Please see below...

Maj Jeanne Vetter

Rhode Island Wing IT Director

Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary

(M) 4018371071

GoCivilAirPatrol.comhttps://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/

riwg.cap.govhttp://riwg.cap.gov/

[https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/CAPEmailLogoNew_0F67A836DA869.png]https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/

Volunteers serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures

________________________________ From: Ferland, Marianne MFerland@capnhq.gov Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 10:25 AM To: NJCAP Announcement njcap@njwg.cap.gov Subject: FW: KnowBe4 Scam of the Week: A Taxing Smishing Scam

Greetings Wing Members,

This is the latest in the series of educational emails provided by KnowBe4 and CAP/IT that I’ll be sending out to help you avoid falling victim to scammers.

Feel free to share the information with family and friends.

Best regards,

Marianne Ferland NJ & RI Wing Bookkeeper

Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary

(M) 609.744.1992

(O) 609.754.8895

GoCivilAirPatrol.comhttps://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/

[cid:image001.png@01DC27BD.5ECAE650] [cid:image002.png@01DC27BD.5EDD0EC0]

Volunteers serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.

[KnowBe4]

[https://helpimg.s3.amazonaws.com/landing_pages/SOTW-SHTS/SOTW-img-KB4.png]

[https://helpimg.s3.amazonaws.com/landing_pages/SOTW-SHTS/alarm.png]

Scam of the Week

A Taxing Smishing Scam ________________________________

Cybercriminals are targeting taxpayers in the state of California by sending text messages that look like they’re from the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), a state tax agency. The message claims your tax refund has been approved and instructs you to select a link to enter your payment information. There is a very strict deadline, and the instructions state that you will lose your tax refund if you do not enter your payment information quickly.

However, this message is a smishing, or text phishing, scam sent by cybercriminals. The link doesn’t take you to the official FTB website. Instead, it leads to a fake webpage designed to look real. If you enter your personal details or banking information on this page, the scammers will steal it!

Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to this smishing scam:

* Be suspicious of any text message that claims to be from a government agency like the IRS or a state tax board. These agencies will not contact you by text to ask for your personal or financial information. * Never select links in unexpected text messages. If you need to check on the status of a tax refund, go to the official tax agency's website directly by typing the address into your browser. * While this scam targets taxpayers in California, watch out for messages that create a sense of urgency or use threats. Scammers do this to rush you into making a mistake without thinking. Always stop and think before taking action!

________________________________

The KnowBe4 Security Team