Eight BillionThat’s how much spam email gets sent every day in the U.S. The Komando staff (including me!) have received some really awesome emails recently.
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Let’s take a look at some actual spam emails currently in circulation.
$40,000 fake invoice scam
Paul emailed me about a $39,500 invoice and demanded immediate payment. What was the problem? I didn’t owe him a cent. The subject was “Forward: Past Due Invoice 324476” and it was followed by an email exchange between me (using my personal work email address) and someone named “Paul Delcroix.”
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According to his email, we were behind on bill payments and he wanted the money. nowIt was as if “Paul” and I were in business together. In one email I told him I needed a follow up call. In another I asked “Paul” to email Amber, my Director of Finance, so she could send the money.
“Paul” created an entire thread and used it to trick Amber into thinking I had already approved the invoice. This scammer knew a lot about us, including my personal email address, Amber’s role at the company, and Amber’s email address. They even knew our company’s industry. “Paul” was trying to charge us for using his “Broadcast Ethics” legal materials and representation.
Don’t be fooled. Amber forwarded me that email, and it set off alarm bells for her because when we’re planning to spend a large amount of money, she’s almost always included in the conversation, and if she’s not included, I’ll let her know later because she pays the day-to-day bills.
Scammers are willing to fake entire email conversations to get what they want from you. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
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Becoming a geek
Has anyone called Geek Squad? Content Queen Allie hasn’t called, but she keeps getting email receipts for subscriptions she never signed up for.
why? They want your money, and they’ll send you seemingly authentic (but fake) invoices to trick you into thinking you’ve forgotten to pay them. These emails usually include a request for your credit card or bank account details.
If you that Scams often include a phone number to call to inquire about an invoice. When you call, the scammer will pretend to be customer service and try to get you to make a payment over the phone or scam you in other ways.
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Dirty Money
Sextortion scams The attacks have intensified and the command’s IT genius, John, is the latest target. John received a suspicious email with a PDF attachment that included his full name, work address, phone number and a threatening message: “I’m not gonna play games.”
The sender claims to have footage of John doing “embarrassing things” (such as browsing pornographic sites) and that with just a few clicks they can send the footage to all of John’s contacts.
And just as we reported, the scammers ended the incident by attaching a photo of John’s location – one of the entrances to our broadcast headquarters.
What’s the problem? These perverts also want money. In this case, they want you to deposit $1,950 in Bitcoin to a specified address. Their goal is to excite you and scare you into paying up. After all, who doesn’t want to be caught up in their naughty acts by their grandma?
A hacker is depicted. (iStock)
it’s not Really We have your footage and many other victims have reported receiving the exact same message. Don’t take the bait.
Related: Kitboga exposes shocking new scam.
Pay attention
I received several emails from Ian asking me to change my direct debit information…except it wasn’t actually Ian.
Double Dipping: This scammer wants money and Business information. If you were fooled, you might have given your company’s bank account number or other protected information to the hacker.
A hint? Ian would definitely raise this question with the accounting team rather than me, and if you click anywhere his name is listed as the sender, you’ll see an email address that’s clearly not his.
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One simple rule of thumb
If you run a business, you’ll be surprised to hear this. All expenses are approved by me. Sure, I’m busy recording a national radio show, writing a daily newsletter, and running a business, but I’m closest to the money we’re spending, and I can see through these tricks right away.
While the final approval doesn’t necessarily have to come from the business owner, it’s a good idea to have multiple people involved in the payment process. An invoice shouldn’t be paid unless someone confirms, “Yes, this is a service we’re paying for. This invoice is real.”
The photo shows a person holding a Visa Premier credit card in front of a computer screen displaying an Internet website with a message warning against fraud. (Valerie Ash/AFP via Getty Images)
In the age of deepfakes, this is more important than ever, as it is easy to deceive someone who is signing a payment by pretending to be a contractor or employee.
Related: How to block political text messages
Going a step further
I encourage all companies to come up with a payment password, safe word, confirmation, whatever you like to call it. Let’s say our word is “Tangerine.” The idea is that both the person approving the payment and the colleague or company executive requesting the payment have to say this word.
In the engineering company example, the deepfake worked perfectly: employees thought they were really speaking to the CFO. But what if the CFO just gave them a blank stare when they asked for verification instructions? The whole thing would have fallen apart.
It’s a simple way to protect your business, your team, and your money.
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