Email Scam – Cybercriminals Imitate Intuit QuickBooks Invoice
Beware of a scam email going around imitating a Quickbooks Invoice.
In fact, the cybercriminals are distributing a fake email which looks like an unpaid invoice reminder urging the recipient to immediately take action otherwise “the debt collection” department will be notified.
Natural human reaction is to click on the [VIEW INVOICE] button for further information. Clicking the button takes the user to a blank page and this is the end of it or actually the beginning.
The “blank” website is actually a malicious website which downloads a javascript file. There are different outcomes, but most likely the user will be hit with the Ransomware Virus or have a dormant Trojan collecting information such as passwords, secret keywords, bank details, etc.
Spot the scam
The best way to spot the scam is not to fall for the intended urgency of the email and take a couple of minutes to investigate if it’s genuine or not.
- Think! Do you recognize the “company or the transaction”?
- Hover with the mouse over the sender’s email! In most cases it will be a very close match to the real thing. In our case instead of mail@intuit.com it is quickbooks@mail-intuit.cf. They are very close but not the same.
- Hover over the invoice button and you’ll get a preview of the link where the button will take you. If it looks suspicious – DO NOT CLICK IT!
- In our case there was a London telephone number. We rang and as expected there was no such company – it was a domestic number.
If you’ve received an email which you’re not sure about please do not hesitate to contact us and we can confirm if it’s safe or not. Call us on 01622 677677 or email: support@computermanuk.com
- Published in All News
Malware Alert
We have had many customers this week contact us regarding intrusive malware that has been infecting their PC’s and slowing down performance. These pieces of malware can either be invisible or they can claim to be pieces of software that apparently increase the performance of your system e.g. software updaters.
Many customers can innocently download these by opening emails, downloading files from the internet as some websites offer these as what appears to be a genuine add-on. However, they are becoming increasingly popular and some people may not even notice they are infecting their machines.
Symptoms of malware infected devices include slow performance, unwanted pop-ups and even the potential to corrupt your Windows installation. Malware is designed to work in the background, so users may not even notice it.
The most common way to avoid installing malware is to make sure you have the relevant protection and that it is up to date. At Computerman we make sure that you have adequate protection to avoid malware.
If you have a device that is slower than normal or are experiencing continues pop-ups please do not hesitate to contact us on 01622 677677 or visit our website at https://www.computermanuk.com/ We’d be more than happy to help and remember – our health check is completely FREE.
- Published in All News, Computerman News
Windows 10 Creators Update Problems
Recently, Microsoft released a major update for Windows 10 which was named the Creators Update. This update brought numerous features including interface changes and a much more improved action centre to look after your PC. However, a lot of people are running into issues post installing this update.
We have had at least 5 calls in the past week regarding this update corrupting their Windows install and certain aspects of Windows are not loading correctly. The most common issue the start menu and Windows apps e.g. the Edge web browser are refusing to load correctly or do not load at all.
Since this update the only way to restore full functionality is to reinstall Windows completely. However, at Computerman we make the process much easier and streamline. We backup data first so it is never lost upon reinstall. Once Windows is reinstalled, we thoroughly test it to make sure all features are fully working and are up to date. Even if you had software installed beforehand this can be reinstalled.
If you have been affected by the latest Windows 10 update or you have any queries relating to Windows 10 please call us on 01622 677677 or go to https://www.computermanuk.com
- Published in All News, Computerman News
BEWARE: Business Scam Email for £9,945
Yesterday alone (24.01.18) we had 4 cases reported to us of a scam email that’s being sent to businesses. It is masked (technique called spoofing) so it seems that an internal member of staff usually the company director has sent the email to the accounts department.
The email states:
“I need you to process a “Faster Payment” to a new beneficiary, can you handle this right now?
Payee details attached.”
There is a pdf attachment with a counterfeit Payment Details Slip from Lloyds Bank for the amount of £9,945.
However the giveaway is the actual replay email address – if you have an email address of john.smith@company.com the replay would appear to go to john.smith@company.com-p.uk a small detail which some users can easily miss.
We spoke to Lloyds TSB and Action Fraud and reported the issue.
We have dealt with similar scams in the past and have successfully reported and stopped these spoof invoices being paid. This is becoming an increasingly popular choice of fraud for scammers worldwide and they are getting better and better in disguising these. They will even communicate back to potential victims.
We recommend if you receive an invoice through email identical to this one or a similar looking invoice, that you DO NOT pay the amount shown.
If you received similar email and you’re unsure if it’s safe or not please do not hesitate to contact us on 01622 677677, support@computermanuk.com or go to https://www.computermanuk.com – we would be happy to advise you.
- Published in BEWARE, Computerman News