Be Aware of Emailing Hacking and Phishing

Several companies in the glass and glazing industry have fallen victim to email hacking and phishing scams, some of which can result in the loss of thousands or even millions of dollars.

According to one glass industry company that contacted USGNN™ about this issue, the scam involves the victim’s email being hacked and then mimicked. The hacker can then use the mimicked email, which closely resembles the authentic address, to collect payments, funds, etc., from unsuspecting customers. This is often done through wire transfers, ACH payments, etc.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), offers security tips it calls “avoiding social engineering and phishing attacks” here.

According to the CISA’s security tips:

• “If you believe you might have revealed sensitive information about your organization, report it to the appropriate people within the organization, including network administrators. They can be alert for any suspicious or unusual activity.
• If you believe your financial accounts may be compromised, contact your financial institution immediately and close any accounts that may have been compromised. Watch for any unexplainable charges to your account.
• Immediately change any passwords you might have revealed. If you used the same password for multiple resources, make sure to change it for each account, and do not use that password in the future.
• Watch for other signs of identity theft. (See Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft for more information.)
• Consider reporting the attack to the police, and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission.”