Emmanuel Marshall 21 May 2018 13:35:05 AEST 3 MIN READ

Bogus NSW Government "penalty notice" email is malware scam


MailGuard has detected a new email scam attempting to deliver malware to victim’s computers.

This malicious email - see screenshot above - is designed to look like a NSW Government “penalty notice,” using a fake “revenue.nsw.gov.au” link to try and lure victims into opening a malware-infected .doc file.

There are 2 sender display names associated with this scam: "Annul" and "Cheryl."

The message actually originates from the following addresses:

  • info@agfgrouplc.com
  • info@coredevelopgroup.com
  • info@groupe-rb.com
  • info@impactartsgroup.com
  • info@netplexgroup.com
  • info@tihoogroup.com


These sender domains were registered in the United States on May 5 2018 and have no connection to real
NSW Government online services.

The NSW Government Fair Trading website offers this advice to people who receive email scam messages:

“If you receive an email which requests you to provide personal or financial information – do not reply.

“Don't use the links in the email to get to any other web page. Instead either telephone your service provider or log on to its website directly by typing its full web address into your browser to seek verification.

“Avoid filling out forms online where personal financial information is requested. Only use secure websites or a telephone to transmit sensitive information.

“Do regularly check your bank or credit card statements to ensure all transactions were authorised. If you believe that there has been an unauthorised transaction contact your bank or credit provider immediately.

“If you suspect that you’ve received such an email, report it to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on 1300 302 502 or visit the Scamwatch website at www.scamwatch.com.au

 

Don't get scammed


If your company’s email accounts aren’t protected, scam emails like the one above are almost certainly being received by your staff.  Cybercriminals know people can be tricked; that’s why they send out millions of scam messages and put so much effort into making them look convincing.

People are not machines; we're all capable of making bad judgement calls. Without email filtering protecting your business, it’s just a matter of time before someone in your organisation has a momentary lapse of judgement and clicks on the wrong thing.

For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's predictive email security.
Talk to an expert at MailGuard today about making your company's network secure: click here.

 

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