New Scam, this time it is in the E-Mails

Just pulled this out of the OCSO web site....

Cyber-Security Tips


IRS Phishing Email



This one references the IRS stimulus checks that you may have received last year. The email tries to get a user to click on the link because ‘you didn’t get all of the money you were entitled to’ on the last round of checks. (I’ve pasted a copy of the email below and removed the link so no one can ‘accidentally’ click on it) J The spelling and grammar are very good on this one (usually, bad spelling/grammar are a dead give way with these type emails) but when I dug deeper into the ‘www4irs.gov’ link, it actually went to a computer in Sweden. So unless the IRS has a field office in Vasteras, Sweden; I’m betting it is malicious.

I attempted to visit the site via a ‘hardened’ computer that I keep around just for these occasions and found that the website is currently down. Many times this is the case because a hacker will compromise a computer, set a fake site up, it gets discovered pretty quickly and then the site is shut down. The hackers will then just compromise another computer and repeat the process again. They are attempting to collect personal or account information so it doesn’t take too many successful hits for them to reap a profit.

Anyway, this is just a heads up if you see one of these in your email boxes. As always, as long as you don’t click the links or open any of the attachments that may be included, you’ll be fine.