Week in review 2 April 2015

A shorter week this week due to the Easter break did not mean any let up in the volume of phishing emails. This week we had a survey scam email, another American Express phish, an iTunes email threatening account suspension and yet another fake consignment notice. Read on for our week in review. As always, you can click on a link to see the story in full, together with screenshots of the phishing emails in question.

Scam survey promises gift voucher

Scam survey emails are becoming quite popular. They follow similar lines to legitimate marketing emails, whereby the email recipient is promised some form of largess if they fill out a short survey. Sadly, the scam emails don’t deliver anything of value. This week we had one such scam email, supposedly from Woolworths. This one promised a gift voucher of $150. It was a scam.

Unusual Activity American Express Card

American Express users were once again the target of a phishing campaign this week. This one warned the recipients that unusual activity had been detected on their American Express account. The user was urged to click on a link in the email to help validate their account. Once again, it is a scam.

iTunes phishing email threatens suspension

We are kind of used to getting threatened with suspension, especially when it comes to iTunes and Apple. So when we received yet another email threatening suspension, it was no surprise. And the fact that the whole situation could be resolved by clicking on a link and confirming ownership of the account was also no surprise. This was another iTunes scam email, designed to steal people’s details, including credit cards.

Track Advice Notification scam email

These types of emails informing the recipient that they have a parcel waiting for them seem to be making a comeback. This one tells the recipient to download a file, print a label and present it to the nearest post office. Once again, the email is a scam. Worse, in some cases it installs CryptoLocker. Delete this email if you receive it. On a side note, check out the Australia Post page on phishing. It lists several different examples of phishing emails.

Scott Reeves
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