Do you keep seeing emails telling you your account needs to be verified, or a package cannot be delivered etc? This on highlights a fake Google email, but it is useful advice for anyone online, regardless of their age;
Warnings have been issued over a series of phishing emails which have been circulating inboxes, claiming to be from Google.
According to developer Nick Johnson, the scam exploited a vulnerability in Google’s infrastructure and used a spoofed email account that appeared to come from no-reply@accounts.google.com— Google’s legitimate security alert address — even mimicking the usual ‘Security alert’ subject line.
In a post shared in April, Mr Johnson explained how this latest con claims that you have been served a ‘subpoena’ to grant Google permission to ‘produce a copy of your Google account content’.
When contacted by a consumer choice brand Which?, a spokesperson at Google confirmed they were aware of the targeted attack, and stated they have: “;Rolled out protections to shut down this avenue for abuse.”
They continued offering advice stating “;We encourage users to adopt two-factor authentication and passkeys, which provide strong protection against these kinds of phishing campaigns.”
Scams like this have emphasised awareness of the evolving tactics used by fraudsters. Chums has recently created a campaign to do exactly this, describing common scam types and the new technologies scammers exploit.
In the campaign, Chums describes phishing scams as a type of cyberattack where scammers impersonate legitimate organisations, such as banks or delivery companies, to trick their victims into revealing personal and financial information.
Phishing attacks are typically attempted through three main forms of contact: SMS text messages, social media messages, or emails. As in the case of Google email, these scams will usually ask the recipient to click on a link that may download a virus or steal your personal information. Alternatively, they may prompt you to log in to your account if you aren’t already signed in.
Chums, also recommend some steps you can take to help recognise scams before you fall victim, including:
1. Verifying with the company. If you’re not sure if a message is legitimate, it’s best to contact the company directly via their official website to find out if they sent you the message.
2. Looking for spelling errors. Official messages from companies will usually not contain poor grammar or spelling mistakes, so if you do spot them, it could be a sign of potential fraud.
3. Double-check the sender. Often, emails from scammers who attempt to spoof official emails may contain identifiable differences from the official one, e.g., support@paypa1.com instead of support@paypal.com.
IE TIPS ON DELETING FAKE EMAILS
Don’t click on the email, you don’t have to open it to get rid of it.
Find Select or Edit in your Options, usually under the three dots, sometimes a box at the top – depends on your phone, or web page.
Click the rogue email, then find the Delete button. Refresh screen or click your Home button to clear the edit/delete buttons.
Relax. If it’s a real email it’s in Deleted Items, you can always get it back within 30 days.
MORE CHUMS INFO
Paul Gray, Marketing Director at Chums, explained their campaign’s purpose:
“At Chums’ we value our customers’ trust. With more than one in three over-65s lacking basic internet skills, we realise that recognising sophisticated scams may be difficult. To help our customers protect themselves, we’ve pulled together a campaign to help educate them on how to recognise these scams. With AI on the rise, it is more important than ever to become scam-savvy and spot tricks like deepfakes.”
According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), deputy director for Economy and Society Resilience Sarah Lyons: “Since 2020, over 41 million phishing attempts have been reported to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service.
In addition, data shared by Age UK suggested that one in five (24%) over the age of 75 are unable to recognise suspicious links, making them particularly vulnerable to phishing attacks, like this most recent “no-reply” Google email scam.
With scam reports continuing to rise, it is vital to remain vigilant and cautious with any message or email that asks you to do something. If you are ever unsure, the best course of action is to double-check by contacting the person or business directly.
If you believe you are the target or victim of fraud, report the scam to the authorities. You can forward any suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and suspicious text messages to 7726 (you won’t be charged for this).
Alternatively, if you’ve lost money or been hacked due to an online scam, you can make a report to Action Fraud.
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