Supplying domains for more than 1.5 million websites, Crazy Domains is a well-known and trusted Australian domain registration and hosting service, which makes them the perfect target for impersonation.
In a new phishing email, scammers use the Crazy Domains branding and a subject line designed to lure recipients into opening the email by warning “Your Products are Due for Renewal – [business domain]”. The sender name shows “Accounts | Crazy Domains”, but the email actually comes from an account belonging to a legitimate Australian psychology practice which is registered with Crazy Domains, so it was likely compromised in a similar scam.
The email has a professional finish and doesn’t contain any of the typical red flags you expect from scam emails, such as spelling mistakes, unusual language or grammar. It simply warns that the recipient’s products are due to expire, highlighting this in red to place a sense of pressure, and asks them to “Please renew to avoid any potential connection issues”. Beneath this, the customer’s product details are shown, as well as their domains and expiry dates, and they’re asked to press a button to “express renew”.
Here's an example of the email:
When the recipient clicks through, they are taken to a site which again uses Crazy Domains branding and uses a CAPTCHA box to prove the user is not a robot. This helps to create a sense of authenticity, although the URL shows that this site is hosted on another compromised domain.
Next, the user is asked to log in to their Crazy Domains account on a phishing page. Although the page still uses their branding, it has a slightly less professional finish than what you may expect from a legitimate service. The text is slightly pixelated, and the site appearance differs from the genuine Crazy Domains log in page.
If the user enters their username and password, these will be harvested by the scammer for later use.
After entering their login details, the victim is then taken to a page where they’re asked to confirm their payment method by entering their:
- Card number
- Card expiry
- CVV code
If the victim enters their credit card details, they are directed to a verification page where they’re asked to enter a one-time password. This is generally a sign that the scammer is attempting to charge the credit card that’s been entered.
You may notice that the information shown for Date and OTP Code are in the correct fields, which would not happen on a genuine verification page.
Finally, the victim is told that the “verification code failed” and that “a new OTP has been sent to your registered phone number”.
Crazy Domains offers their customers the following advice:
“At Crazy Domains, we don’t send any notices regarding your domains without your account number or invoice number in the email and we always address you by name. Please check for these details in emails you receive from us to confirm they’re legit.
Crazy Domains don’t send our customers notices with links to download files regarding your domains.
If you’re ever in any doubt about any email you receive, check the email headers to determine the source and return path for the email address. If this information does not match with what you expect, that should be a warning.”
MailGuard advises all recipients of this email to delete it immediately without clicking on any links. Providing your personal details can result in your sensitive information being used for criminal activity and may have a severe negative impact on your business and its’ financial well-being.
MailGuard urges users not to click links or open attachments within emails that:
- Are not addressed to you by name.
- Appear to be from a legitimate company but use poor English or omits personal details that a legitimate sender would include.
- Are from businesses that you were not expecting to hear from, and/or
- Take you to a landing page or website that is not the legitimate URL of the company the email is purporting to be sent from.
Many businesses turn to MailGuard after an incident or a near miss, often as a result of an email similar to the one shown above. If unwanted emails are a problem for your business, don’t wait until it’s too late.
Reach out to our team for a confidential discussion by emailing expert@mailguard.com.au or calling 1300 30 44 30.
One email is all that it takes
All that it takes to devastate your business is a cleverly worded email message that can steal sensitive user credentials or disrupt your business operations. If scammers can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link or attachment, they can gain access to your data or inflict damage on your business.
For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's predictive and advanced email security. Talk to a solution consultant at MailGuard today about securing your company's inboxes.
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