The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers about a rising wave of fake party invitations arriving by text and email during the busy graduation and summer-gathering season.
According to the agency, scammers are sending messages that appear to come from well-known electronic invite services and may even list the name of someone you know as the host. The catch: the invitation demands that you enter your email address and password—or a special access code—to view the event details. That request is a red flag, the FTC says, and signals an attempt to steal your account credentials.
Once scammers obtain a victim’s login information, they can break into the email account, reset linked accounts, and send the same fraudulent invitation to every contact in the address book—rapidly spreading the scam. The FTC notes that this tactic resembles other recent phishing campaigns in which criminals impersonate trusted services to harvest Google or Microsoft account passwords. Because many people rely on “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Microsoft,” a single stolen email password can expose multiple online accounts at once.
At MVSB, protecting our customers from fraud is a top priority. If you receive a suspicious invitation or believe your account credentials may have been compromised, contact us immediately so we can help secure your accounts. We encourage all customers to choose unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication for online banking, monitor account activity regularly, and never share login credentials through email or text links. If you have questions about protecting yourself from scams or need assistance reviewing your account security, our team is here to help—visit any MVSB branch or call us directly.
