Yahoo Finance ‘Account reported’: Serious warning for Instagram users
Instagram is being impersonated by cybercriminals in a phishing email scam designed to steal users’ confidential data.
Users should be wary of an email titled “Instagram Copyright” claiming that their account has been reported for denial of copyright.
Intercepted by MailGuard, the phishing scam, claims that their account has been reported due to a copyright complaint.
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It requests the user to fill out the appeal form if they think the report of copyright infringement on their Instagram account is an error.
The suspicious looking email, from a server owned by Hostlab, a Turkish web hosting company and sent from info@iqviolationteam.com, tries to entice users to enter personal details via a blue call to action button ‘’Appeal form’’.
Anyone who clicks that link is then taken to an authentic-looking Instagram login page that requests users enter their Instagram username to verify their identity.
After entering their username the victim is then taken to a page addressed to them personally, requesting their password and stating: “Before completing the form, you must login with your account’’.
Once the username and password are submitted, the attacker harvests them for later use, and the user is met with an error saying “Sorry, your password was wrong. Please check your password carefully.”
“Popular technology vendors and platforms like Instagram are attractive targets for cybercriminals, due to their trusted brand and enormous customer base,” MailGuard said.
“Providing your personal details can result in your sensitive information being used for criminal activity and may have a severe negative impact on your business and its’ financial well-being.”
MailGuard urges users not to click links or open attachments within emails that:
Are not addressed to you by name.
Appear to be from a legitimate company but use poor English or omits personal details that a legitimate sender would include.
Are from businesses that you were not expecting to hear from, and/or
Take you to a landing page or website that is not the legitimate URL of the company the email is purporting to be sent from.
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