Email or text message about rescheduling Zoom call may be a scam, BBB says

Texts or emails that purport to be from Zoom may be a scam, the Better Business Bureau says.

The video conferencing platform surged in popularity at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic as schools, colleges and workplaces took their operations online. In April, Zoom said more than 300 million people were participating in video meetings on the platform each day.

Scammers weren’t far behind, registering more than 2,400 Zoom-related domains between late April and early May, the BBB said in a news release.

Now, scammers are disguising themselves as Zoom to try to get your personal information.

How the scam works

You’ll receive an unprompted text message, email or social media message bearing Zoom’s logo. One iteration reads, “Your Zoom account has been suspended. Click here to reactivate.” Another says, “You missed a meeting, click here to see the details and reschedule.”

The message may also welcome you to the Zoom platform and direct you to click a link to activate your account.

But don’t click any links, the BBB said. Doing so could allow scammers to download malware to your device, giving them access to your personal information.

Clicking any of the links could also direct you to a page where you’re prompted to enter login information, which scammers use to gain access to your accounts that use similar usernames and passwords, the BBB said.

What to do

If you receive an email, text or social media message the purports to be from Zoom, there are steps you can take to make sure it’s legitimate.

Check the domain: Zoom.com and Zoom.us are the platform’s only official domains, the BBB said. If you receive a message from a domain that does not match one of these two, it’s likely a scam.

Don’t click links: The BBB recommends against clicking links, files or images in unsolicited emails, as it allows phishing scammers to download malware to your computer.

Go to the source: If you receive a message about an issue with your account, you can visit the official website to contact Zoom and ask if the messages were legitimate and if there are unresolved problems with your account, the BBB said.

This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Email or text message about rescheduling Zoom call may be a scam, BBB says."