New ways to scam are constantly being developed and tested by cyber criminals, trying to trick us into handing over login details or sensitive data. You might be under the impression that your team would be able to spot an attempted attack, but you might be surprised. At Pisys we have seen a lot of intelligent individuals including business managers get caught over the years.

Back to basics

More people are falling for retro type scans as cyber criminals have gone back to basics. They are doing this by sending USB drives in the post. They may appear in suggested Microsoft branding packaging, but they are not!

The scam attempts to lead you into installing the drive urgently to update Microsoft Office Professional Plus. This of course is a scam and a dangerous lie. Microsoft have confirmed the packages are not genuine and warns people that they would never send out unsolicited packages.

If you do proceed with the scam, you would plug the drive into your device, and it will detect a “virus” and then lead you to call a support line. On the other end of the phone, the scammers will pretend to remove the virus, appearing to be trustworthy, and will then request payment details to help complete your setup.

This is an old-fashioned scam but the combination of physical USB and that it’s come from Microsoft, with an additional fake support line can seem compelling for busy people who just want to get back to work. Stay safe by warning everyone in your business about this scam.

While doing this it will be a good time to review the software and staff training to best protect your business. You need the right balance of both, and we can help with that. Just get in touch and we will be able to recommend suggestions and help with your queries.

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.