Sneaky Google Docs That Are Actually Phishing Scams
A particularly savvy phishing scam is making its way around the web, taking advantage of Google Docs. Since it uses the google.com URL and even makes use of Google’s SSL encryption, it’s nearly impossible to determine if it is a hack or not. The best counter to this scam is simply common sense. If you receive one of these emails inviting you to a Google Doc, do not open it or accept the invite. There are a couple signs that will help you determine if it is a scam. Some cases the email may be addressed to a suspicious email such as “hhhhhhhhhhhh@mailinator.com”, for example. The email itself also has some differences when compared to ones that Google actually sends. The intent behind these attacks don’t seem to put viruses/malware on computers, but rather to hijack credentials and personal information (hence calling it a phishing scam). It’s unclear who exactly is deploying these attacks, but just keep your eye out for Google Doc invites.