Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Share Post: Reddit Facebook
Scammer groups are exploiting Gmail 'dot accounts' for online fraud
#1
Scammer groups are exploiting Gmail 'dot accounts' for online fraud



[Image: dotted-accounts-scams.png]

Quote:Crooks use "dotted" Gmail addresses to file for fraudulent unemployment benefits, file fake tax returns, and bypass trial periods for online services.

Cyber-criminal groups are exploiting a Gmail feature to file for fraudulent unemployment benefits, file fake tax returns, and bypass trial periods for online services.

The trick is an old one and has been used in the past. It refers to Gmail's "dot accounts," a feature of Gmail addresses that ignores dot characters inside Gmail usernames, regardless of their placement. For example, Google considers john.doe@gmail.com, jo.hn.doe@gmail.com, and johndoe@gmail.com as the same Gmail address.

Regular users have been using this feature for years to to register free trial accounts at online services using the same email address, but spelled out in different ways.
More recently, a scammer group learned to use dotted Gmail accounts to trick Netflix account owners into adding card details to scammers' accounts --registered with the user's dotted Gmail address.

The legitimate "update your card details" Netflix email would arrive in the real user's inbox, who'd later update the scammer's account without knowing.
The reason why this trick works is because "dotted" Gmail address alternatives are a pure-Gmail feature, not found with many online email providers. Online websites like Netflix, Amazon,eBay, and government portals, treat each dotted email address as a different account, which provides a breeding ground for all sorts of problems.


Read More... https://www.zdnet.com/article/scammer-gr...ine-fraud/
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Google: We're Tracking 270 State-Sponsored Hacker Groups From Over 50 Countries mrtrout 0 541 10-14-2021 , 10:21 PM
Last Post: mrtrout
  Scammers steal New Yorkers' private info for benefits fraud Bjyda 0 738 03-31-2021 , 09:47 PM
Last Post: Bjyda
  Action Fraud Warns of Ongoing UK National Insurance Scam mrtrout 0 844 03-27-2021 , 03:56 AM
Last Post: mrtrout
  Identity Fraud Losses Soared to $56 Billion in 2020, Javelin Researchers Find mrtrout 0 818 03-27-2021 , 03:53 AM
Last Post: mrtrout
  At least 10 APT hacking groups have exploited Exchange Server bugs, ESET warns Bjyda 0 1,031 03-11-2021 , 10:36 PM
Last Post: Bjyda

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)