When you get an email from a well-known company, how sure are you that it is legitimate? Scammers are getting more clever with spoofing companies to send phishing attacks.
They hope you will click on a malicious link or attachment by impersonating actual companies. Unfortunately, one brand is used more than others worldwide as a lure.
Read on to see which brand is spoofed most and what you can do to protect yourself.
Here’s the backstory
From Amazon’s delivery service to utility companies, scammers often send fake emails to potential victims to steal their data. This can happen through malicious links to sites that steal your data or infect your device with malware.
One trendy phishing attack is when scammers target those seeking a new job or career change. Since LinkedIn is the best place to find work, it’s the number one company scammers spoof in phishing emails worldwide.
According to Check Point Research, the Microsoft-owned business platform is impersonated in nearly half of all phishing attacks globally.
Emails such as “You appeared in 8 searches this week” or “You have one new message” can be authentic, but you need to verify the sender’s email address to ensure it’s really from LinkedIn.
According to Check Point Research, LinkedIn is the most used brand in phishing attacks for the year. Here are the top 10 companies used in phishing attacks:
- LinkedIn (45%)
- Microsoft (13%)
- DHL (12%)
- Amazon (9%)
- Apple (3%)
- Adidas (2%)
- Google (1%)
- Netflix (1%)
- Adobe (1%)
- HSBC (1%)
What you can do about it
Whenever you get an email, there are several things you can do to ensure the message is legitimate. Always pay close attention to logos, branding and the sender’s email address.
In a recent example, a scammer spoofed LinkedIn’s email address to make it appear as if it came from LinkedIn Security. It had an urgent-sounding subject line, and while the font and logos seemed genuine, it steered victims into clicking a malicious link.
It takes you to a fake LinkedIn page. If you enter your details, scammers have what they need to rip you off. Here are some tips to stay safe:
- Never give out personal information if you don’t know the sender of a text or email or can’t verify their identity. Criminals only need your name, email address and telephone number to rip you off.
- Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for better security. Tap or click here for details on 2FA.
- Pay close attention to the URLs in any emails or text messages. Check for slight changes in the letters, any misspellings or suspicious characters.
- Don’t click on links and attachments that you receive in unsolicited emails.
- Always have a trusted antivirus program updated and running on all your devices. We recommend our sponsor, TotalAV. Right now, get an annual plan with TotalAV for only $19 at ProtectWithKim.com. That’s over 85% off the regular price!
Keep reading
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See this one-word subject line in your inbox? It’s a phishing scam red flag