Gmail users are being targeted by this nasty new mail scam known as ‘Vishing.' According to a Kaspersky team, there has been an increase in the number of rogue emails being delivered to gmail account holders' inboxes.
A new email scam is targeting Gmail account holders where it hurts. These unsuspecting users have been warned to be on the lookout for a nasty Gmail mail scam. The latest email threat is affecting people all over the world, including India. It employs a completely novel approach to consumer targeting. It does not necessitate you clicking on bogus links or downloading malware. This Gmail mail scam is much more intimate. Scammers are now sending emails that appear to be from well-known companies such as Amazon or PayPal. These emails claim that a large purchase was made on the victim's account.
Like all other email scams, this email also looks very convincing with the messages using official fonts and logos. There is no way of stopping this illegal purchase from going through. The only option to cancel this order is for users to make a phone call. There is a telephone number and the email reads “If you didn’t make this purchase, please call us.” If you are tricked into dialling the contact details, you will then be put through to a real person on the other end of the phone.
This person isn’t an Amazon or PayPal representative but a fraudster. They will try and steal as much information as possible including account names, passwords and bank details. They might also fool you into transferring money to a fake account. Moreover, you can be tricked into installing a Trojan that can steal information from your PC.
This new email scam has been named ‘Vishing.’ A team at Kaspersky says there's been an influx of rogue emails being pushed out to consumers. This way of getting people to dial a phone number is far more effective and efficient for cyber thieves. It allows them to sit and wait for the calls to come in.
Explaining more about the threat Kaspersky's Roman Dedenok said: "We recently detected several waves of spam e-mails, seemingly from reputable companies, notifying recipients of substantial purchases. The item in question is usually a high-end device such as the latest Apple Watch or a gaming laptop purchased from Amazon or paid for through PayPal. The scam relies on recipients being so alarmed by the not-insubstantial loss that they will act rashly, hoping to get their money back."