EXPERTS have revealed that Yahoo is the most spoofed brand hackers use to trick people out of their hard earned cash.
The long-running site’s name was falsely used in a fifth of scam emails towards the end of 2022.
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It overtook the likes of Microsoft, Netflix, WhatsApp and DHL on the undesirable list.
So-called phishing attacks deceive people into revealing sensitive information or installing malware which can be detrimental to your iPhone or Android handset.
Check Point Research says emails impersonating Yahoo jumped in the final three months of 2022.
Cases with the company’s name made up 20 per cent between October and December.
As a result, Yahoo rocketed from place 23 to number one since the last investigation of spoofed brands.
Delivery service DHL isn’t far behind, making up 16 per cent as scammers continue to try tricking people about their parcels and deliveries.
Microsoft is third, followed by Google and LinkedIn.
Experts said that Yahoo’s name was used to lure victims towards sham prize draws.
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Email subject lines suggested the recipient had won thousands.
And the email itself would say the draw was organised by Yahoo.
In true cyber crime fashion, the crooks behind it ask for the person’s bank details to transfer their prize.
The email also told them not to tell anyone about their winnings due to “legal issues” in a bid to pull off the ruse.
“We are seeing hackers trying to bait their targets by offering awards and significant amounts of money,” said Omer Dembinsky, Data Group Manager at Check Point Software.
“Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it almost always is.
“You can protect yourself from a brand phishing attack by not clicking on suspicious links or attachments and by always checking the URL of the page you are directed to.
“Look for misspellings and do not volunteer unnecessary information.”
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
