Hackers have found new and devious ways to try to scam you and/or your buyers! Be aware of the settings in your Gmail accounts (this could also apply to other providers, you can check to see if similar settings are available to you). As before, the situation involves a buyer receiving an email “from their agent” including wire instructions for their deposit. It seems though, that this may have been prompted by an email the buyer actually sent to the agent asking about wire transfers. It appears that the email account was being monitored. The hacker sent along wire instructions, but the buyer couldn’t follow them because the instructions weren’t valid.
When the agent reviewed his email settings he found that he was logged in on several devices, located in Nigeria, Queensland AU, Pemberton CA and many other places as well!
Take heed and do the following:
- Check filters that messages aren’t being forwarded without your knowledge.
- Check what devices, and where, are logged into your account.
- Change your password and turn on 2-factor authentication that requires a password and texted code before access to email can be granted on new devices.
Should you have any questions, you may contact a member of staff for assistance.
(Thank you to Russ Stein for sharing his experience so we can pass it along to you!)