The Better Business Bureau warns residents of two online scams aimed at gathering personal information. One involves Google Docs and the other Dropbox.
The Google Docs scam works by sending out a false email about a job-recruitment possibility. The email includes a link from a fake human-resources professional, according to a BBB press release issued recently. Once clicked, the link prompts the user to enter his or her Google email address and password. When the login information is entered, however, the data is sent to the hacker’s database, the BBB reported.
The BBB – a nonprofit, consumer-protection agency – issued a second online scam alert.
Through a fake email, hackers have lured people to click a link that leads to a malicious file stored on Dropbox. The action downloads the file to the user’s computer and installs malicious software. The malware enables the hacker to obtain a user’s contact information and shares the infected file with others on the user’s contact list, furthering its spread, according to BBB Chief Security Officer Bill Fanelli.
The website from which the fraudulent email was sent has been shut down, but BBB officials are concerned that similar attacks could follow.
The BBB recommends that affected users change their passwords and unlink their connections to the dubious account. In addition, the BBB advises that people be wary of any unsolicited emails, specifically those with questionable URL links.
For more information, visit bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/get-consumer-help/scam-source.
