…they are all so big and so widely used that scammers just hope you use these companies and believe the email is real.

The signs of a scam are typically glaring, and are so here. The email address is clearly not Schwab. They say the same thing twice in a row at the bottom. And the grammar and capitalization in the middle is worse than that of a text chain between teenagers. Luckily, no scammer seems to have graduated from Catholic school.

If you’re not 100% sure of an email’s origin, do not click anything. If you think it might be relevant, forward it to us. We’ll help you.

Lastly, some of these scams are generated by probing your email, which means your account has been compromised. Change your password immediately just in case, and ALWAYS use 2-factor authentication (security questions are OK, but having a code sent to your phone is best).

Cheers,

Your Team at Great Oak