A leading cyber security company has discovered a new wave of scam attacks that use Google Forms to target crypto users.
According to a report released by Kaspersky’s researchers on Tuesday, knowing the email address of the potential victim, the attackers send a scam email through Google Forms, which is designed to appear as a notification from a crypto exchange service. Users are invited to receive an alleged transfer in cryptocurrency by following a link to a website where they are instructed to contact “blockchain support” and make a “commission” payment in crypto to receive the transfer. Following these instructions could lead to the loss of funds, as the whole “transfer” story is a hoax.
The attackers used Google Forms – a free tool for online surveys – to create a short questionnaire with just one slot to fill in: the email address. The attackers themselves input the victim’s email address into the form, and then Google Forms sends a questionnaire submission confirmation email to the victim. The attackers crafted this form submission confirmation to look like a notification from a crypto transaction service – indicating a sum to allegedly be paid out, urging the user to click on the link to receive the payout before it “expires.”
The scam email contains Google Forms attributes, such as a header with Google Forms logo, a link to the questionnaire (which the user never filled in), and the field value that had been submitted. The attackers bank on the fact that the email passes through spam filters, since it was sent from a legitimate Google address and the user is tricked by a catchy headline.
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