Scammers delight in impersonating government agencies and well-known brands to lure email recipients into giving up their personal information. That information is then either exploited directly or sold to the highest bidder on the Dark Web.
Have you ever wondered which agencies, companies or brands are the most imitated by these attackers?
Whether you have or not it should come as no surprise that someone is tracking that. Security firm Checkpoint is tracking it to be precise.
Quite often Microsoft tops the list but this year they've been dethroned by shipping company DHL. That may not be surprising given the realities of the pandemic and the rise in popularity of online shopping.
Here is the list of the top ten for this year from their report:
- DHL (impersonated in 23 percent of all phishing attacks, globally)
- Microsoft (20 percent)
- WhatsApp (11 percent)
- Google (10 percent)
- LinkedIn (8 percent)
- Amazon (4 percent)
- FedEx (3 percent)
- Roblox (3 percent)
- Paypal (2 percent)
- Apple (2 percent)
The specific lure used in each of these cases varies wildly. For instance, when a scammer spoofs a shipping company the email is typically some variation of "we're trying to deliver a package to you but are having problems, press this button for more information."
While PayPal scams typically go the route of "Your account has been temporarily suspended. Please click here to verify your information."
Microsoft and Google are commonly spoofed in various software giveaway schemes. Or in the case of Google some variation of "click here to claim your free Chromebook."
Now that you are armed with a list of the most often imitated brands you at least have a list of things to be on the lookout for. The best defense is vigilance just like always. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is and don't ever click on embedded links even if you think you know and trust the sender.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Fortune Favors Who Value Time!"
Tech issues taking up your time?
"TeQ I.Q. Makes Your Technology Simple and Easy"
Do you have Technology Frustration Like Computer Issues, Phone Issues, Tablet Issues, Smart TV Issues, Smart Car Tech Issues?
"We Take Away Your Tech Frustration and Give You the Free Time You Deserve!"
Call Robert to find how we can help you with all your Technology questions.
We are giving a Free in Person TeQ Seminar at our office in La Mesa every Wednesday from 12pm-1pm and a Free TeQ Support Q&A from 1pm-2pm. Go to https://www.teqiq.com/events for our upcoming Events and https://www.teqiq.com/seminars for info on each Seminar.
For Free Consultation Call Now Robert Black at (619) 255-4180 or visit our website https://www.teqiq.com/
Chase Bank and Others Trust TeQ I.Q. with their IT and TeQnology so can you!
