This morning, not even the coffee had time to cool down, and I received a dramatic message in my inbox:
\n\u201cHello Lora, I am currently entering a closed-door meeting. I need you to complete a short but urgent task. Please reply with your WhatsApp number and wait for my message. Thank you. Sincerely, Download Outlook for iOS.\u201d
\nI look at the sender - bambiiectoyherve@gmail.com. At first I stopped - I don't know the email, but the message was signed as if it came from the director. There is no specific task in the message, but there is urgency, a formal tone and a suggestion to transfer the conversation to WhatsApp, a private channel.
\nAnd then the red flags start.<\/p>\n
Red flag 1- Gmail? -Our director has an official address.<\/strong> Red flag 2- WhatsApp? No way<\/strong>We use private chat, email and sometimes the official phone. Whatsapp is a no no<\/em> especially for 'urgent tasks'.<\/p>\n Red flag 3- Outlook for iOS We do not use Outlook.<\/strong> And no, no one "downloaded the application" at the end of the email - except maybe the author who forgot to delete the automatic signature from the fake template.<\/p>\n Red flag 4- The director is on vacation.<\/strong> And if your boss writes in the middle of a vacation, urgently asks for a cell phone number, and does it from Gmail... congratulations - you have a phishing attack.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is a phishing attack and why does it work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Phishing is impersonation with the aim of stealing identity, money or data. Attackers often pretend to be authorities - bosses, banks,... and play on panic and speed. In business environments, the most common form is the so-called CEO fraud - the message seems to come from a director who "doesn't have time" but urgently needs someone to buy him something or send him a number. And that's where many give in - because when the boss calls, you don't ask - you work. And the attackers know that very well.<\/p>\n Mini test: Can you recognize phishing? Answer honestly \u2013 would you click?<\/strong> If you nodded at least twice \u2013 welcome to the club. We've all almost clicked at some point.<\/p>\n How to protect yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n Email and phone scams are becoming more sophisticated, but they still rely on the same tricks: creating panic and wanting to make you react quickly without thinking. Be careful, be informed, and always check before you click. Share this story with a colleague who \u201cjust clicks to see what it is.\u201d Because maybe next time it won\u2019t be bambiiectoyherve@gmail.com, but something more convincing. And persuasion is cheap these days.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a world where digital communication has become everyday, the number of internet fraud attempts is growing drastically. The most common form are the so-called phishing attacks \u2013 fake e-mails, messages or calls with which fraudsters try to get your personal information, passwords or card details. Their goal is to steal identity or money.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[287,297,298],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usluge","category-zastita-mreze","category-zastita-uredaja"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nAlthough he is only human at times, bambiiectoyherve@gmail.com is definitely not his 'alternate self'.<\/p>\n
\nIs the sender from a private address?
\nIs he asking you to do something right away?
\nNot using your usual communication channel?
\nThe message is without concrete content, but with a lot of formality?
\nDoes it end with a strange signature, link or \u201cDownload Outlook for iOS\u201d?<\/p>\n\n