NYS Dept of Labor Scam Targets MS Office 365 Email Accounts with Phishing Scam
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Another stimulus payment scam is impersonating the York state Department of Labor. Messaging in the scam email promises the target $600 in relief funds. If the target is fooled by the email and clicks on a malicious link, they are directed to a credential harvesting web page.
This can result in financial losses and identity theft.
This stimulus payment scam targets Microsoft Office 365 email accounts. “Scammers are taking advantage of the financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by impersonating government entities and offering supposed relief funds to gain access to sensitive user information,” says the report by Abnormal Security.
Today the United States Congress approved another round of stimulus payments to adults in the United States. People may be easily fooled by this scam because they are now expecting to receive a $600 stimulus check. However, this payment originates from the US Department of Treasury and is expected in the next week or two.
Spoofed email address
The sender’s email address impersonates a New York State (NYS) official government email address. However, the actual domain name is registered in Panama. It has no connection to any official government agency in New York State or elsewhere.
NYS DOL Fake Email Message
The body of the email (Figure 1) uses the official State of New York government seal. The text informs the victim that New York State is offering them $600 in COVID-19 relief benefits if they fill out a web form with some information. If the target clicks on the link, they are redirected to a harmful phishing webpage which is crafted to look like it belongs to the NYS Department of Labor.
The web page prompts the victim to enter in highly sensitive information including full name, home address, birthdate, Social Security number, and drivers’ license number.
Don’t be fooled by this stimulus check scam
The upcoming stimulus payment is handled by the US Department of Treasury and not New York State Department of Labor
Think before acting when an email directs you to download an attachment or click on a link scrutinize it very carefully
- Call the sender if you are in doubt about the email or its contents
- Never assume the email is from who it claims to be from email sending names can be easily faked
- Neither the email nor the website has any connection to the New York state Department of Labor or any government agency. It is a scam
- Both the email and the phishing web page use New York State logos and branding to try and trick the reader
- To be safe, never click on links in any emails especially if you weren’t expecting something from someone you know
