A fake DHL email is putting Australian inboxes at risk.
The email, with the subject ‘DHL Shipment AWB:…’ has an attachment apparently containing details about an ‘Arrival Notification.’
Those who click the link are directed to a bogus DHL landing page that requests the email address and password of the recipient, with the likely intent of harvesting their details for future use.
While the sender appears to be ‘DHL Shipment’, the email has been sent from a compromised mailbox.
MailGuard intercepted several variants of this attack. In some, the links load blank pages, and in others they lead to the phishing page. This may be just a poorly executed phishing campaign, or in some cases, an activation will occur later to capture unsuspecting recipients unaware, with either a phishing page or a malware download. All variants were blocked.
Another parcel delivery scam?
Fake parcel email scams are a favourite of cybercriminals, particularly around busy shopping periods such as Christmas and the Boxing Day sales. Most recently, MailGuard reported two similar DHL scams on May 8 and May 22 this year.
We all love getting something (aside from a bill) in the mail, and with online shopping more popular than ever, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of what parcels we’re expecting.
The criminals behind this scam prey on people’s busy lives and curiosity.
Well-known companies such as Australia Post, Fedex and DHL are popular targets for scammers to impersonate because they are trusted names with large customer bases.
What to look out for
As a precaution, avoid clicking links in emails that:
- Are not addressed to you by name, have poor English or omit personal details that a legitimate sender would include (e.g. – tracking ID).
- Are from businesses you’re not expecting to hear from.
- Ask you to download any files, especially with an .exe file extension.
- Take you to a landing page or website that does not have the legitimate URL of the company the email is purporting to be sent from.
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