In Case Phishing Attacks Don’t Go to Spam Folders

A few days ago, I tried resetting the password to one of my accounts. I was waiting for the auto-generated email and it never came. Naturally I checked my spam or junk folders. I was surprised to discover that there were over 200 emails and 90% of them were phishing emails.

From time to time we all check our spam folders. Many IT departments direct employees to check junk and spam folders when trying to locate missing emails. But be careful: Thieves and criminals are constantly updating their phishing email tactics. If you aren’t-up to-date on the latest phishing attacks, you have a greater chance of falling for these phishing scams.

Here are some examples of some of the newest phishing scams in 2014.

Tax Phishing Emails

With tax season upon us, criminals will attempt to steal your financial information with emails that appear to come from the IRS. These emails requests personal financial information. Remember, the IRS does not contact taxpayers by email with requests for personal financial information. If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from the IRS or other governmental organizations such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) do not open or respond. You can also report these phishing emails by forwarding them to phsihing@irs.gov.

Click here to learn more about 2014 IRS scams.

Fake Funeral Notices

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning to bring awareness to a new scam. Criminals are sending out fake funeral notices. Watch out for phishing emails with “Funeral Notification” subject lines. These emails appear to come from funeral homes. The offer condolences and sometimes dates for a funeral services. These phishing emails trick people into clicking on dangerous links to download malicious software or “malware” onto the reader’s computer.

Click here to learn more about fake funeral notices.

Apple ID Phishing Scams

One of the latest malicious scams involves verifying Apple IDs. This scam mimics an official Apple email and comes with the header “Your Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons!” The purpose of the phishing attempt is to gain access to the recipients Apple ID account with a fake “Verify Now” link. If the reader clicks on the link they are taken to a malicious link. Remember Apple will never request an account to be verified or a password to be reset by providing the current and existing password.

Click here to learn more the Apple ID phishing scam.

The examples above are three of the most recent phishing scams. Remember phishing scams are discovered daily, so keep your eyes open and be cautious of suspicious emails.

If you need to teach your employees how to spot new phishing attacks click here to learn more about our anti-phishing training suite.