Be sure to triple check any emails that warn you that your inbox is almost full, it may just be the new phishing scam which MailGuard have intercepted.
The email is sent with the display name “Mail Storage”, however the email address belongs to a business in Spain which has sadly been compromised. The subject line cautions the user to “clean up your mail”, and while very brief, the email reiterates that the mailbox is almost full, and it needs to be cleared by deleting items from the inbox. The user is directed to click a link which says “Click here to clean.”
Here is what the email looks like:
Upon clicking the link, the user is directed to a phishing page which has been designed to replicate the login page for Outlook Web Access. This website also appears to belong to a different compromised business.
After submitting their email address and password, an error appears that says “The username or password you entered isn’t correct. Try entering it again.”, although the attacker will already have harvested the user’s credentials and stored them for later use.
This scam is littered with red flags that show its illegitimacy. Be sure to always check sender email, website URL, and look out for grammatical errors (e.g., “Please reduce your mail-box size. to Delete any items…”). If your Outlook inbox is close to full capacity, you will always receive a Microsoft branded email.
If you’re ever unsure of whether an email is authentic, hover your cursor over any hyperlinks before clicking, and the true destination will appear in a pop up.
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.
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.
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.
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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