Beware!! Google Docs Phishing Scam

If you recently received an email asking you to open a Google Docs, and you don’t know the sender, don’t open it! Chances are, this is a phishing email designed to have you click on a link and gain access to your information.

The email looks similar to a true Google invitation, but there are key differences.

The bogus email does not provide the name of the shared document and lacks the Google Docs icon.

The real email includes the name of the document, with the Google Docs icon .

Google is aware of this issue and issued a statement Wednesday saying, “We’ve removed the fake pages, pushed updates through Safe Browsing, and our abuse team is working to prevent this kind of spoofing from happening again. We encourage users to report phishing emails in Gmail.”

We all face the grueling task of trying to manage our email. While email is a very convenient mode of communication and most of it is genuine, knowing the signs of phishing emails will prevent you from unleashing a disaster.

When in doubt, don’t click! Contact your IT administrator. And remember, legitimate organizations will never ask you to disclose personal data via email.

For more information, please see “Recommended Practices – Part 4: Email Use” in the November 2014 edition of Bryley Information and Tips (BITs).

Read this case study about a particularly vicious attack that Bryley remediated.

Bryley Systems specializes in protecting you from malware. Contact us at 978.562.6077 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We’re here for you.