Phishing and Vishing Identity Theft Scams
The HR Memo Salary increase from Human Resources Manager Scam
Redirects to spoofed (Fake) website like: cf-ipfs.com
You may have received a phone call about the same subject. It is an attempt to get you to enter confidential information (typically a social security
number, name, address, bank account information, etc., to allow the scammers to
steal your identity and open credit cards in your name.
This email was not sent by your employer; your employer is a victim as well, since this could open a back door into the company's
website to hackers.
This is referred to as spoofing (making a fake email that looks legitimate, "phishing" (when by email) or "vishing" (when by
telephone). If you receive
an email similar to the one below, DO NOT click on the link, and do not enter
any information on the forms there.
The website that the link leads to is a spoof; a fake website, not created by
your employer. It goes to cf-ipfs.com, or other websites
(they constantly hack and change destinations), not a real HR at your employer, regarding an increase from Human Resources Manager! When you enter the information they ask for, you will simply be
handing the thieves the keys to your bank accounts. That is how spoofing, phishing
and vishing works.
Remember, no reputable business would send you
an email or a phone call requesting your personal account information. Any such email you
receive asking for this information should be considered phony and brought to
the attention of the business being 'phished'.
Anytime you need to go to a website for your bank, credit card companies or
other personal, financial or confidential information; do not follow a link in
an email; just type their address in your browser directly (such as
www.FFF.com )
Below are actual phishing emails that started circulating in early 2008. We
removed the links to the phisher's website, which is cf-ipfs.com
It is possible that the owners of the website (cf-ipfs.com or some other made-up domain) are not
involved, and that their server has been hacked, but the fact remains that this
is the address the scam goes to.
From: Human Resources <hr@YourEmailDomain.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 24,
2024 10:19 PM
To: YourEmailAddress
Subject: Q1 2024 Approved Salary
Increase
Subject : HR Memo (Salary increase)
From : Human Resources Manager
Hello,
This memo is to confirm our intention to increase your basic salary wages as per the attached payroll computation. The increase will
take effect from 1 April 2024 and will be reflected in your pay at the end of the month. To indicate acceptance, kindly sign beside your name and submit the
signed copy to your supervisor.
Approved
Employee List for Q1 2024 Salary Increase
NB: This document is confidential and should not be forwarded. For issues with accessing document,
kindly reach out to your supervisor.
Thanks & Regards,
Director of Human Resources
HR Manager
YourEmailDomain.com
Email :- hr@YourEmailDomain.com
Web :- https://www.YourEmailDomain.com
What is Phishing?
Phishing is an attempt by an individual or group to solicit personal
information from unsuspecting users by employing social engineering techniques.
Phishing emails are crafted to appear as if they have been sent from a
legitimate organization or known individual. These emails often attempt to
entice users to click on a link that will take the user to a fraudulent website
that appears legitimate. The user then may be asked to provide personal
information such as account usernames and passwords that can further expose them
to future compromises. Additionally, these fraudulent websites may contain
malicious code.
Learn More About Phishing
The following documents and websites can help you learn
more about phishing and how to protect yourself against phishing attacks.
Methods of Reporting Phishing Email to US-CERT
- In Outlook Express, you can create a new message and drag and drop the
phishing email into the new message. Address the message to phishing-report@us-cert.gov and
send it.
- In Outlook Express you can also open the email message* and
select File > Properties > Details.
The email headers will appear. You can copy these as you normally copy text
and include it in a new message
tophishing-report@us-cert.gov .
- If you cannot forward the email message, at a minimum, please send the URL
of the phishing website.
* If the suspicious mail in question includes a file attachment, it is safer to
simply highlight the message and forward it. Some configurations, especially in
Windows environments, may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and
viewing a malicious email message.
For more information about phishing, see this page.
Recommendations- What to do:
- Tell your boss about it, so they can warn other employees.
- Only open email or IM attachments that come from a trusted source
and that are expected
- Use an anti-virus/anti-spam package (we recommend Norton 360 or
Norton Internet Security scan all attachments prior to opening.
Click here to see Norton 360 prices, reviews, ordering, etc. .
- Delete the messages without opening any attachments
- Do not click on links in emails that come from people you do not
know and trust, even if it looks like it comes from a company you know.
- Keep your anti-virus software up to date
- Keep your operating system up to date with current security patches.
Click here for an article that describes how to do this.
And please let us know about any
suspicious calls or emails you receive. We look for patterns so that we
can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.