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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IMPERSONATION & FRAUD

Fraud Alert

Fraudsters may misuse company names, employee identities, websites, email addresses or recruitment processes to appear legitimate. This page explains how to recognize suspicious activity connected with the USMICRO name and what to do if something does not look right.

Be cautious with unexpected requests for money, sensitive personal information, account credentials or communication through unofficial channels.

IMPORTANT Do not send money, disclose passwords or share highly sensitive information in response to an unexpected request claiming to be from USMICRO.
STOP VERIFY REPORT
RECOGNIZE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Fraud often depends on urgency, impersonation and pressure to act quickly.

Suspicious communication may appear professional at first glance. Looking carefully at the sender, the request, the channel and the information being asked for can help identify warning signs before you respond.

01 UNEXPECTED CONTACT

You are contacted unexpectedly and asked to act immediately.

Fraudulent messages often create artificial urgency to reduce the time you have to verify the identity of the sender or the legitimacy of the request.

02 UNUSUAL PAYMENT

You are asked to send money, purchase items or make a payment.

Requests involving personal payments, gift cards, cryptocurrency, transfers or unexpected fees should be treated with particular caution.

03 SENSITIVE INFORMATION

You are pressured to provide highly sensitive personal or account information.

Be cautious when asked for passwords, one-time codes, banking credentials, payment details or identity information without a clear and independently verified reason.

04 CHANNEL MISMATCH

The communication channel does not match the context of the request.

Fraudsters may move conversations to personal email accounts, messaging applications or other channels that make verification more difficult.

05 IDENTITY PRESSURE

The sender relies on authority or a senior identity to discourage questions.

Impersonation attempts may use executive names, job titles or company branding to create credibility and pressure the recipient to comply.

06 DOMAIN OR ADDRESS

The email address, website or domain looks unusual.

Small spelling changes, added characters, unfamiliar domains or links that do not match their visible destination can indicate impersonation.

COMMON REQUEST PATTERNS Suspicious communication often asks for something that would be unusual in a normal professional interaction.
MONEY Pay a fee or send funds
CREDENTIALS Share passwords or verification codes
PERSONAL DATA Provide sensitive identity information
URGENCY Act before you have time to verify
BEFORE YOU RESPOND

Slow the interaction down and verify it independently.

Do not rely only on the contact details, links or phone numbers contained in a suspicious message. Use a known USMICRO website page or another independently obtained contact channel to verify the request.

01 Check the sender
02 Examine the request
03 Verify independently
04 Report if suspicious
IDENTITY CHECKS

Branding alone is not proof that a message or website is genuine.

Logos, names, signatures and profile photos can be copied. Verify the actual email address, domain, link destination and context of the communication rather than relying on appearance alone.

FRAUD AWARENESS PRINCIPLE
A legitimate-looking message should still be verified when the request is unusual, sensitive or financially significant.

Taking a moment to verify independently is often the safest response to unexpected communication involving money, credentials or sensitive information.

RECRUITMENT FRAUD

A genuine career opportunity should not depend on payment, secrecy or pressure to act before you can verify it.

Fraudsters may impersonate recruiters, hiring managers or company representatives and use fake job advertisements, interview messages or offer documents to obtain money or sensitive personal information.

IMPORTANT RECRUITMENT WARNING

Be especially cautious if someone claiming to recruit for USMICRO asks you to pay money as part of the hiring process.

Requests for application fees, interview fees, placement charges, security deposits, equipment payments, training fees or similar candidate-funded expenses should be independently verified before you take any action.

FEES Unexpected recruitment payments
EQUIPMENT Requests to purchase devices or software
TRANSFERS Instructions to send or move money
REFUNDS Promises that unusual payments will be reimbursed later
01 UNUSUAL INTERVIEW

The entire hiring process takes place through informal messaging.

Be cautious when interviews or hiring discussions are conducted only through personal messaging accounts or channels that make the recruiter difficult to verify.

02 INSTANT OFFER

You receive an offer with little or no meaningful assessment.

Fraudulent recruiters may issue attractive offers quickly in order to create excitement and move the conversation toward payment or sensitive information before questions are asked.

03 PERSONAL FINANCIAL DATA

Banking information is requested unusually early in the process.

Treat requests for bank credentials, card information, payment access, one-time passwords or similar financial information with extreme caution.

04 IDENTITY DOCUMENTS

Sensitive identity documents are requested before the opportunity is verified.

Recruitment can involve legitimate documentation at appropriate stages, but unexpected requests for sensitive identity information should be verified independently before documents are shared.

05 COMMUNICATION QUALITY

Names, titles, domains or documents do not align consistently.

Inconsistent company details, unusual sender addresses, copied logos, spelling differences or conflicting recruiter identities can indicate impersonation.

06 PRESSURE

You are told the opportunity will disappear unless you act immediately.

Artificial deadlines can be used to prevent candidates from checking the job, recruiter, company domain or legitimacy of the request.

VERIFY BEFORE YOU PROCEED A job opportunity should be verified independently before you share sensitive information or make a financial commitment.
01 Check the job
02 Verify the recruiter
03 Examine the domain
04 Confirm independently
OFFER LETTERS & DOCUMENTS

A professional-looking document is not proof that an offer is genuine.

Logos, signatures, letterheads and employee names can be copied or fabricated. If an offer or recruitment document appears unusual, verify the opportunity independently rather than relying on the document alone.

SENDER Check who actually sent it
DOMAIN Inspect the full email address
ROLE Confirm that the opportunity exists
REQUEST Question unusual financial or data requests
IF YOU ARE UNSURE
Do not continue simply because the sender appears senior, the offer looks attractive or the communication uses USMICRO branding.

Stop the conversation, avoid sending money or additional sensitive information, and verify the opportunity through a separate and trusted USMICRO contact route.

COMMUNICATION CHECKS

Verify the identity behind the message, not just the branding around it.

Fraudulent communication can imitate names, signatures, logos and professional language. A careful check of the sender, domain, links, contact details and context can help distinguish genuine communication from impersonation.

CHECK THE SENDER

Look beyond the display name and inspect the actual contact details.

Email clients and messaging platforms may prominently display a name while hiding the full sender address. Expanding the sender details can reveal whether the address, domain and identity are consistent with the communication you expected to receive.

DISPLAY NAME A familiar name can be copied
EMAIL ADDRESS Inspect the complete sender address
DOMAIN Look for spelling changes or unfamiliar endings
CONTEXT Ask whether the contact was expected
DOMAIN CHECKS Fraudulent domains are often designed to look almost identical to legitimate ones.
SPELLING Added, missing or substituted characters
SUBDOMAINS Misleading text before the actual domain
EXTENSIONS Unexpected domain endings
LINKS Visible text that points somewhere different
01
EMAIL Check the full address before replying

Review the sender address carefully and avoid assuming legitimacy based only on a familiar name, title, signature or company logo.

02
LINKS Examine where a link actually leads

Avoid opening suspicious links immediately. Where your browser or device allows, inspect the destination before visiting the page and compare it with the website you expected.

03
ATTACHMENTS Treat unexpected files cautiously

Unexpected documents, archives, installers or other attachments can create security risks. Verify the sender and purpose before opening unfamiliar files.

04
PHONE & MESSAGING Caller identity and profile information can also be impersonated

Do not rely solely on a caller name, phone number, profile photograph or messaging-account identity when a request involves sensitive information, money or unusual action.

VERIFY INDEPENDENTLY

Use a contact route you obtained separately from the suspicious message.

If a communication raises concern, avoid using the phone number, link or reply address contained in that same message to verify it. Navigate to the USMICRO website independently or use contact information you already trust.

STOP Do not act immediately
SEPARATE Leave the suspicious channel
VERIFY Use an independent contact route
DECIDE Continue only if satisfied
BRAND IMPERSONATION

Company logos, employee names and professional profiles can be copied without authorization.

The presence of USMICRO branding, an employee photograph, a job title or a professional-looking signature does not by itself confirm that the sender is connected with USMICRO.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE Use the USMICRO website as an independent starting point when you need to verify company information or contact details.
VERIFICATION PRINCIPLE
The more sensitive or unusual the request, the more important independent verification becomes.

A short verification step can help prevent account compromise, financial loss, identity theft or disclosure of sensitive information.

PAYMENT & DATA SAFETY

Protect money, credentials and personal information before responding to an unusual request.

Fraud attempts often become most harmful when they lead to a payment, credential disclosure or release of sensitive personal information. Unexpected requests in any of these areas should be verified independently.

HIGH-RISK REQUESTS

Certain requests deserve immediate caution regardless of how convincing the sender appears.

Pause before responding when someone claiming to represent USMICRO asks for money, account access, authentication codes or highly sensitive identity information in an unexpected context.

MONEY Transfers, fees or unexpected purchases
PASSWORDS Account credentials or login information
AUTHENTICATION One-time passwords or verification codes
IDENTITY Sensitive personal or financial documents
01 PAYMENT PRESSURE

Do not make a payment simply because the request appears urgent.

Fraudsters often use deadlines, authority or fear of losing an opportunity to make recipients act before independently checking the request.

02 LOGIN CREDENTIALS

Do not disclose passwords or account-access credentials.

Passwords, recovery information and authentication details can allow another person to access accounts or systems in your name.

03 VERIFICATION CODES

Treat one-time codes and approval prompts as sensitive.

Authentication codes are designed to confirm access. Sharing them with another person can defeat the protection they are intended to provide.

04 PERSONAL INFORMATION

Share sensitive information only when the recipient and purpose are clear.

Identity documents, banking information and other sensitive data should not be sent merely because a message uses a company name, logo or employee identity.

PAYMENT PRINCIPLE An unusual payment request should be independently confirmed before any money is sent.
PAUSE Do not pay immediately
CHECK Review the request
VERIFY Confirm through another channel
PROCEED Act only when satisfied
IF YOU SUSPECT FRAUD

Stop the interaction and preserve enough information to investigate it.

If a message, job offer, payment request or contact appears suspicious, avoid continuing the transaction until the situation has been verified.

01 STOP Do not send additional money or information
02 PRESERVE Keep messages, addresses, links and relevant documents
03 VERIFY Contact USMICRO through an independent route
04 SECURE Protect affected accounts or payment methods
05 REPORT Report the suspicious activity where appropriate
IF YOU ALREADY SHARED INFORMATION

Act promptly to reduce the possibility of further misuse.

Depending on what was disclosed, consider changing affected passwords, reviewing account security, contacting the relevant financial institution or service provider, and monitoring accounts for activity you do not recognize.

IF MONEY WAS SENT
Contact the bank, card provider, payment service or other financial institution involved as quickly as possible.

Available recovery options depend on the payment method, timing and circumstances. The relevant financial provider can explain what steps may be available for the transaction involved.

ACCOUNT SECURITY If credentials may have been exposed, secure the affected account and any other account using the same password.
PASSWORD Change compromised credentials
MFA Review authentication settings
SESSIONS Review unfamiliar account access
MONITOR Watch for unexpected activity
RESPONSE PRINCIPLE
Once something appears suspicious, preventing further loss matters more than continuing the conversation.

Stop, verify independently, protect affected accounts or payment methods, and preserve relevant evidence before taking further action.

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

If something appears suspicious, report it with enough detail to help us understand what happened.

USMICRO encourages visitors, candidates, partners and other contacts to report suspicious communication or activity that appears to misuse the USMICRO name, brand or identity.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Useful context can make a suspicious communication easier to assess.

Where available, include the information that helps identify the sender, communication channel, request and material involved. Avoid sending passwords, authentication codes or unnecessary sensitive information when reporting the issue.

SENDER Email address, phone number or profile involved
MESSAGE Relevant communication or screenshots
LINK Suspicious website or destination
CONTEXT What you were asked to do
REPORTING FLOW Preserve relevant evidence, stop the suspicious interaction and report it through a trusted channel.
01 Stop the interaction
02 Preserve evidence
03 Contact USMICRO
04 Take additional protective action
FRAUD REPORTING CONTACT

Send suspicious activity reports to USMICRO using the contact information below.

Include enough detail for the matter to be understood while avoiding unnecessary disclosure of highly sensitive personal, financial or authentication information.

EMAIL info [@] usmicrotek [dot] com
COMPANY USMICRO
HEADQUARTERS San Francisco, California, USA
OFFICE INFORMATION View Global Presence ↗
ADDITIONAL REPORTING

Depending on the situation, you may also need to contact another organization.

If money, accounts, identity information or another service has been affected, consider contacting the relevant bank, payment provider, account provider, platform operator or appropriate local authority.

IMPORTANT
Reporting suspicious activity to USMICRO does not replace action that may be required with a bank, platform, service provider or public authority.

The appropriate response depends on the nature of the incident, the information involved and whether financial loss, account compromise or identity misuse may have occurred.