Today’s Scam of the day is about a phishing email that appears to come from Google and informs you that your phone, computer or laptop is infected with a virus and attempts to lure you into clicking on a link that purports to help you remove the virus. The email makes for compelling reading and carries the Google logo, but it is a scam. As for the logo, it is a very simple matter to counterfeit a logo in an email.
Phishing emails, by which scammers and identity thieves attempt to lure you into either clicking on links contained within the email which will download malware or providing personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft, are nothing new. They are a staple of identity thieves and scammers and with good reason because they work. As always, they lure you by making it appear that there is an emergency that requires your immediate attention or else dire consequences will occur.
TIPS
As with all phishing emails, two things can happen if you click on the links provided. Either you will be sent to a legitimate looking, but phony webpage where you will be prompted to input personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or, even worse, merely by clicking on the link, you will download keystroke logging malware that will steal all of your personal information from your computer and use it to make you a victim of identity theft.
Whenever you get an email that asks you for information or to click on links and may appear to be legitimate, do not provide the information or click on the link. Rather, contact the company by phone or by email at a phone number or email address that you have confirmed is legitimate.
A telltale sign that this is a scam is that the email address of the sender of the email has nothing to do with Google, but instead reads “postmaster@favorablecheerful.net.”
Finally, a good indication that this is a scam is that Google doesn’t send emails informing people that their computers, phones or other devices have been infected with viruses.
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