Scammers and hackers continue to abuse legitimate cloud services. A research team from Cisco discovered a new trend in using Google Forms or quizzes within Google Forms, to be more specific, to cause harm. Have you ever received an email from Google Forms that says "Score released:" and invites you to view your quiz results? If so, you might be a target of a new spam campaign that tricks you into visiting a malicious website.
The spammers create fake quizzes in Google Forms and use the targeted email address to respond to them. Then, they use the "Release scores" feature of Google Forms to send the victim an email with a customized message and a link to view your quiz response. The email appears to come from Google, so the recipient might be tempted to click on it.
But when the victim does, they are taken to a fake quiz response that contains another link to a scammer's website. One of many outcomes is the website claims that you have won a large amount of money from Bitcoin mining and asks you to pay a small fee to claim it. Of course, this is a fraud.
This scam is very elaborate and convincing, but some signs can help you spot it and avoid it. Here are some tips to protect yourself from this Google Forms quiz scam:
- Be suspicious of any email claiming you have taken a quiz or won a prize you don't remember. Don't click on any links or attachments in such emails.
- Check the sender's email address and the URL of the link. They are likely fake if they don't match the official Google domain.
- Don't enter your personal or financial information on any website you don't trust. Always verify the legitimacy of the website before you provide any sensitive data.
- Use a reputable antivirus software and keep it updated. It can help you detect and block malicious websites and emails.
Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't fall for the Google Forms quiz scam, and stay safe online.
#ALTACyber
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Genady Vishnevetsky
Chief Info Security Officer
Stewart Title Guaranty Company
Houston TX
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