A new Gmail scam means criminals can get complete control of a user’s accounts, causing devastating consequences.
The scheme which involves fraudsters using AI to steal information first appeared in May, last year.
Realistic phone calls generated by artificial intelligence claim that the victim’s account has been compromised.
After the call, criminals send an email designed to look like it’s come from a Gmail employee, but which actually contains a malicious link.
The scam email claims that suspicious activity has been detected in the user’s account and that they must follow a link with steps to resolve the problem.
If the account owner clicks through they are at risk of identity theft which means scammers can access their financial details. Clicking on these sort of malicious links is known as a phishing scam.
One Gmail scam victim, Sam Mitrovic, told The Metro: “The scams are getting increasingly sophisticated, more convincing and are deployed at ever larger scale.
“People are busy and this scam sounded and looked legitimate enough that I would give them an A for their effort, many people are likely to fall for it.”
Warning signs to watch for with the new Gmail Scam include receiving mail from an address containing numbers or an email with multiple grammatical and spelling errors.
Fraudsters often replicate logos and images to appear legitimate.
However, zooming in and inspecting the logo closely can reveal subtle differences from the company’s official branding, suggesting the sender may be fraudulent.
Malwarebytes told the Daily Mail: “The AI tools that cybercriminals have at their disposal are relatively low cost, and researchers have found that the cost of advanced and sophisticated email attacks starts at just $5,” highlighting the ease in which scammers can use sophisticated tools to steal money.
A study by McAfee found that undetectable deepfakes can be created in less than 10 minutes for increasingly low prices.
Malwarebytes urged users to never click on links or attachments from unknown senders and to never enter personal information unless they are 100 percent sure the sender is legitimate.
Find out more about phishing scams and how to avoid them.
Have you lost money to a Gmail scam? Contact National Fraud Helpline. Call 0333 0033218 or fill out our Claim Form.