Security News > 2020 > November > Crooks impersonate US govt agencies offering financial aid
Cybercriminals looking to steal personal information are baiting U.S. citizens with emails purporting to be from government agencies offering federal assistance.
Bad actors are sending out messages purporting to be from federal government entities offering financial aid or unemployment assistance during the pandemic.
For one malicious message, email protection company Inky says that the cybercriminals lured victims with a fake government program that offers up to $5,800 in cash payments.
The link to the program looks suspicious but clicking on it leads to a "Hijacked domain that impersonates the U.S. federal government," Inky says in a report today.
A form on the malicious site asks the victim initially for their name and date of birth, to access another form that asks for additional info including the social security number, driver's license, address, postal code, state, phone number, and email address.