Job Scam Phishing Alert “Crypto Purchasing Assistant Needed"
If it sounds too good to be true, it's too good to be true.
“Crypto Purchasing Assistant Needed - Apply if Interested"
The Division of Information Technology(DoIT) recently received multiple reports of a job scam phishing message. The scammers are offering a position as a Virtual Executive Assistant to purchase cryptocurrency. An example of the phishing email can be found below. We removed the To and From fields for privacy reasons.
From: Date: Mon, Feb 14, 2022 at 11:32 AM Subject: Crypto Purchasing Assistant Needed - Apply if Interested To: Work as a Virtual Executive Assistant for Michael Bravo as a Crypto Currency Purchasing Assistant basically handling purchase and receiving payments when purchase is required. A maximum of an hour daily or maximum of five hours weekly work input is required, the pay will be two hundred dollars weekly with regular performance bonus and benefits, you can work remotely from your choice location. The information required below is required for interested applicants.
NAME: MOBILE: ALTERNATIVE EMAIL:
Kindly forward details with a resume if available to michael.bravo.paychex@gmail.com
Regards, Katie Johnson Publicity Manager. |
Notice that the formatting seems off. The format of the email is a red flag for a potential scam. Spelling, grammatical errors, awkward wording or phrasing are some of the most suspicious details about phishing emails. This email contains such errors as well as random line breaks. An actual job offer will not have these kinds of mistakes. Always be suspicious of emails that are written similarly.
For more information about the red flags in phishing emails, visit:https://itsecurity.umbc.edu/critical/?id=98136.
If you have received any message similar to the one listed above, please forward it with its headers tosecurity@umbc.edu. For instructions, visit: https://wiki.umbc.edu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1867970.
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Receive any suspicious emails?
Forward it to security@umbc.edu along with the email headers. For instructions, visit: https://wiki.umbc.edu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1867970.
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Posted: February 15, 2022, 11:46 AM