Parking ticket phishing email

Posted on: April 20, 2017 | By: Christina Bonds | Filed under: Tech Tips, Info Security

PhishingTextA new phishing email is appearing in inboxes, urging users to pay a parking ticket.  Below is an example of the email with suspicious areas highlighted.

Example of a recent parking fine phishing email

highlighted_phishing_email

Suspicious areas

1. From name and email

The from name is generic and does not identify a particular police department.  The from email does not look like a legitimate email address from a police department.

2. Generic name

This email could be sent to anyone.  It should have some identifying information like your actual name.

3. Sense of urgency

Requirement of an appearance in court gives a sense of urgency in hopes that you will quickly make the payment.

What is a phishing email?

Phishing emails are a form of social engineering designed to steal money or information.  You can protect yourself from becoming a victim of a phishing scam by carefully reading your emails before clicking on links and attachments.  Do not call a random phone number with your credit card details or other personal information.

Common things to look for in a phishing email

  • Messages with a sense of urgency and threats of account closures or having to go to court
  • Misspellings and bad grammar
  • Deals that sound too good to be true
  • Requests to donate to a charitable organization after a disaster
  • Promises of money in exchange for your information

Christina Bonds

Christina Bonds, CISSP, is an Application Developer at Elon University

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