The latest phishing top list has been released, revealing which companies were the most commonly misused by online fraudsters. The list includes a variety of businesses, including banking institutions, e-commerce platforms, and social media networks. These findings are essential for companies to be aware of, as they can help them to protect their customers from phishing scams.
Cybercriminals who specialize in data theft frequently exploit the reputation of larger organizations and companies to deceive their potential victims. When compiling their emails and websites, they aim to eventually get users to provide their confidential data.
The holiday season is a popular time for fraudsters because many people are easily fooled by the shopping frenzy, even by a bargain. Black Friday is especially notorious for scams, as savvy shoppers are competing for deals and may not be as careful about verifying the legitimacy of a seller.
According to the latest quarterly report by Check Point, cybercriminals continued to rely on well-known methods in 2021, taking advantage of the seasonal increase in online traffic around the end of the year. As online orders surge and so does the volume of deliveries, it's no surprise that cybercriminals are looking to exploit this by posing as legitimate freight and parcel delivery companies.
As a result, DHL was the company most frequently identified in phishing attacks, with its name used in 23% of such incidents globally. As a result, the company has issued several warnings to its customers and provided them with advice on how to stay safe from phishing scams. In most cases, people were led to fake DHL websites that looked very similar to the originals and asked for confidential information.
According to the quarterly phishing report, the following companies had the highest number of abuses:
- DHL (23%)
- Microsoft (20%)
- WhatsApp (11%)
- Google (10%)
- LinkedIn (8%)
- Amazon (4%)
- FedEx (3%)
- Roblox (3%)
- Paypal (2%)
- Apple (2%)
The FedEx scams were very similar to the DHL scams, employing scare tactics to get users to comply with their requests. On the other hand, the PayPal scams mainly used threats of suspended accounts to intimidate users into compliance.
The best way to fight against phishing is through modern content filtering and security-conscious email and internet use. Using these techniques can help protect your organization from malicious attacks. For example, when you receive an email, it's important not to click on any links within the email unless you are sure of the source. Instead, go directly to the company or organization's official website. This will help protect your computer from viruses and other malware.
