The city is aware that some residents received a text message in January that appears to have come from the City and County of Denver, with the city’s logo and the subject being an unpaid parking invoice. We can confirm that the City and County of Denver did not send this text, but we want to use this opportunity to remind residents to be aware of cybersecurity scams. These scams, which can take many forms, aim to steal personal or financial information. Governments are frequent targets for bad actors, and we are tracking other municipalities also experiencing similar phishing attacks.
Scam Warning
Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to solicit personal information by posing as a trustworthy organization. For example, an attacker may send email from a reputable credit card company or financial institution that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts.
Phishing attacks may also appear to come from other types of organizations, such as charities. Attackers often take advantage of current events and certain times of the year, such as 1) Natural disasters, 2) Epidemics and health scares, 3) Economic concerns (IRS scams), 4) Major political elections, & 5) Holidays!
Here are common indicators of phishing attempts.
§ Suspicious sender’s address. The sender’s address may imitate a legitimate business. Cybercriminals often use an email address that closely resembles one from a reputable company by altering or omitting a few characters.
§ Generic greetings and signature. Both a generic greeting such as “Dear Valued Customer” or “Sir/Ma’am” and a lack of contact information in the signature block are strong indicators of a phishing email. A trusted organization will normally address you by name and provide their contact information.
§ Spoofed hyperlinks and websites. If you hover your cursor over any links in the body of the email, and the links do not match the text that appears when hovering over them, the link may be spoofed. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net). Additionally, cybercriminals may use a URL shortening service to hide the true destination of the link.
§ Spelling and layout. Poor grammar and sentence structure, misspellings, and inconsistent formatting are other indicators of a possible phishing attempt. Reputable institutions have dedicated personnel that produce, verify, and proofread customer correspondence.
§ Suspicious attachments. An unsolicited email requesting a user download and open an attachment is a common delivery mechanism for malware. A cybercriminal may use a false sense of urgency or importance to help persuade a user to download or open an attachment without examining it first.
What do you do if you think you are a victim?
§ 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.
§ Consider reporting the attack to the police, and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission.at https://www.ftc.gov. Courtesy of the Denver DA Office.