Scammers are copying the CAPTCHA puzzles you see every day to steal personal data, so a routine click on a familiar test is no longer automatically safe.
Scammers are now faking CAPTCHA tests, the small puzzles websites use to check that you are a person, in order to steal data. The tests look familiar, and that is the point. Most people click through them without a second thought.
A real CAPTCHA usually asks you to solve a simple puzzle or read distorted text. Websites use it to tell humans from bots, which helps block malicious bot attacks. Because the tests are so common, people tend to trust them. Scammers are borrowing that trust and copying the look to go after personal information.
Anyone who browses the web, on a phone or a computer, could run into one. These tests show up on websites every day, so a fake one can blend right in. Business owners and their staff are in the same position as everyone else.
The key sign is a test that asks for more than a simple puzzle or click. A real one does not need your passwords, card numbers or personal details. If something feels odd, treat it as suspicious. The alert box above lists the steps to take, including what to do if you already followed strange instructions.
The source material is brief. It does not say how widespread the scam is, which websites are involved, or exactly what the fake tests ask people to do. Dashline will not guess at those details. The safe habit holds either way: slow down when a website asks for more than a simple puzzle.
A real CAPTCHA never needs your passwords or card details, so if one asks for more than a simple puzzle, close the tab.
The Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
Read more: Mississippi sheriff warns residents about scam phone callsScammers are posing as Texas sheriff's officers and claiming you missed jury duty. Caller ID can show a real police number even when the call is fake.
Read more: Fake jury duty calls spoof a real Texas sheriff's phone numberFake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourself
