When Cybercriminals Ask for a Manager

Customer retention and satisfaction are vital to most organizations’ success. Knowing how important this is, cybercriminals send fake customer complaints in hopes of catching you off guard.

In a new phishing e-mail, cybercriminals impersonate a member of your organization’s human resources or management team. The e-mail addresses you by name, states “It is urgent request,” and tells you to call the sender immediately regarding a customer complaint. Additionally, a PDF of the complaint appears to be linked within the e-mail. If you click on the link, a webpage opens where you can download the customer complaint. Unfortunately, the file isn't actually a PDF. Instead, it's a dangerous piece of malware.

Here’s how you can stay safe from similar scams:

• Think before you click. Cybercriminals exploit emotions, such as the fear or guilt of upsetting a customer, to trick you into clicking on malicious links.
• Watch for poor grammar and unusual phrasing in e-mails, such as “It is urgent request.” E-mails from legitimate sources are more likely to use correct and natural language, such as "This is urgent," or "This is an urgent request."
• Never click a link in an e-mail that you weren’t expecting. If you’re not sure, reach out to the sender by phone to confirm the legitimacy of the e-mail.