Reporting Phishing Is the Neighbourly Thing To Do

Spam filters have gotten pretty good, so it was a surprise when I received one in my Outlook inbox with the following subject line: “United States Postal Service new ticket id46394”.?

The US Postal Service branded email urged me to click a button to sort out a "delivery problems notification". I did not click it. As a Canadian, I don't receive USPS packages, so that tipped me off it was a phishing email. I clicked forwarding to get a look at the sender’s email; it was definitely not USPS.?

The email had 5 links in total: the button and a USPS boilerplate “do not reply to sender” message along with links purporting to be from USPS.com, Privacy Policy, Customer Service and FAQs. Notably, each of those links led to the same link, the delivery mechanism for the phishing virus, effectively the Internet equivalent of a bear trap hidden under a pile of leaves. According to a USPS video on the subject, the virus records keystrokes and may provide external access to personal information.?

Whatever it does, I don’t want the virus or malware on my computer. I forwarded it to [email protected] and deleted it. You can also send spam or phishing emails to [email protected]. In Canada, you can visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and report online fraud attempts. According to the website, Canadians have lost $130 million to fraud, with $7.6 million related to Covid-19 scams.?

What struck me was that the phishing email did manage to slip past Outlook’s otherwise good spam filter.?

I had a look at the email origin. It came from a Netherlands Internet Provider. Each of the 10 websites associated with the IP number are new as of July or August 2021. The IP number isn’t on any of the spam lists yet.?

And that appears to be the answer. If the phishers are willing to set up new infrastructure, they will be one step ahead of the spam filters which rely on reporting to compile spam lists. It’s why, when I see something new or particularly effective like this email, I try to report it to the relevant institutions as soon as possible so they get a head’s up that trouble is on their way.?

It’s the neighbourly thing to do in the cyber war against fraud.