Don’t click! Microsoft Outlook users warned of dangerous new scams

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Microsoft Outlook users warned of new email scam threats (Image: MICROSOFT • GETTY)

Microsoft has issued a warning about a new email scam that Microsoft Outlook users should be aware of. Outlined in a blog post Published online, the latest Microsoft Outlook email threat is a gift card scam. Bad actors specifically target organizations with a so-called Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack.

As the Redmond tech giant explained, the scam emails are being sent to people working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The message was reportedly sent from a target’s boss to their assistant and came from an account that – at first glance – looks like it’s being sent from an organization’s official domain name.

About 120 fake domains have been created to spread the scam, but the giveaway is that these domain names have typos. The scam message claims that a target and everyone on their team is being asked to purchase gift cards to keep the mood high during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scam messages that were spotted contained vague messages such as “I want you to do a task for me” or “Let me know if you are available”.

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When the target answered, they were asked to buy gift cards for their ‘boss’ and then return the relevant codes to them.

The bad actors have also done their research to make sure the scam looks legit, by scouring company websites, LinkedIn and social media accounts to make sure the names mentioned were correct.

While it may seem like the scam isn’t making cyber criminals a lot of money, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Microsoft said that in 2020 alone, BEC scams managed to scam $ 1.8 billion worth of victims.

This latest scam attacked a wide variety of industries including professional services, agriculture and manufacturing. But the most targeted industry was “ consumer goods, ” which accounted for more than a third (38 percent) of scam messages sent.

Example of an email scam in Microsoft Outlook

Here’s an example of the scam email that Microsoft Outlook has warned users about (Image: MICROSOFT)

Fortunately, there is a way to stay safe if you are concerned that your business will fall victim to this scam. Microsoft said Defender for Office 365 can protect against attacks and identify potential BEC threats.

In the blog post, the Windows 10 creators said, “In this campaign, we found that attackers targeted organizations in the consumer goods, process manufacturing and agriculture, real estate, discrete manufacturing, and professional services sectors using typo-cracked domains to protect the e-mail. emails appear as if they come from valid senders.

“BEC emails are intentionally designed to look like regular emails and appear to come from someone who already knows the intended recipient, but these campaigns are more complex than they appear. They require behind-the-scenes operations, preparation and staging. “

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Neela
Neela
I work as the Content Writer for Gaming Ideology. I play Quake like professionally. I love to write about games and have been writing about them for two years.

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