Although faxes may seem like an outdated communication method, many businesses continue to use the machines to transmit confidential data which can now be sent directly to email addresses.
MailGuard has intercepted and is now blocking a new email scam which lands in inboxes with the subject line “Notification: You have received a new document 9/9/22 10:15:11 a.m.”, and the sender name shows “[company name] | Fax Message”. The sender email address has craftily been edited to show “fax@” and the recipient’s company domain to instil a false sense of confidence, however it’s actually being sent from “root(at)vmi1004269(dot)contaboserver(dot)net”.
At the top of the email is a fake banner which shows “This sender has been verified by [company name’s] safe senders list.” This is a sneaky tactic used in an attempt to fool the recipient into believing the email is legitimate.
The email content has been designed to look as though it’s a standard alert, and the top of the copy shows “* *New Fax Received * *”. The alert goes on to state that “You have 2 pending Document(s) via your [company name] Email Fax”. Beneath this is a table with information on the number of pages, and the time and date the faxes were received. The user is then instructed to click a button to “Preview Attached Documents”.
Here's an example of the emails we're now blocking:
When the user clicks the link, they’re directed to a phishing site which mimics the Outlook Web App login page, with a few differences. Firstly, the URL shows this is not an authentic Outlook site. Rather than a “Sign in” button, this shows “Download Document”, and the copyright information shows “Powered by Microsoft Email Fax”, which is not a genuine Microsoft service.
However, the user’s email auto-fills and they’re only asked to enter their password. It’s simple enough that a distracted employee may not take the time to look for the red flags, and quickly enter their details in order to sign in.
When the victim enters their password, they’re shown an error message that says “Incorrect password. Enter your valid password to view documents”. At this point, their credentials have been harvested by the criminal for later use.
The use of the company’s name multiple times through the email helps the scammer to feign authenticity, particularly through the forged sender email. As the email is targeting business accounts, this scam is especially dangerous.
By compromising an employee’s email account, a scammer may be able to access sensitive information related to your business. They may also use the account to communicate with other employees or clients in an attempt to gain financially.
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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